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Introduction on cuba
Perspectives on cuba and its history
The culture of Cuba
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Puerto Rico and Cuba are known to be the two wings of the same bird, mostly because of their great similarities in history, culture, and struggles; yet, because of their differences in achieving their goals of self-government. Cuba was able to have full independence from Spain and have its own form of government; nonetheless, Puerto Rico, after achieving its independence from Spain, was annexed by the United States of America toward the conclusion of the Spanish-American War. Both of these islands, under Spanish rule, survived violent political policies and excessive military personnel in their lands and were able to achieve a form of sovereignty. Puerto Rico and Cuba were the final colonies of Spain in the Western Hemisphere; Cuba gained independence, yet Puerto Rico achieved a different form of sovereignty by becoming a territory of the United States. Moreover, this annexation of Puerto Rico with the US creates a democratic form of colonization; known popularly as a Commonwealth, but to the world Puerto Rico is still known as the oldest colony in the world.
It is believed by many that 1898 was a year of liberation and domination because of the Spanish-American War (García 39). After the war had concluded Puerto Rico had finally, after centuries of Spanish rule, been free of the tyrannical policies of the Spanish government in the island; moreover, this led to the clear pavement of the path for domination of the island of Puerto Rico by the United States. For the years to come once the US takes control of Puerto Rico, US military leaders in order to create a stable political, economical, and social environment governed the people of Puerto Rico. After years of legislation and negotiations from Puerto Rico’s leadership, in 1952...
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By Rafael, Hernandez Colon. 1998. "Puerto Rico: Statehood Or Status Quo? --- Separate Cultures Keep Us Apart." Wall Street Journal, Jul 23, 1-A16. http://search.proquest.com.esearch.ut.edu/docview/398785262?accountid=14762.
Christopher Schmidt-Nowara. "Politics and Ideas in Latin American Independence." Latin American Research Review 45, no. 2 (2010): 228-235. http://muse.jhu.edu/ (accessed November 14, 2012).
Gervasio, Luis Garcia. 2000. "I Am the Other: Puerto Rico in the Eyes of North Americans, 1898." The Journal of American History 87 (1): 39-64. http://search.proquest.com.esearch.ut.edu/docview/224901779?accountid=14762.
Emilio Pantojas-García. “The Puerto Rican Paradox: Colonialism Revisited, 2005.” University of Texas Press Latin American Research Review 40.3 (2005) 163-176
"PUERTO RICO: HOY, AYER Y MANANA." Impacto: 4. Jun 14 1994. ProQuest. Web.
Puerto Rico. The. Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2007. 2.
For four hundred years Spain ruled over an immense and profitable global empire that included islands in the Caribbean, Americas, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. After the Napoleonic Wars (1808-1815) many of Spain’s colonies followed the US’s lead, fighting and winning their independence. These revolts, coupled with other nations chipping away at Spain’s interests, dwindled Spain’s former Empire. By 1860, only Cuba and Puerto Rico were what remained of Spain’s former Empire. Following the lead of other former Spanish colonies, Cuban fighters started their campaign for independence, known as the Ten year war (1868-1878). This war developed into a Cuban insurgency which fought a guerilla war against the Spanish occupation.2
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 struggle of Cuba to gain its independence from Spain, which began in 1895, has captured the attention of many Americans. Spain’s brutal repressive measures to halt the rebellion were graphically portrayed for the U.S. public by American newspaper publishers, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer which caused to shape the national mood of agitation against Spain. Hearst and Pulitzer exaggerated the actual events in Cuba and how did Spanish brutally treated their prisoners by adding sensational words to catch the emotions of readers. However, publishing stories against the atrocities of Spain did not convince President Cleveland to support the intervention with Spain. When President McKinley held the office in 1897, he wanted to end the revolt peacefully, and he tried to avoid the involvement of America to the conflict between Cuba and Spain. McKinley sent Stewart Woodford to Spain to negotiate for peaceful Cuban autonomy and it all went smoothly and the independence of Cuba was supposed to be awarded after the negotiation. However, the peaceful settlement suddenly vanished after the incident of February 1898 when a private letter for a Cuban friend written by the Spanish minister Enrique Dupuy de Lome was stolen by a Cuban age...
Dawnes v. Bidwell, “Dawnes v. Bidwell Rules Puerto Rico Belongs to But Not Part of United States, 1901” ," in Major Problems in American Immigration History, ed. Mae M Ngai and Jon Gjerde (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013),271
The intention of this essay is to demonstrate to a vision rational, concordant political leader to the Puerto Rican, American and worldwide reality. It responds to the necessity that to the statehood it is necessary to imagine it and to expose it with all the evidence available, since many Puerto Ricans, including many political leaders, do not know like defending it or exposing it before the peculiar ones or our adversaries.
Puerto Rico spent most of its history under the control of Spain. In the year 1898, the islanders wanted their freedom and welcomed the U.S. invaders as their last hope of liberation from Spanish control. The United States brought the promise of democracy to Puerto Rico, but its true intentions did not include letting go of the island. Although the United States claimed that its intentions were to civilize Puerto Rico and help it become a democratic society, its hypocritical manner of dealing with the island had a great impact on Puerto Rican development. The early years of U.S. colonization affected many aspects of Puerto Rico, including economics, politics, and social relations.
While Vega discusses the early emigration of Puerto Ricans to New York City, Cruz discusses the later emigration of Puerto Ricans to Connecticut. Each author describes a different Puerto Rican experience in the United States. The experiences differed in most aspects from the context in which each wave of emigration occurred to the type of politics that was practiced. After the Spanish American war of 1898, the United States took control of Puerto Rico. In the initial state of US ownership, the Puerto Rican population faced a major dilemma.
In this story, the reader can see exactly how, many Puerto Ricans feel when living on other grounds. Throughout this time, the boy that Rodriguez presents us realizes he has his culture and that he wants to preserve it as much as he can. “Because I’m Puerto Rican”. I ain’t no American. And I’m not a Yankee flag-waver”
. Describe your culture. Include things like place of birth, where you were raised, family structure, educational experiences, and career history. What else needs to be included?
Keen, Benjamin, and Keith Haynes. A History of Latin America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Print.
After the Spanish-American war, Spain granted the United States with full ownership of the island of Puerto Rico, which largely benefited the United States with profitable agricultural land, in the same way, Puerto Rican citizens were all benefited when they received U.S. citizenship, this granted them with greater opportunities that awaited them in the United States. However, despite their citizenship, Puerto Ricans are yet to have a vote in national U.S. elections. The ownership of the island has mostly benefited the United States as it is able to control the land, and impose tax and restrictions. Due to this, Puerto Rico transformed from a local economy, to one that is dominated by external U.S. companies. Because of many programs that have been implemented in order to stimulate economic development, the economy has progressed. However, one of the negative side effects left the population dealing with high income tax, as well as leading the economy further away from the local farmers and into the capitalist economy of the United States. It seems as if the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico benefit the capitalist country and its economy but fails to befit much of the islands population as they are later faced with high income tax and high unemployment rates. Because of the high unemployment, the Puerto
Coerver, Don M., and Linda B. Hall. Tangled Destinies: Latin America & The United States. Albuquerque: The University of New Mexico Press, 1999.
1. How did Puerto Rican culture evolve during the first decade of American rule as
Scholars have debated not only the nature of Iberian colonialism, but also the impact that independence had on the people of Latin America. Historian Jaime E. Rodriguez said that, “The emancipation of [Latin America] did not merely consist of separation from the mother country, as in the case of the United States. It also destroyed a vast and responsive social, political, and economic system that functioned well despite many imperfections.” I believe that when independence emerged in Latin America, it was a positive force. However, as time progressed, it indeed does cause conflict.