Based on what I learned in the materials presented, it is clear that Puerto Rico's history shows that they had a struggle for identity and self-government under colonial rule. In the song by Lola Rodriguez de Tio's "El Grito de Lares" she makes a passionate statement for independence from Spain, whereas in J. Alden Mason's folk songs he shows differences in acceptance towards American influence. The three political cartoons that were shown help us visualize how the U.S. were thinking after the Spanish-American War, which saw Puerto Rico and others as nations that were dependent on the Americans. Both of these primary sources highlight how complex it was for Puerto Ricans during U.S. imperialism despite their self-determination and resistance. …show more content…
In section III of Chapter 19 it shows how the conflicts of the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American war ultimately led to US imperialist expansion. Together these sources helped me conclude that much of Puerto Rico’s identity today was shaped by American imperialism. Of the three political cartoons listed, I immediately was drawn to the first one with Uncle Sam teaching in a classroom. The unhappy “new” students are pictured in the front of the class representing the Philippines, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Cuba with Uncle Sam (the teacher) looking very stern teaching them. The chalkboard in the back explains the ideology of the American imperialists and their assertion that the “U.S. must govern its new territories with or without consent”. All together I was able to view the imperialist mindset during this time as being very one-sided and forced which was met with much reluctance from the subject nations such as Puerto Rico. From the two songs, I was able to understand the different viewpoints in Puerto Rico’s political