Mid-Term Flashcards
History/context of Puerto Rico
Spanish Colony– America took it over for military purposes. Economy was based on coffee – spanish were driven away by Americans in two ways: 1) changing exchange rate 2) purchasing Brazil coffee
Puerto Rico MIrgration – WWII
WWII - White workers were sent to battle which created a Vacuum for Labor in agriculture and industries
- 50,000 Puerto Ricans Mirgrated by 1930 to fill roles in industries
- 1st formation of puerto rican communities
- Great depression 1930;
How Puerto Rico became a showcase for America?
- Yata Agreement – two super powers met and divided up land, ONce war ended the start of Cold War until 1991
UNited Nation Plaze = SF
– First meeting in beginning of Cold War;
—-Soviets and US accused eachother were inferior
—-Soveits accused US lands were imperialists because Puerto Rico was poorest country after 50 years – After 1945 US decided to make Puerto Rico a Showcase
What is America do to make Puerto Rico a showcase?
US wanted Puerto Rico as a showcase to demonstrate how they made them a developed country.
1957-late 1960s US Opened Massed Migration of the Poor People in the Island US Migration Divison office under the administration of Puerto Rico, created offices to recruit people and bring them there… The US exported all the poor people to create a higher standard of living and made Puerto Rico into a Showcase. In 1976 US allowed American companies to invest in Puerto Rico and make all they money they wanted to off the island people.
How did america take over DR?
DR was independent country by 1916 however they were in extreme debt to Germany. The US was scared Germany would take over so US invaded for 8 years and replaced current gov with the Trujillo. Which became the dictator of the DR that was backed by the US. Roosevelt admitted: “they were bad people but they were bad guys working for the US” sa
What happened after dictatorship for DR ?
Lasted until 1961 cuban revolution resulted in dictator Batista also backed by US. Worried about a rebellion against Trujillo the CIA killed Trujillo and created a rebellion becuase the people wanted a democracy. THe US response was to MIgrate the oppsition to America. `
Democracy or COmmunism and US part in DR?
Early 1965 a branch of army in the DR took side of the people and were giving weapons to the poeple. US saw this as communism and invade DR in 1965 taking side of military against the pople. US organized a facade democracy to meet the people wants and brough to power a man named Balaguer. Similar to people who didnt like Trujillo they gave visas to the people who oppossed Balaguer.
How did migration work for US in terms of DR and Puerto Rico?
MIgration linked to US politics
- Cononial Migration
Us encouraged mass migration of places for geopolitical reasons.
Dominican Republic in the US
Higher number of MIgrates than PR
US was suppose to offer stability but instead more hardship
Experienced Cononial MIgrates
1) Classifed
a) DR community was created
b) Dr fuond jobs in the community
c) ended up in cheap labor jobs because professional careers were not recongized in US
2) Could not leave US becuase of what happened in DR
3) Empliers late 60s,70s
a) stopped hiring PR, Blacks, started hiring DR becuase they were not citizens
—PR and blacks became unemployeed and it was started of urban ghettos
Generational Split in DR community
Split in community
1) first generation said they are not black but indian
2) second generation said they are black
– challenging first generation
Same person could be:
Black =US
Indian = DR
White =Haitia
—Constructed race out of cononial history to create power over the weak
The lessions of SAW
Author was Alfred Maha, who told america what to do with possesions 1902 puerto rico should be military defense – Cuba; military defense semi-conoly a
Cuba history/context
Cuba was exporting economy of sugar and coffee then US tried to take over from spain to america. 1910 CUBAN WERE BROUGHT TO US AND USED FOR TOBACCO CORPORATIONS: Hotel industry in havana trasferred to branch in Tampa, New York, and Mami as tourist industry.
Maimi was place of vacation for rich people of northeast to escape winer and go to south with mansions and brought bahamian people as cheap labor.
black amendment 1937
: changed protector status of cuba and transitioned from Colonist to Neo-colonialism.
Invasion of US gov on Cuba
President Esienhower and Nixon begun plans to invade cuba that started in 1959
1. military invasions
– sabbotage cuban economy
– US broke relations with cuba
– the idea was to strangle the economy and make people depress against gov and then invade and take over
Instead 1950-1960 soviet union took over sugar export, took over networks, nationalized hotels and economy. Cubans depended on Soviet union to purchase and this affected the rich and middle class cubans the most. US encouraged mass migration to florida and in 1959 wsa the largest number of cuban migration. `
Bay of Pigs -
apiril 1961: Castro for the first time defined itself as communist “ what hurt US imperalism is that we are building socialism 90 miles away from US land”:
Nixons plans of bay of pigs is something kennedy inherits and says they will not use american soliders. in last min, they tried to call kennedy and us american airstrike but he refused and they were defeated. Kennedy takes responsibility and then enacts a new plan called mongoose may 1961.
Mongoose
May 1961: Kennedy creates the plan which has two options: first kill castro and second have daily attacks to cuba by cuban exiles. Planned to attacke October 20, 1962 but Castro days before said to soviet if they do not put missles on cuba pointed at US then he will denoounce them and this became the Cuban Missle Crisis
Cuban Missle Crisis
Missles pointed at US days before the attack on Castro and they negoitied the following: Take missiles away but US must acknowledge Cuba is part of Soviet and attack on them would mean war. they agreed. Attacks kept happening but kennedy stoped CIA action and became a barirer within the US structure. Gave sppech summer 1963 to stop cold war. Mongoose squad was reorganized to kill Kennedy nov 22 1962 in texas.
New presidency under Johnson
Problem: What do to with Cuban Exiles? Make them a showcase for what happens to country that goes against democracy and becomes a communist country. Capitalism vs Communism. Make cuba a negative symbolic showcase: black economy, trade,showcase for other countries. Opened a Federal Governemnt offive for cuban refuges to give cubans: Money for busineses, loans with no interests, acknoledged degrees, money fpr education. They became the “whites” in maimi.
Small Business Admin
1967-1979 80% of loans were given to Cuban Refugees in Maimi. AFter 1960s large amount of migration to states form white cubans becuase of the funding they gained political power and became “whiten” in american and a success story.
Maria Migration
1980 -- Poor working class migration - in cuba the port of maria was created by castro to leave to go to america but august 1980 cuban migration program was closed. it was black cubans leaving becuase of economic downturn.
Rafters
1994 soviet union fell and 1000s of people wanted to leave cuba so they built rafts to go to south florida.Capture all the people and bring them back. Old law was capture people take them to american soil. New law was anyone found in ocean would be taken back to Cuba unless you make it to land. Deal between cuba and US; created a lottery of 20,000 per year to go to US or they can swim ashore.
Good Neighbor POlicy
1930-1945: Was created to inhibit countries to side with Nazis
1945 War ended and us went back to bad neighbor
