The History of Puerto Rico

The History of Puerto Rico PDF Author: Rudolph Adams Van Middeldyk
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Puerto Rico
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
Van Middledyk's work was the first major historical study of Puerto Rico in English. Van Middledyk advanced Puerto Rican historiography by building on the works of Brau, Coll y Toste, and Acosta, and by consulting early Spanish chronicles. A librarian at the Free Public Library of San Juan, Van Middledyk possessed knowledge of and access to considerable primary source material. His history is sympathetic to the Indians and highly critical of Spanish colonial administration. Coming in the wake of American military occupation, the book sought to explain and justify control of the island by the United States.

American Empire and the Politics of Meaning

American Empire and the Politics of Meaning PDF Author: Julian Go
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 0822389320
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Book Description
When the United States took control of the Philippines and Puerto Rico in the wake of the Spanish-American War, it declared that it would transform its new colonies through lessons in self-government and the ways of American-style democracy. In both territories, U.S. colonial officials built extensive public school systems, and they set up American-style elections and governmental institutions. The officials aimed their lessons in democratic government at the political elite: the relatively small class of the wealthy, educated, and politically powerful within each colony. While they retained ultimate control for themselves, the Americans let the elite vote, hold local office, and formulate legislation in national assemblies. American Empire and the Politics of Meaning is an examination of how these efforts to provide the elite of Puerto Rico and the Philippines a practical education in self-government played out on the ground in the early years of American colonial rule, from 1898 until 1912. It is the first systematic comparative analysis of these early exercises in American imperial power. The sociologist Julian Go unravels how American authorities used “culture” as both a tool and a target of rule, and how the Puerto Rican and Philippine elite received, creatively engaged, and sometimes silently subverted the Americans’ ostensibly benign intentions. Rather than finding that the attempt to transplant American-style democracy led to incommensurable “culture clashes,” Go assesses complex processes of cultural accommodation and transformation. By combining rich historical detail with broader theories of meaning, culture, and colonialism, he provides an innovative study of the hidden intersections of political power and cultural meaning-making in America’s earliest overseas empire.

Puerto Rico in the American Century

Puerto Rico in the American Century PDF Author: César J. Ayala
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN: 0807895539
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 447

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Book Description
Offering a comprehensive overview of Puerto Rico's history and evolution since the installation of U.S. rule, Cesar Ayala and Rafael Bernabe connect the island's economic, political, cultural, and social past. Puerto Rico in the American Century explores Puerto Ricans in the diaspora as well as the island residents, who experience an unusual and daily conundrum: they consider themselves a distinct people but are part of the American political system; they have U.S. citizenship but are not represented in the U.S. Congress; and they live on land that is neither independent nor part of the United States. Highlighting both well-known and forgotten figures from Puerto Rican history, Ayala and Bernabe discuss a wide range of topics, including literary and cultural debates and social and labor struggles that previous histories have neglected. Although the island's political economy remains dependent on the United States, the authors also discuss Puerto Rico's situation in light of world economies. Ayala and Bernabe argue that the inability of Puerto Rico to shake its colonial legacy reveals the limits of free-market capitalism, a break from which would require a renewal of the long tradition of labor and social activism in Puerto Rico in connection with similar currents in the United States.

The History of Puerto Rico

The History of Puerto Rico PDF Author: Lisa Pierce Flores
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313354197
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
This book offers a concise yet comprehensive history of Puerto Rico, from the reign of Taino Indians through its centuries as a Spanish colony to its present-day standing as a thriving economic force in Latin America with a unique and ever-evolving relationship with the United States. Drawing on dramatic recent developments in research, The History of Puerto Rico offers the most up-to-date and fully realized exploration of the island's past for students, travelers, and general readers alike. The History of Puerto Rico ranges from the earliest indigenous settlements to the reign of the Taino, from the centuries under Spanish control through more than 100 years of life under the U.S. flag. Insightful and authoritative, the book helps readers understand the history behind Puerto Rico's complicated contemporary political status, its unique relationship with the United States, and the current efforts of Puerto Ricans to reclaim their indigenous and African heritage, leverage their bilingual culture for economic gain, and celebrate their cultural and artistic achievements.

The Economy of Puerto Rico

The Economy of Puerto Rico PDF Author: Susan M. Collins
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780815715603
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 632

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Book Description
A Brookings Institution Press and the Center for the New Economy publication A non-incorporated territory of the United States, Puerto Rico operates under U.S. legal, monetary, security and tariff systems. Despite sharing in these and other key U.S. institutions, Puerto Rico has experienced economic stagnation and large scale unemployment since the 1970s. The island's living standards are low by U.S. standards, with a per capita income only half that of Mississippi, the poorest state. While many studies have analyzed the fiscal implications of Puerto Rico's political relationship with the United States, little research has focused broadly on the island's economic experience or assessed its growth prospects. In this innovative new book, economists from U.S. and Puerto Rican institutions address a range of major policy issues affecting the island's economic development. To frame the current situation, the contributors begin by assessing Puerto Rico's past experience with various growth policies. They then analyze several reforms and new initiatives in labor, education, entrepreneurship, fiscal policy, migration, trade, and financing development, which they incorporate into a proposed strategy for jumpstarting Puerto Rican economic growth. Contributors include Gary Burtless (Brookings Institution); Orlando Sotomayor, Luis Rivera-Batiz, Ramón Cao, Maria Enchautegui, José Joaquín Villamil, Eileen Segarra, Marinés Aponte, and Juan Lara (University of Puerto Rico); Richard Freeman and Robert Lawrence (Harvard University); Helen Ladd (Duke University); Francisco Rivera-Batiz (Columbia University); Steven Davis and Bruce Meyer (University of Chicago); James Alm (Georgia State University); Ingo Walter, Rita Maldonado-Bear, and William Baumol (New York University); Belinda Reyes (University of California, Merced); Alan Krueger (Princeton University); Carlos Santiago (University of Wisconsin); David Audretsch (Indiana University); Ronald Fisher (Michigan State University); Fuat Andic (UN Advisor); Arturo Estrella (NY Federal Reserve); James Hanson and Daniel Lederman (World Bank); James Dietz (University of California, Fullerton); and Katherine Terrell (University of Michigan).

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico PDF Author: Arturo Morales Carrion
Publisher: W. W. Norton
ISBN: 9780393301939
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
The people of Puerto Rico today are caught in a centuries-old dilemma of identity.

Puerto Rico Past and Present

Puerto Rico Past and Present PDF Author: Serafín Méndez-Méndez
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
Recently revised to include the latest current events, this classic reference presents the historical, social, political, and cultural aspects of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico, an island rich with culture and national pride, continues to inspire debate over its designation as a commonwealth of the United States. This updated edition of a popular encyclopedia captures important historical, social, political, and cultural developments of the oldest colony in the world, up to and including the region's current status in relation to the United States. The fascinating work is full of facts, figures, and narratives of the struggles, achievements, and creations of the Puerto Rican people. Essays highlight the area's economy, geography, religion, education, language, radio, television, social media, and films. A focus on the contributions of key historical figures showcase the stories of Ramon Power y Giralt, the first envoy to the Spanish Courts; and Juan Mari Brás, founder of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party, among others. The second edition features recent developments in the commonwealth, including the election of its first female governor, the introduction of the first sales tax, and the financial crisis that shut down schools.

Boom and Bust in Puerto Rico

Boom and Bust in Puerto Rico PDF Author: A. W. Maldonado
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN: 0268200998
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
Who is to blame for the economic and political crisis in Puerto Rico—the United States or Puerto Rico? This book provides a fascinating historical perspective on the problem and an unequivocal answer on who is to blame. In this engaging and approachable book, journalist A. W. Maldonado charts the rise and fall of the Puerto Rican economy and explains how a litany of bad political and fiscal policy decisions in Washington and Puerto Rico destroyed an economic miracle. Under Operation Bootstrap in the 1950s and '60s, the rapid transformation and industrialization of the Puerto Rican economy was considered a “wonder of human history,” a far cry from the economic “death spiral” the island’s governor described in 2015. Boom and Bust in Puerto Rico is the story of how the demise of an obscure tax policy that encouraged investment and economic growth led to escalating budget deficits and the government’s shocking default of its $70 billion debt. Maldonado also discusses the extent of the devastation from Hurricane Maria in 2017, the massive street protests during 2019, and the catastrophic earthquakes in January 2020. After illuminating the century of misunderstanding between Puerto Rico and the United States—the root cause of the economic crisis and the island’s gridlocked debates about its political status—Maldonado concludes with projections about the future of the relationship. He argues that, in the end, the economic, fiscal, and political crises are the result of the breakdown and failure of Puerto Rican self-government. Boom and Bust in Puerto Rico is written for a wide audience, including students, economists, politicians, and general readers, all of whom will find it interesting and thought provoking.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico PDF Author: José Trías Monge
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300076189
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Former Attorney General and former Chief Justice of Puerto Rico, Jose Trias Monge describes his island as one of the most densely populated places on earth, with a severely distressed economy and limited political freedom--still considered a colony of the U.S. Monge claims the island has become too dependent on U.S. money and argues for decolonization and movement toward more independence. 28 illustrations.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico PDF Author: Olga Jiménez de Wagenheim
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
A detailed analysis of Puerto Rican society during the Spanish colonial period, highlighting the roles and responsibilities of women and workers. Rather than celebrating the victors, the author has composed the book from the viewpoint of the colonized, suppressed and exploited.