Essay about Historia de Puerto Rico: Cristóbal Colón

The once powerful Spanish Empire was hanging onto a thread as Cuba and Puerto Rico were their last two major colonies. Tension between the Cuban people and the Spaniards had been building since the beginning of Spanish reign over the island in 1492. One of the leading issues was the “impact of increased taxation and an international economic crisis” (LOC). Spain was exploiting Cuba for its sugar plantations and treating the locals very poorly. This poor treatment and taxation by Spain would lead to the “Ten Years' War” (LOC), from 1868 to 1878, in which the Cubans

For most of its history, Puerto Rico has been controlled by an outside power, and its people oppressed. While Puerto Rico is currently a U.S. territory, Spanish colonialism has had a significant impact on the island’s development and identity. The history of the island itself is proof of this fact, demonstrating each step Puerto Rico took to reach its current state. By examining the stages of Spanish control that Puerto Rico experienced, we can determine how each stage affected the structure and identity of Puerto Rico.

It is not uncommon that you’ll hear Puerto Ricans refer to themselves as the mutts of the Spanish community, this is because of the island’s history. Soon after Christopher Columbus “discovered” the island in 1493, it became known as the “rich port” for the Spanish or Puerto Rico, due to the fact that it produced mass amounts of cattle, sugar cane, tobacco, and coffee, especially considering the island’s size. Such prosperity and wealth opened the door for the slave trade to enter the colony, and as a result Puerto Rican bloodlines and cultures evolved not only from the Spanish, but also from Africans, and indigenous Taíno and Carib people (“Puerto Rico- History and Heritage”). In addition, over the centuries many failed attempts where made by the French, Dutch, and English to conquer the island which even further changed the bloodlines. Of course, as history has it, at the end of the Spanish American war in 1898, the Treaty of Paris declared the the Spanish would surrender Puerto Rico to the United States, therefore infiltrating American culture and beauty ideals.

separate how De Las Casas might have been an outspoken critic of the Spanish’s treatment of indigenous people, and how he was still a part of a repressive institution. Finally, I

So how is it that with the United Nations and changes in modern international, that Puerto Rican are still subjected to colonialization? The bourgeoisie is to blame. In an era where it is not legitimate to storm the shore of an island with guns or rain down bombs from the skies, the United States and other western imperialist natation’s use the national bourgeoisie to maintain the status quo and subjugate the proletariat. This is evident by the division in political activism within NSGTs and Puerto Rico. Dating back to the seizure of Puerto Rico by the United States of America, political parties comprised of the national bourgeoisie and the proletariat, have never united despite the fact that they both claim they fight for freedom. The national bourgeoisie is only intent on seeking freedom for themselves, a freedom that mimics the imperialistic nature of their masters. A freedom where only a few reap the benefits of the

Puerto Rico has a long tumultuous past, which has yet to be settled; in the 1900’s the U.S acquired Puerto Rico and declared it a territory of the U.S with very limited self-rule. They even declared English as the official language. This has a large impact on Puerto Rican’s including the Thorpe family as the state has tried to declare bankruptcy for years and the U.S

I will be discussing how the country of Puerto Rico’s impact of resource scarcity, issues with boundary delineation, separatism and sovereignty issues, poverty, migration, legacies of colonialism and imperialism, global climate change and its impact. The once poor nation of Puerto Rico now seems to be a stepping stone for trading in the Caribbean. With its location in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is a major asset for shipping lanes. One of the main reasons the U.S. wanted to take over this land. Its geographical location is important in helping to move resources around the world, as well as keeping an eye on Cuba. The economic system of

1. What was the view of Las Casas in relation to Spanish treatment of the indigenous people of the Indies?

The first instance of colonialism forced upon the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic was the “discovery” by Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1492. Ernesto Sagas and Orlando Inoa presented the interaction in their book The Dominican People: A Documentary History. The confrontation between these two diametrically opposed cultures proved to be “far from equal; the Amerindians’ Stone Age culture was no match for European military technology. The initial encounter took place on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, part of which is now the Dominican Republic” (Inoa pg. 1). This was the first step in a trek through five and a half centuries of Dominican Republic history, and unfortunately much of it was filled with

The establishment of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as a United States territory has been prevalent since the Spanish-American War in 1898. Along with Puerto Rico, Spain also ceded Guam and the Philippines to the United States, Puerto Rico being the most populous of all U.S. territories, currently. As the result of being an unincorporated territory, all citizens born in Puerto Rico are proclaimed to be natural-born United States citizens, however are “disenfranchised at the national level” and therefore, cannot participate in Federal Elections. Although the island have already developed its own culture nearly wholly independent from the other states, there are many similar aspects that connect both Puerto

In Reproducing Empire, Laura Briggs provides her readers with a very thorough history of the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rican discourses and its authors surrounding Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, from Puerto Rico's formation in the mainland elite's "mind" as a model U.S. (not) colony in 1898* to its present status as semi-autonomous U.S.

It is instead the leader's fault. Different from the United States Puerto Rico does not have state powers, simply because it is not a state. These powers include lack of voting representation in either House of Congress, the only delegate to the congress is the Resident Commissioner who is elected to represent the people, but does not have a vote for the final passage of congressional legislation.

As we know, Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain "found" by Christopher Columbus on November 19, 1493, and remained a colony of Spain for the next 400 years. But the interesting fact remains that Puerto Rico was not truly settled by the Spaniards until almost fifteen years later! In 1508, Juan Ponce de Leon came to settle the land of Borinken, and founded the town of Caparra. This was the start of a proud people that would

In order to lay the court foundation for the newly state of Puerto Rico, it is important to understand a brief, recent history and basic principles which make up the state. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth island located in the Caribbean about 1,000 miles southeast of Florida, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. In 1952, the people of Puerto Rico established a constitution, recognizing a republican form of government. (Berenshteyn, 2014) The island is under the jurisdiction of U.S. customs and allows free movement of people and commodities within the territory and the United States, which is significant because its climate, history, and the atmosphere makes the island a very popular tourist destination. However, the economic crisis has prompted a migration of Puerto Rican citizens to seek other horizons in the United States, leaving its population at just over 3.5 million people; one-third of the population is located in the capital, which is San Juan. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015) The other two thirds are disbursed throughout the other divisions.

Morales talks about Puerto Rican cultures by explaining what Caribbean people like to do: eat, sing, how they have different ways to dance and enjoy different types of music. “I am Caribeña, island grown. Spanish is in my flesh, ripples from my tongue, lodge in my lodge in my hips; the language of garlic and mangoes, […] (Morales 1174). She associates with those specific tastes and her home culture. Food is an important element of cultural identity.