The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” seems to ring true in the case of Puerto Rico. In its current status, it is, at best, an afterthought to U.S. politicians. Reporting on current President Barrack Obama's 2011 visit to the commonwealth, Jacki Linden wrote for NPR, "On Tuesday, President Obama will visit the island of Puerto Rico. He first went there as a candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2008....Now the island is buzzing at the prospect of this first official presidential visit to Puerto Rico since John F. Kennedy went there in 1961" (Lyden). As the article notes, it had been more than fifty-years since the last visit from the United States Commander in Chief at the article’s time of publication. If Puerto Rico were in better shape, …show more content…
Puerto Rico has the unique ability to serve as the bridge between the United States and Latinos all over the world. As Romero-Barceló states on what the island has to offer, “Puerto Rico’s role as America’s gateway to better relations in Latin America and the Caribbean is by no means limited…we can offer much in the areas of commercial, educational, and technical interchange” (Romero-Barceló). As he sees, Puerto Rico has much to offer the United States. The U.S. has often found difficulty in strengthening relationships with Latin countries. With Puerto Rico by its side, a unique bond between the United States and the global Latino community could develop. Why would Puerto Ricans not want to help their fellow Spanish speaking brothers and sisters? Such a relationship could only benefit all parties …show more content…
Few Puerto Ricans have any desire to cease being Puerto Rican, and fewer Americans have any desire to transform Puerto Ricans into something they are not.
Indeed, Puerto Ricans seem to recognize something the congressional leadership doesn't see: Commonwealth status is a pretty good deal, and statehood could be a headache. Why spoil the picnic? (Terzian) The flaw with this is how much has changed since the writing of Terzian's article. His outdated argument has no precedents, when in a more recent poll, more Puerto Ricans have shown interest in statehood. The numbers only continue to rise as U.S. politicians find renewed interest in all that Puerto Rico has to offer as the fifty-first state. In addition, he mentions how the commonwealth status is "a pretty good deal", and questions, "Why spoil the picnic?" Whatever picnic that was taking place then is long gone now, as the debt piles and the crime rises in the struggling island where statehood is clearly the best route
II. Body a. Should Puerto Rico become a state? i. How would it benefit the government? ii. The.
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 debate on Puerto Rican Identity is a hot bed of controversy, especially in today’s society where American colonialism dominates most of the island’s governmental and economic policies. The country wrestles with the strong influence of its present day colonizers, while it adamantly tries to retain aspects of the legacy of Spanish colonialism. Despite America’s presence, Puerto Ricans maintain what is arguably their own cultural identity which seems largely based on the influence of Spain mixed with customs that might have developed locally.
In order to complicate the things, like not-incorporated territory, Puerto Rico never it was put in automatic route towards a possible statehood since it they have been all the other incorporated territories, as it they have not either been the other not-incorporated territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands and the Marianas Islands of the North. Confused contradictory and, the situation have been evolving gradually to one of gradual integration of Puerto Rico with the U.S.A. The legal and constitutional evolution of the law and precedents that has been accumulated through the years from the promulgation of the Insulars Decisions have tended to treat to Puerto Rico more and more like a state federated in very many areas of their political and economic subjects, except in the most important subject of their last sovereignty.
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:
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...
Thesis: I am here to day to convince the class, why Puerto Rico deserves to be a state, by explaining the faults in its health care, declining financial status, and their limited involvement in the government
The history of Puerto Rico under Spanish rule is one of European exploitation of non white peoples for the purpose of economic gain. The ‘discovery’ made by Columbus in 1492 had a great impact on the highly competitive countries in Europe who saw, in lands like Puerto Rico, the possibility of prosperity and advancement. More than hoping to spread their influence or religion, Europeans wanted to take advantage of the lands and resources which seemed unused. Actually the lands were being used quite successfully, but in unfamiliar ways which did not concern many Europeans. With little regard for the native people, Europe began conquering the eastern hemisphere in the name of colonization. Areas which had only known one race for centuries were flooded with people from all over the world seeking money and status. As the stakes grew, and select people and countries heavily prospered off their colonies, ethical and moral restraint declined. The result was a world filled with a diverse group of races, extreme distinctions in class differences, and mixing of culture. This was the case for Puerto Rico, which was just as much affected by colonialism as other areas, but has certain qualities which make the Puerto Rican identity unique.
It is in the solving of social problems in which Hispanics can be of tremendous service to the country. One of the greatest attributes of hispanics is the willingness to mix, and by doing so, have created cultural forms, new human relationships, and life styles. Because this, Hispanics can help look for solutions to barriers, prejudices, and stereotypes that have divided us as a
Duany, Jorge. The Puerto Rican Nation on the Move: Identities on the Island and in the
With newly acquired land the United States has become to within 90 miles of Cuba. Secretary of State John Quincy Adam sends a letter to Minister to Spain Hugh Nelson speculating the likelihood of U.S. “annexation of Cuba” within half a century in spite of deterrents:
When island inhabitants first heard that Americans were planning on invading Puerto Rico and driving out Spain's rulers, Puerto Ricans welcomed the North Americans to their home. (To view an in-progress work dealing with the Spanish-American War from a pro-colonial expansion point of view, visit this site/ For an objective historical account view this site). The Puerto Ricans were tired of not having a voice in politics and government and with the knowledge that America was a democracy, there was hope that this status quo would change. Although Puerto Ricans felt sentiments of fear at the arrival of the Americans, this did not curb their welcoming and enabling the American invasion. Unfortunately, the outcome of the invasion was not as positive as was thought it would be. During early U.S. rule, Puerto Ricans still were not included in the majority of governmental relations, and as with Spaniards, Americans who were sent to rule in Puerto Rico had never been there before and were ignorant about the history, culture, Spanish language, etc. Basically, Puerto Rico continued being ruled by foreigners who sought to complete their own interests, as opposed to looking to what are the interests of the nation they are invading and ruling.
From 1952 to the present, Puerto Rico has held a "commonwealth" status. A status that has not been directly defined but is neither a colony nor a state. Puerto Rico’s political status has been the primary issue of debate on the island.(To read more about this issue click here!) The three sides of this debate are the: pro-commonwealth, pro-statehood, and pro-independence. There is a great dilemma to the question of Puerto Rico’s political status and the relationship between the island and the United States.
For every competition like for example, the 2016 Olympics or the 2017 World Baseball Classic, the country practically stop their duties and focus in supporting their athletes. In the 2016 Olympics all Puerto Ricans located in different parts of the world just stopped what they were doing and just focus in the match that made history for Puerto Ricans, the match that gave the first Olympic gold medal for this country. Also, in the 2017 World Baseball Classic the complete island forgot about the problem that they were having and each night that the “Team Rubio” had a game, in each corner of the island, there were a bunch of Puerto Ricans reunited, most with their hair dyed as a
I love Puerto Rico. It has beautiful cliffs, beaches and, forests. However it can be crazy sometimes. My trip to Puerto Rico took a turn I didn’t expect.