Search

This article discusses the future of Puerto Rico. U.S. companies deserted their factories due to the repeal made on the 1950s economic program Operation Bootstrap. This resulted to unemployment that led to the secondary problems that go along with unemployment, like prostitution, drugs and carjackings. Almost 3 million of the island's population of 6.5 million actually live on the mainland U.S., with many constantly traveling between their dual hometowns. Puerto Ricans during the 20th century. They have more power to determine the changes that will occur to their society. Puerto Ricans believe on the importance of education. They want the economic opportunities that all Americans share.

This article features several Puerto Ricans that are successful in their chosen careers in the U.S. Like most successful Puerto Ricans, baseball right fielder Roberto Clemente overcame poverty, language barriers and prejudice to become successful. He broke down barriers for Puerto Rican athletes who followed his example to make their own achievement. Just as Clemente prepared the way for Puerto Rican athletes, actress Rita Moreno opened doors for Hispanic actors and actresses. Moreno's performance rose above those of her fellow actors when she own the Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards for her role as Anita in the movie West Side Story. The actor/comedian Freddie Prinze transformed his life as an inner-city Puerto Rican into the funny stories he told in his own uniquely Puerto Rican style.

This article deals with the emigration of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. Beginning in 1917, the emigration of Puerto Rican citizens to the mainland U.S. grew at a steady rate and did not peak until the 1950s. In that decade, 470,000 Puerto Ricans immigrated to the U.S. mainland. Because so many Puerto Ricans travel constantly between the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico, they do not have a real sense of belonging to either place. Puerto Ricans on the mainland also struggle against stereotypes. But despite continuing prejudice, positive strides have been made, and Puerto Ricans on the mainland and on the island have reason to hope. The Hispanic population is showing remarkable growth in the U.S. From 1990 to 1998 the Latino population grew in several states.

This article discusses the political, economic and social conditions in Puerto Rico. In 1999 Puerto Ricans banded together in their protests against the dangerous use of the Vieques Island by the U.S. for combat training. Puerto Rico's strengths, its salsa music, its brand of Roman Catholicism, and its colorful artwork and stories are all expressed in Spanish, with some English and African influences. Puerto Ricans love their jibaro ancestors, they remind them of the traditions they wish to protect from the influences of the modern world. Since Operation Bootstrap was established in 1952, a number of factories have come to the island. And from 1948-1978, the income per person on the island, even adjusted for inflation, tripled. Puerto Rico has 8 senatorial districts, 40 representative districts, 11 senators and 11 representatives at large. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico has 7 justices.

This article discusses Puerto Rico's relationship with the U.S. In 1898, General Nelson A. Miles landed with 1,600 American soldiers at Guanica. The Spanish American War had begun and it lasted for only 17 days before Spain surrendered. On December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris gave Puerto Rico to the U.S. The U.S. commonwealth status allows Puerto Rico to keep more of its independence and culture than statehood would, and at the same time benefit from a close economic relationship with the U.S., more than independence would allow. Commonwealth status means that residents of Puerto Rico do not pay federal income tax, or vote for the U.S. president, but they do pay social security, received federal welfare and serve in the U.S. armed services.

This article deals with the early history of Puerto Rico. In 1493, Christopher Columbus found Puerto Rico by accident. That day began a 500-year struggle for freedom and independence that the island's people continue until today. For several years, the Indians in Puerto Rico worked for the Spanish because they believed that they were immortal. But in 1510, the Indians began to rebel against their Spanish masters. Of the many Puerto Rican uprisings against Spain, the Grite de Lares of 1868 is the most famous. In the centuries after Columbus landed, more native North Americans died each year from diseases brought by the European settlers, the main ones were smallpox, measles, influenza and typhus.

This section provides an introduction to the book Americans Who Cannot Vote: Puerto Rican's History & Promise. The book discusses the historical origins of Hispanics. It also explores the present reality of different Hispanic groups. It examines the contemporary social origins called the push factors behind the accelerating Hispanic immigration to the U.S.: political instability, economic underdevelopment and crisis, environmental degradation, impoverished or wholly absent educational systems, and other circumstances contribute to many Latin Americans deciding they will be better off in the U.S.