How Did Puerto Rico Influence American Culture

The Spanish-American war consisted of a series of influential battles that pitted America and many of Spain’s colonies against Spanish rule, and ended with Spain losing its colonies and America gaining control over more and more land. In 1898, America joined a war being pit against Spain to force the Spanish to relinquish all control of their colonies, including Guam, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. This same war ended only a few months later, with Spain suffering huge losses and America gaining money and territories. The Spanish American war could be split into three main points of interest: How and why the Spanish American war started, The battles of Manila, Santiago de Cuba, Asomante, and Las Guasimas ( And the Rough Riders) , and the aftermath of the war. One of the most interesting territories was Cuba. Although the Spanish american war was not a long and costly war, it changed many people's lives indefinitely.

The Spanish-American War began as a humanitarian effort to free Cuba from Spain’s colonial grasp and ended with the United States itself acquiring territory overseas and fighting a dirty guerrilla war with Filipino nationalists who, like the Cubans, sought independence. Behind the contradiction stood the twin pillars of American foreign policy: The Monroe Doctrine made Spain’s presence in Cuba unacceptable, and U.S. determination to keep open the door to Asia made the Philippines attractive as a stepping-stone to China.

The United States gained control of the island of Puerto Rico as a result of the Spanish American war in 1898, claiming its intention to "free" the island from Spanish colonialism. When the United States took possession of the island, Puerto Rico became merely that, a controlled possession given little or insignificant power in many facets of Puerto Rican life. In a matter of a few months, Puerto Rico moved from being a Spanish possession to an American one, and this changing of hands had many implications on the status of Puerto Rico, politically economically, and socially.

The Spanish-American war of 1898, although short in duration, effected policy in the United States for years to come. As part of the Treaty of Paris, the United States acquired Puerto Rico and the Pacific island of Guam while Spain granted independence to Cuba (Divine 694). The United States demanded the Philippines as a condition of peace and quickly attempted to annex the islands (Pearson 19). This led to the Philippine-American War which lasted three years and claimed many lives on both sides.

Records show that Puerto Ricans were doubtful that the Spanish would grant them the autonomy that was promised to them on 1987. Puerto Ricans admired the United Sates for gaining independence from the British and they truly believed that the United States would be more likely to allow them sovereignty and be fairer than being under Spain. “The people of Puerto Rico felt assured that their island would be granted independence or eventually become a state, and that either of these possibilities would ensure greater prosperity…”(Flores P. 73). After the “splendid little war” a peaceful treaty known as the The Treaty of Paris was signed by the United States and Spanish

One of the last issues that Puerto Rico has with statehood is the possibility of a bill in Congress that will propose that English is the official language of the United States. A similar bill was proposed in 2005 and did not pass, but if Puerto Rico was granted statehood, residents of the island would have to abide by this requirement.

The impact of the the colonies on other cultures in America was huge for the native Americans. They were forced out of their land and homes by the colonists. They were also forced into slavery. This happened to many, but some formed good ties with the colonists. According to White (2012), “They wanted tools, weapons, and other goods that Europeans could provide.” This means that they had made strong connections and were willing to fight for the colonists.

Puerto Rico is a Spanish speaking region made up of one big island and a few smaller islands in the Caribbean Sea. It belongs to the U.S as an “unincorporated” territory. It was a place where the country’s constitution does not apply by default. Puerto Ricans are considered Americans. If you are automatically born in Puerto Rico, you are automatically a U.S citizen. They use U.S passports to travel internationally. Some people are inclined to view the Puerto Rican experience as a historical repetition of earlier migrations to the United States. However, the migration experience of Puerto Ricans to the United States is more complex, as well as one of a kind. Similarities do exist between the migration of Puerto Ricans and that of other groups, however, no other ethnic group has shared the tribulations of the Puerto Rican population. Their experience is different from that of anyone else.

The United States of America is regarded to many foreigners as the "land of opportunity". To many Puerto Ricans that still live on the island they view the mainland as just that. While other Puerto Ricans can't wait to return to their homeland. Many Puerto Ricans came to the United States because they believed they would not only find better jobs but a better education than on the island.

Gustavo Lopez (2013) tells that Hispanics from Cuba are a big proportion of the United States. Cuban Americans are affiliated with Hispanics. (Lopez, 2013) “Cubans in this statistical profile are people who self-identified as Hispanics of Cuban origin; this means either they themselves are Cuban immigrants or they trace their family ancestry to Cuba” (Lopez, 2013, pp.1). In 2013, Gustavo tells that the Cuban population in the United States was very large. (Lopez, 2013) Cubans who live in the United States prefer to be called certain terms (Lopez, 2013). Most often, Cubans prefer the term “Cuban” and only a few Cubans prefer to be termed as an “American” (Lopez, 2013). Also, when the Cubans were asked about being termed “Hispanic” or “Latino,” both terms were not favorable (Lopez, 2013).

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.

This country’s relationship with Puerto Rico is definitely a confusing one. I know for me growing up I always considered Puerto Rico a completely separate country and people from Puerto Rico were foreigners to me. After all, during the Olympics they represent their own country instead of the United States. Then one day my world was completely shattered when my mom told me you could travel to Puerto Rico without a passport and vice versa. How is that possible I remember thinking? Well let’s find out how this Spanish speaking country became attached to the

They start migrating due to hoping on finding a new start in the states because Puerto Rico’s economy at its worse at this time, and the common person is not finding jobs & is starving. As air travel technology advanced and low cost air flights appeared, this is where we start to see when a huge amount of Puerto Ricans decide to migrate over into the United States, and one of the states they migrate largely to in particular was New York City. They also migrate there also because non – stop flights toward New York were also becoming available at the time. Those Puerto Ricans also sought out a new beginning to their lives. This is also the time when Puerto Ricans start developing their culture and neighborhoods in New York.

What was Puerto Rico like under Spanish rule, and how important is that rule to the formation of the Puerto Rican people today? To answer these questions, we must take a look at the history of the Spanish and their colonization of the island of Puerto Rico.

Primarily, enforcing the English language had the major impact. An assembly was held to determine the new educative system for the Puerto Ricans, controlled by the American government. It was a very centralized system where supervisors and teachers were brought without knowing the Spanish language or culture. As a result, creating great difficulties of communication. Despite all these cultural conflicts between such different cultures, great advances were made in the educational system in Puerto Rico. During the rule of the Spaniards eighty percent of the population was illiterate. Due to the Americanization, this reduced to more than half of the eighty percent and there was more opportunity to do other studies in the island. As the Puerto Ricans were exposed to an American society, language and culture, a new dialect rised up known as “Spanglish”. Which is a mix of Spanish and English words and expressions. While the English language was incorporated in the schools and society, still Spanish remained as the primary