The History of Puerto Rico

The History of Puerto Rico

Much like America, Christopher Columbus “discovered” Puerto Rico during one of his missions. He claimed the island for Spain in 1493, originally naming it San Juan Bautista. I found this interesting, as I did not know how similar Puerto Rico’s start was to America’s. Another surprising thing is that the Puerto Rican people still celebrate “El Grito de Lares,” which celebrates the peoples attempt to fight back against the Spanish military back in 1868. Although it was unsuccessful, the day is still remembered with immense honor.

The second group to claim Puerto Rico is the United States. After the Spanish-American War, Spain handed Puerto Rico over to the US. This later led to Congress giving US citizenship to all Puerto Ricans in 1917. This granted the US government permission to recruit qualified Puerto Ricans into the draft during World War 1. This makes me believe that the United States may have only given the people citizenship for their own benefits.

The United States has had a large effect on Puerto Rico politically, economically, and socially. For instance, politically the United States has permitted Puerto Rico to elect their own governor, as well as other self-government rights. Puerto Rico’s whole politics and government are comparable to a mini replica of the United State’s government. Economically and socially, Puerto Rico attracts numerous significant US enterprises because of their large amount of tourism and manufacturing. Since Puerto Rico is a US territory, it makes it even easier for American citizens to visit Puerto Rico, as they are not required to have a passport. This helps Puerto Rico economically by increasing the amount of tourism. I found all of this noteworthy, as I did not know how big of an impact the United States had on Puerto Rico, even though they are one of their territories.

Although Puerto Rico gains a major amount of their income through tourism, their economy did take a blow recently. A major reason for this was Hurricane Maria. This hurricane made a direct path over the island, causing millions of dollars in damage. Thankfully, the United State’s congress was able to help by giving money for Puerto Rico to help rebuild and support their people. I see this as an important event, as it demonstrates how valuable the United States is to Puerto Rico and the large impact they have on the island and its people.

Overall, Puerto Rico has only ever been conquered twice during its time. Although this may seem small, both countries have and continue to make significant influences on the island.

 

List of Islands to Adopt:

• Puerto Rico
• Dominican Republic
• US Virgin Islands

Works Cited

History.com Editors. “Puerto Rico.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 28 Sept. 2017, www.history.com/topics/us-states/puerto-rico-history.

“Puerto Rico.” The Virtual Caribbean Library, Virtual Caribbean, ggccaribbean.wpengine.com/listing/puerto-rico/.