Puerto Rico and the United States
From High School Online Collaborative Writing
| Imperialism and Resistance |
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[edit] Caribbean and the U.S. |
[edit] Immigration |
[edit] War in Iraq |
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Have you ever been misled or betrayed? Puerto Rico has. "Operation Bootstrap" was a proposal brought in 1949 to Puerto Rico to improve the Puerto Rican economy. Puerto Ricans were promised a lifetime of riches. Soon, to the islanders' surprise, the promised riches slipped from their hands as soon as they appeared. The rapid demise of the Puerto Rican economy lead to dependence on the United States. Puerto Rico allowed the false promises of money fill up their eyes. At the end, the proposal failed Puerto Rico and left them with only the salvation of becoming a full time part of the United States.
This history of betrayal started over 100 years ago.
[edit] Is Puerto Rico a U.S. posession?
"Puerto Rico as a Permanent Possession," was an article published in The New York Times on July 11, 1898 by an American business man. It's about taking over Puerto Rico. The United States took Puerto Rico as a possession and kept it.
This 1898 article states that "The U.S. Should take Puerto Rico as its possession and keep it for all time." I find that rude. There's no doubt that the U.S. can take over P.R. But why humiliate them by saying, " take Puerto Rico as its possession"? The only people that have a saying in this text is the Americans. What about the people in P.R.? what do they think? what do they want?. The U.S benefits from this and the people that are hurt are the Puerto Rican population.
[edit] Operation Bootstrap: Success or Failure?
Some people might say Operation Bootstrap was a good idea, but it wasn’t. It caused lots of pain. Still, one good thing came from it. Everyone saw what happened to Puerto Rico when they trusted the Americans. So, now all of the other islands know not to trust America. It would have been another case if Puerto Rico needed help from the United States, but they didn’t. The United States wanted to take over Puerto Rico. They wanted Puerto Rico as its permanent possession.
[edit] Luis Munoz Marin
Luis Munoz Marin was the President of the Puerto Rican Senate during Operation Bootstrap.
[edit] Would P.R. be better without America?
Some people think that P.R. can do better without the Americans and that the Puerto Ricans are strong enough to make it on their own.
Puerto Rico fell in love with the idea of having money. They were betrayed; they were the United States target. The United States had them right where they wanted them... helpless. Being that they were helpless they had to go to their ‘big brother’ the United States.
Some people may think that Puerto Rico is better off in the hands of the United States, or under their wings, but I strongly disagree with that. All the United States (government) wants to do is take control of everything and everyone. Be the one with all the riches, all the respect; the one with all the power!
Once the United States had Puerto Rico where they wanted them, "they moved to other countries such as the Dominican Republic and Haiti where they could pay workers less money. As more factories shut down and relocated in other countries." See? It seems like the United States wants to take over every single country out there.
Just think about it. The country your ancestors were born in (naturally from) could be next. Are you the next target?
Some Puerto Ricans want the island to be independent from the United States, they are members of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement.
I think it should be independent of the US, and kick them all out of the US - they are distroying our country - their character and life style is despicable - !
