Political and Migration Issues Affecting Puerto Ricans in the United States
Puerto Ricans have a very distinct and complicated history. Their history is unlike any other immigrants who migrated at the United States at any time. Their island became a focus of the United States in 1898, when they won the island as booty in the Spanish-American war. Puerto Ricans residing in the United States have always had the dilemma of having to straddle both the American and Puerto Rican cultures and Spanish and English languages. In my opinion, Puerto Ricans have never had it easy living in the United States. So when I ask my grandparents, and other older generation Puerto Ricans why they decided to migrate from what I thought was "paradise" to the United States, they all give me the same answer. They wanted a better future for their families. They all felt that once they lived in the United States, opportunity would be knocking at the door.
As exemplified in the novel, Memoirs of Bernando Vega: A Contribution to the History of the Puerto Rican Community in New York, Puerto Ricans struggled just as much in the mainland as they did on the island. Because of the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico, one would think that Puerto Ricans would have had many advantages over other immigrants, especially after passing of the Jones Act of 1917, which granted Puerto Ricans a partial citizenship status. However, that was not the case either. Puerto Ricans still dealt with discrimination, a great deal of setbacks and downfalls, as well as issues of forced assimilation. Their high hopes of becoming successful in the United States usually came to an end after about a month or so of living in the United States when they realized it w...
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...sly and were more involved politically. The difference is also due to the times in which these political groups were active, and the level of compliance Puerto Ricans had with the American political system, and improvements to individual organizations. Still there were many improvements made, and the same could not have been accomplished without Vega’s older generation of politicians.
Still the efforts continue. It is now up the future generation of young Puerto Ricans to help unite their people, and their community advance. The politics of the Puerto Rican people has evolved from class politics, to ethnic politics, to what is now identity politics. In the beginning they struggled to be heard and represented in their small communities, and now we must continue to fight to have a voice and representation, not just in our community, but in the government as well.
Blaise Pascal was born on 19 June 1623 in Clermont Ferrand. He was a French mathematician, physicists, inventor, writer, and Christian philosopher. He was a child prodigy that was educated by his father. After a horrific accident, Pascal’s father was homebound. He and his sister were taken care of by a group called Jansenists and later converted to Jansenism. Later in 1650, the great philosopher decided to abandon his favorite pursuits of study religion. In one of his Pensees he referred to the abandonment as “contemplate the greatness and the misery of man”.
The Puerto Ricans faced many economic problems. To begin, as Pietri wrote about how Puerto Ricans here accept how they were being treated, he writes, “They worked/ ten days a week/ and were only paid for five.” The Puerto Ricans are being overworked and underpaid. Some may say that they have jobs, and they’re living. However, the text says, “Who keep them employed/ as lavaplatos/ porters messenger boys/ factory workers maids stock clerks/ shipping clerks assistant mailroom/ assistant, assistant assistant/ to the assistant’s assistant/ assistant lavaplatos and automatic/ artificial smiling doormen/ for the lowest wages of the ages.” The jobs they have are allowed to have aren’t respected by society and don’t pay well. Additionally, the text states, “All died/ hating the grocery stores/ that sold them make-believe steak/ and bullet-proof rice and beans.” They can’t afford the high end brands of foods and have to buy the cheaper brands.
1984 was written in 1948 and published in 1949 by Eric Arthur Blair under the pen name ‘George Orwell’. It is set in the year 1984 in Airstrip One, which is a province in the country of Oceania. The world is in a constant state of war between Oceania, and the other two countries, Eurasia and Eastasia. Oceania is controlled by English Socialism, or INGSOC in Oceania’s language, Newspeak. The powerful Inner Party controls the country using omnipresent surveillance, and manipulation. Every part of life is regimented and controlled, but the only crime is ‘thoughtcrime’: independent thinking and individualism. Big Brother is the figurehead of the Inner Party, and throughout the book, it is heavily implied that he may not really exist. The people
1984 takes place in an alternate-reality future where after World War 2, the world was divided into three main nations: Eastasia, Eurasia, and the super-country, Oceania. The book is set in Oceania in the year 1984, in the city of London, Airstrip One. Oceania is in a constant state of war against the two other countries, with bombings occurring daily and the living conditions extremely poor – very little food, very little clothing, and broken down housing. The Party rules over Oceania, with telescreens in almost every room that monitor every move a person makes, as well as anything they say. Posters hang everywhere with the phrase – BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.
In order to understand the current situation of Puerto Ricans one must look at their history and retrace the sequence of events that led to the current formation of the Puerto Rican people. An important component of this history is the time Puerto Rico spent under Spanish rule. Studying this portion of Puerto Rican history forces us to acknowledge the contribution the Spaniards, European immigrants, and African slaves had on Puerto Rican identity as we consider it today. This also addresses contemporary debates on Puerto Rican identity. An example of this is evident in an essay written by Jose Luis Gonzales entitled "Puerto Rico : Th Four Storied Country". In the article Gonzales points out what he feels is a disregard toward the African contribution to the Puerto Rican identity. He argues that the first Puerto Ricans were black , based on his interpretation that Africans were the first group to come to Puerto Rico and reproduce who did not have ties to a "motherland" because they were slaves. This is unlike the Spaniard elites and Criolles that demonstrated their commitment and loyalty to Spain. Since they had no other place to go, Puerto Rico was their motherland. Gonzalez also points out that the culture of a region is always the culture of the elite, not the popular culture.
The features of the formation of the Puerto Rican people under Spanish rule are therefore critical in addressing questions on Puerto Rican identity. The migration of thousands of Spaniards both from the mainland and its islands to Puerto Rico, the development of subsequent Creole populations, the formation of the agricultural sectors and their labor needs are some of the contributing features that will hopefully lead toward a better understanding of the complexities that surround the concept of Puertoricaness.
A great deal of Puerto Ricans are concerned that becoming a U.S. state will cause them to lose their culture. In the past few years Puerto Rico has managed to become a contender in international competitions, where it competes as a sovereign nation. "Puerto Rico is not a nation-state, not an independent … country, but still it has its own history, language, territory, culture and autonomy, and perhaps more importantly, the awar...
Why he would be to him advantageous to the U.S.A. to admit to Puerto Rico like state? A political reason - the American generation founding, who underwent in own meat the colonial humiliation, never contemplated that his newborn Republic it became a colonial power. The one is implicit in the American Constitution that all territory acquired by the U.S.A. is directed to a possible statehood.
When the United States first took Puerto Rico from Spain, its plans concerning what to do with the island appeared to be noble. According to Fernandez, "The United States would resurrect Puerto Rico, like Lazurus, creating, in Senator Foraker?s words, ?a new era?a new life?and prosperity far exceeding any hopes that have been excited or any anticipations that have been entertained.?(Fernandez 2)" In other words, the United States viewed Puerto Rico as something that had to be saved, and claimed that their plan was to rescue it from its inferior status and improve the standard of living. Puerto Rico was to remain under the control of the U.S. until it was capable of taking care of itself. In the words of Trías-Monge:
For us to clearly understand the Young Lords, it must be understood how the Puerto Rican Community came to be in New York City and other American cities such as Newark and Chicago. With the Spanish American War of 1898 came added difficulty for the population of Puerto Rico. Recently acquired by the United States, citizens of Puerto Rico were actually citizens of nowhere until granted statutory citizenship to the United States in 1917. Yet three years earlier, on 12 March 1914 the citizens of Puerto Rico opposing this imposition of American citizenship sent a "Memorandum to the President and Congress of the United States" stating, " We firmly and loyally oppose our being declared, against our express will or without our express content, citizens of any other than our own beloved country which God granted to us as an inalienable gift and incoercible right."[5]
Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States which makes it easy for natives to travel back and forth. Puerto Ricans first began to arrive in the United States to fill the work void left but those who went on to fight in World War I. Operation Bootstrap was a series of projects that attempted to turn Puerto Rico; a known agricultural economy to one that would concentrate on industrialization and tourism. Puerto Rico enticed many U.S companies with tax exemptions and differential rental rates on industrialized properties and so the shift in the economy had commenced. The shift however did not help the high unemployment rate on the island. Rather than having to deal with the droves of people seeking work they noticed the active recruitment of Puerto Rican workers by U.S. employers. The government began to encourage the departure of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. by requesting the Federal Aviation Administration to lower the airfares between Puerto Rico and the United States. This was an attempt to ch...
Puerto Rican migration was greatly influenced by both the United States and its own government. Even though Puerto Rico’s government made and executed its own migration
Although it was never intended to be, the acquisition of Puerto Rico resulted in Puerto Rico becoming a colony of the United States, vis-a-vis the laws Congress passed and the nature in which the United States tried to "Americanize" the island. Puerto Rico was a colonial government in the hands of Spain, and although the Puerto Ricans hoped that with American invasion, more freedom would be granted. Unfortunately that did not change when the United States assumed control of the island. The social, economic, and political atmosphere greatly changed as well, and those changes were not necessarily for the better or better than what the Puerto Ricans had while under the control of Spain.
Many politicians have different views on what Puerto Rico should do. Some think that we should become independent, some thing the island should stay the same, but some think Puerto Rico should just become independent. Either way it would benefit Puerto Rico.
Four years ago, teachers were slowly introduced to the world of computers. Most teachers were apprehensive, afraid that with an incorrect click, the computer would “explode”. How would the students learn if the teachers were unable to set an example? Here, traditional values had to be set aside, and learning about the new technology had to be embraced by both the students and teachers.