Harvest Of An Empire Analysis

The term Hispanic refers to people who are capable of speaking and comprehending the Spanish language, and whose ancestry identifies with the Hispanic culture. The three main Hispanic groups in the United States are Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans are people who identify themselves as Hispanics of Puerto Rican origin, meaning they were either born in Puerto Rico, or have family ancestry that traces back to Puerto Rico. According to Lopez & Patten (2015), in 2013, Puerto Ricans were the second-largest Hispanic origin population living in the United States, accounting for 9.5%. This population continues to grow. In fact, between 1980 and 2013, the Puerto Rican population in the United States had increased by 56% (Lopez & Patten, 2015). Puerto Rican culture is unique, and quite complex. To gain knowledge and a better understanding of the Puerto Rican culture, I attended the Puerto Rican Festival held in Milwaukee, and conducted an interview with Melinda Nieves, a Puerto Rican woman living in Appleton. Through these experiences, I found that Puerto Rican culture is centered around language, family, and religion, as well as music and delicious food.

Juan Gonzalez uses Chapter 12: “Speak Spanish, You’re in America!: El Huracán over Language and Culture” of his novel Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America to introduce a truly polarizing argument that has plagued the Latino community in the United States of America. Gonzalez is quick to point out that English is the common language in this country, though he is quicker to note that it should not necessarily be so. This author is so incredibly biased in this chapter that it is nearly impossible to disagree with his opinion without feeling like one is completely shutting out the entire Latino community. However, speaking as a member of this community, perhaps it is this unique insight that allows for not only a contending opinion, but also the framework to make the opinion relevant. Gonzalez makes brash claims with little supporting evidence and relies heavily on argumenta ad passiones to manipulate the reader’s emotions instead of focusing on rationalism and sound judgment. Quite possibly, it was the abundance of this logical fallacy that made it difficult to sympathize with his argument; though, it lays the basis for this chapter analysis.

In Harvest of Empire’s “Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type” Juan Gonzalez outlines how Mexican descendants contributed to U.S. prosperity and culture. Gonzalez’s assertion is that the Mexicans and their culture have been in the United States long before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the establishment of settlements and trade along the Rio Grande by Mexican pioneers, and the important factor Mexican-American workforce had in the nation. He supports his argument using historical records, individual’s stories and local papers. Respectively, Gonzales provides information that Mexicans greatly affected the economic uprising and culture of United States across the border.

Last Wednesday on October 12, I was able to go to the talk of Nelson A. Denis about War Against All Puerto Ricans. Being born and raised in Puerto Rico, I already knew what Nelson was talking about, however it was still nice to fresh up on some history that I may have forgotten. It was also, nice to see Nelson A. Denis tell the audience how Puerto Rico got to where is now in a clear and unique way.

The Puerto Ricans in New York were being submerged in racist repression and a severe economic exploitation. There Puerto Ricans faced filthy and dangerous tenement housing and a school system that denigrated their language and culture and offered little opportunity for higher education. The Latino population could not get ahead because of the daily repression to which they are subjected. In the streets they faced an occupying army, the New York City Police Department, which was openly racist and used violence liberally. “Puerto Ricans were good enough to die in the jungle of Vietnam, but were treated like the Viet Cong on the streets of New York,” according to to “palante brief history of the Young Lords”what the young lord tried to do oster seeing all the events that were helping to denigrated the latino community they began to clean the streets. Gave

A diverse minority group of Latino and Spanish-speaking peoples has played an important part of what it means to be American and what it means to be a citizen in the United States today. Moving into the future, in order to analyze the trajectory that this group is in, we must first understand the group’s history in the United States and in territories that would become the United States. In addition, we must look at the origins of the most recent wave of Latino immigration in order to understand their current effect on American society and the intersection between both minority and majority groups. Finally, we get to the apex of this investigation: what lies in the future for Latino Americans in the United States? Although Latino

Latino Crossings: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and the Politics of Race and Citizenship is a book based on ethnographic research that details the racism and hostility that Mexicans and Puerto Ricans have found in relation to other ethnic groups. The book examines the perceptions and constructions of differences both culturally and biologically between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, as groups, and how it operates within a larger social framework of racialized inequalities of power and opportunity in the space of Chicago. The objective of the book is to not only highlight the boundaries that divide these two groups and how they have been constructed over time but to see if they could possibly find common ground in order for both communities to overcome these disparities that help separate them and in turn help them forge a common identity and find a political space beneficial for both.

From a terrorist group to being investigated by the FBI, to the Mayor of Chicago calling for a “War on Gangs”, the Young Lords, a radical activist group that started as a gang was fighting for their community by addressing social justice issues and lack of support by Chicago higher-ups. The Young Lords Organization started to pop up in other major cities such as New York City which later separated itself from the Chicago Young Lords. The New York City branch has piles of information on the events that occurred within the Puerto Rican community but little has been said about the original Chicago Young Lords. This essay will help fill the missing history of the Young Lords Organization by addressing the origins, aspirations, the impact on the

Puerto Rico, whose word meaning is “rich port” in Spanish, is a beautiful Island located in the middle of the Caribbean. Its strategic location made it a must have territory to the Spaniards who colonized it over four hundred years before the United States took a special interest. It all started in the year 1898, with the Treaty of Paris Puerto Rico now is property of the United States. After centuries of being led by Sevilla and Madrid, Puerto Rico was now forced to look upon Washington. The series of events leading the Spanish-American War changed Puerto Rico permanently. From changing the Island’s name from Porto Rico to Puerto Rico to Americanizing the Puerto Rican people in all ways possible, the acquisition of Puerto Rico from the United States had numerous economic, social and political impacts.

From the late 1800's to the 1960's, Puerto Ricans began to rise to recognition as a dominating influence, creating chaos in American society. This comment is based on the immigration of Puerto Ricans to America, and the problems it caused.

When watching the documentary “Pa’lante” it showed a lot of struggle in the community as Puerto Ricans tried their best to maintain it. Although, no vicious acts of violence was presented, authority says otherwise as well as the government. These people fought a lot for a better being and not just for themselves but for everybody as well. They took action into their hands and tried their best to provide Medical Insurance, better Sanitation conditions, food, clothing, and much more. Even though the Young Lords lost their power and the people in the community drifted away, they will always be remembered. The Young Lords created such a big impact that because of them many people receive all those benefits they were trying to provide in the first

In the literature, Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America by Juan Gonzalez, we immediately jump into the development of how Latin America came to be about. Throughout the first part of Roots, Gonzales proceeds to discuss about colonization of Latin America. He not only mentions Latin America but also mentioned the colonization from the England to the New World which I found interesting because it seemed like he was comparing the two. I found it ironic when Gonzalez mentioned that Anglo Americans have changed the view that the Spanish left little to no impact is the history that we learn from our textbooks from the time we were able to learn anything in school. Agreeing with what he mentioned, not only I but students have come the realization that textbooks only seem to cover some aspects of history but never the entirety of what happened meaning that we have washed away with what really happened to what we want others to know. Throughout the first section Conquerors and Victims: The Image of America Forms, I learned more about the history of the United States and Latin America than I ever have in a history lesson. Example being that I had no idea who Juan Ponce de León was let alone that he was the first European to embark on U.S ground then I learned even more by finding out that he was in fact the first Governor of Puerto Rico. Another aspect was the spread of Catholicism was beginning to flourish from the English World to the New World which was bestowed

The Latinos in my class differed in the way that they were proud to say they were Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Dominican. Thus, I pursued a relationship with these classmates and I began to feel differently about Latinos. I realized that I was taking part in the prejudice thoughts my previous classmates had toward Latinos by concealing my identity. I also recognized that Latinos were struggling to pursue a better life and that we are looked down upon. As a result of discrimination, it is difficult for us to accomplish our goals in life. Presently, every opportunity I get, I talk about my culture. I discuss the hardships Latinos face and I describe my experience growing up Puerto Rican. Although I am Puerto Rican, I don't know as much about my culture as I should. Reading Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America by Juan Gonzalez has brought new insights to my knowledge of Puerto Ricans and Latinos in general. Gonzalez focuses on language and writes that speaking Spanish is treated as a handicap instead of as an asset.

Chapter IV focuses on the presence of the Americans in Puerto Rico during the early part of the twentieth century and their subsequent development of the sugarcane industry there. During this time, the United States military occupied Puerto Rico. Due to this occupation, the native islanders were affected in numerous ways and were looked down upon by the Americans.

Desde la época de Cristóbal Colón, Puerto Rico ha permanecido bajo dominación, primero en España y luego en los Estados Unidos, Puerto Rico es uno de las últimas colonias en el mundo hoy. El congreso de los Estados Unidos impuso a todos los residentes de la isla la ciudadanía en 1917 y entonces los puertorriqueños han sido ciudadanos americanos. Mientras, los puertorriqueños pueden ejercer los mismos derechos que cualquier otro ciudadano del EE.UU., la gente no se permiten para elegir a los miembros de Congreso o votar en las elecciones presidenciales.