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. Most Americans, don’t know how Puerto Rico got the way it is and like Nelson said many believe that the debt we have is one that was 100% our fault. However, most don’t understand the deep history and relationship Puerto Rico has with the United States and how the way we have and continued to be treated has a lot to do with the debt Puerto Rico …show more content…
Denis was able to discuss a lot of important keys in Wednesday conference such as, the Jones Act in 1917, the Ponce Massacre, Albizu Campos and many more. He mentions how the United States has made policies and acts that have only benefited the Untied States and affect negatively the economy of Puerto Rico and now having a debt of 72 billion dollars. The Jones Act in 1917 gave Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship, but like Nelson said the United States now expected the Puerto Ricans to become part of the military and fight in World War I and other wars. In fact, there was a time where Puerto Ricans were obligated sign up, go to war and we're always on the first line during the wars. He mentioned Albizu Campos, a lawyer graduated from Harvard Law School, and his involvement in Puerto Rico’s fight for Independence and how this cause the FBI to be always on his tail. Albizu Campos was in jail for 25 years and during those years in 1937 the Ponce Massacre took place. It was a Sunday were families went to peacefully protest the US Government imprisonment of Albizu Campos on sedition charges and it ended in a police shooting killing 19 civilians and more than 200 wounded. Events like this, not known by many people including Puerto Ricans, are one of the many things Nelson told the audience during the
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.
Puerto Rico’s association with the United States and its metamorphosis began when in 1898 U.S. troops invaded Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War. Up until that point, Puerto Rico had remained one of Spain’s last two colonies in the New World. Puerto Rico’s Spanish heritage is seen when “Puerto Rican essayist Antonio Pedreira, writing in the 1930’s, termed the first three centuries of Spanish rule a period of ‘faithful prolongation of the Spanish culture’” (qtd. in Morris 21). Spanish influence is also seen when “without rejecting his ‘Puerto Rican Spanishness,’ the Puerto Rican ‘considered himself a Spaniard from here with ideas and reactions different from those from there’” (qtd.
6. It’s possible to get to the islands by boat, but mostly all visitors travel by air for convenience.
Showing up in sea tempest attacked Puerto Rico since Maria's landfall, President Trump offered a healthy round of congrats to government help endeavors and expressed gratitude toward the island's representative. In any case, the president likewise recommended Maria was not a "genuine calamity," made an odd and misdirecting correlation with the loss of life from Hurricane Katrina, and clowned about how the sea tempest would influence the government spending plan. “Puerto Rico survived the hurricane," President Trump rightly says, and "Now a financial crisis looms largely of their own making." Hard words, but true.
Pablo Camacho was one of my old family friend who lives in Puerto Rico, since that’s where my family’s from. He used to be my dad’s family accountant who ran all the numbers and did all the financial operations of the business. Since my dad moved away from the island, we still keep in touch because of how close they were. Therefore, I thought this was the perfect person to vex or ask him questions for my interview. I have to disclose that Puerto Rico’s primary language is not English and I had to translate this interview from Spanish. I did my best in translating everything and summarizing it.
Tensions between the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Cuba had always been apparent due to the United States heavy involvement within the countries. However, our nation also had a tendency to turn the other cheek if the issue Cuba had been dealing with was in favor of the United States. Though Cuba was economically doing very well, their political system was in turmoil with itself. This made them vulnerable to attack, and the U.S. took advantage of this. After the U.S.S. Maine was attacked in the Spanish-American war, the United States entered, and demolished. We did not suffer nearly as many casualties as those of the Spanish army. Many Cubans migrated to the U.S., but found a large portion of their natural rights taken by new acts and regimes. Puerto
What's a common location that comes up in discussion when someone thinks of a destination to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the Main land of the United States? Normally Puerto Rico isn't too far away from conversation. Puerto Rico is a beautiful place with the perfect climate and many historical sites to take that getaway that you have always wanted. Today we will discuss major issues in/of Puerto Rico, the significance of this research and data sources, and lastly I will describe the data collected and research found during my inquiry on the region known as Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico's local Taíno population whose hunter and gatherer predecessors settled the island over 1,000 years previously the Spanish arrived called it Borinquén, and referred to themselves as boricua, a term that is as yet utilized today. Amid his second expedition to the Indies in 1493, Christopher Columbus restored a few Taíno prisoners to Borinquén and asserted the island for Spain, calling it San Juan Bautista. In 1508, Juan Ponce de León established the main European settlement, Caparra, close to a bay on the island's northern drift; Caparra was renamed Puerto Rico or "rich port" in 1521.
The commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico), known to most Americans as simply Puerto Rico, exists as one of two territories owned by the United States1. Being a territory of the United States, Puerto Ricans possess common citizenship, currency, and defense. However, even though Puerto Ricans are United States citizens they do not pay any kind of federal income taxes. Therefore, they cannot vote in presidential elections. Puerto Rico is under the jurisdiction of the United States customs, and are allowed free movement of people and merchandise with the United States. They have established their own constitution, and have a greater amount of independence than possessions. Although
Section 1: My great grandfather was a native resident of Haiti. He was alive during the very hostile period of persecution by the Dominican Republic. They were discriminated against solely because the Dominicans believed that Haitians were “blacker” than them because of their mostly African roots and felt they weren’t good enough to share the island of Hispaniola with. This racial tension between the two cultures is what led to the rift between the countries. This intense discrimination was also supported and reinforced by some government leaders at some points. In 1937, Rafael Trujillo, the president at that time, ordered the execution of every single Haitian person living on the Dominican-Haitian border. The total amount of deaths ranges from a low 547 to over 30,000 due to numerous firsthand accounts.
In 2015, my parents decided to jump the puddle and move to Florida. At that point, I clearly understood that Puerto Rico’s decay is because of the relationship with the United States, which has been a common topic among Puerto Ricans for years. The colonial relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico definitely has an impact on the crisis of the island, for which a change in the status of Puerto Rico to statehood can benefit the recovery of the economic crisis and the natural disasters. A song called “Verde Luz”, describes perfectly my feelings towards my island, as it says, “Green light of mount and sea, virgin island of the coral, if I stay away from your exquisite beaches, if I move away from your silent palms, I want to return, want to return”. I might not be able to fix the economic crisis of Puerto Rico, but what can I do and what can everyone else do to help the island and its people live and receive education in a satisfactory place? It is sad to hear my grandfather say that he feels like when he was growing up back in the 1940’s, and my cousin say that there has been no power in their house for almost four
Since Puerto Rico was first discovered by Christopher Columbus on November 19, 1493, and Spanish colonization ensued in 1508, Puerto Rico has experienced all of these pressures of identity and culture.
One of the most interesting and exciting places I have had the pleasure of visiting was the Island of Puerto Rico. Getting on the plane and arriving on the island was the easy part, but learning to navigate the island and getting reliable transportation was a whole other ball game.
Even though Puerto Rico is American territory the citizens on the island do not vote in the elections and are completely separate political wise. Which is why it is important that one should decide on what to do with Puerto Rico with the people’s approval and see the changes for the better or worse. According to the Huffington Post “Puerto Rico is in Serious Trouble” which is the headline of one of their latest article. The article explains how Puerto Rico is in debt with about seventy billion dollars and their government claims they cannot pay it. Puerto Rico is having a financial crisis at the time and is continuing to struggle paying its debts.
The politics of Puerto Rico takes place in the framework of a republican democratic form of government that is under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States as an organized unincorporated territory.