Puerto Rico: The 4-Storied Country Summary
Spanish Colonialism on the History of Puerto Rican People
Spanish Colonialism on the History of Puerto Rican People
"Puerto Rico". The name immediately brings to mind images of a beautiful lush tropical island of enchantment. The name "Puerto Rico" usually does not conjure the image of Taino Indians or African slaves, yet these populations have great importance in laying the foundation for the notion of identity of Puerto Ricans. In contemporary debates of Puerto Rican identity, it is essential to examine the history of the island to determine the effects of Spanish colonialism on Puerto Rican identity. As he demonstrates in his article "Puerto Rico: the Four-Storied Country", Jose L. Gonzalez discusses the notion of identity as a series
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of stories, one built upon another in order to further incorporate each aspect in the past that contributes to the idea of "Puerto Ricaness" in the present. Thus, in looking at the history of Puerto Rico and the effects of Spanish colonialism, we will see that Puerto Rican identity has been constructed story by story, catalyzed by the Spanish occupation. At the time of the sixteenth century, the country of Spain was in its prime, enjoying its status as the most powerful empire in Europe; possessing more land than any other European country. This was the time of the Renaissance, the "rebirth", and in this time of the "new", Spain looked to further support and maintain its position in seeking wealth and empire overseas, not just in the European region. Christopher Columbus, as appointed by King Ferdinand and Queen Elizabeth, was sent in search of wealth and treasure, and in his travels, discovered what is known today as "America", the United States, in 1492. In November of 1493, Columbus discovered the island of Puerto Rico, which at that time was occupied by a native people, named by the Spaniards as "Taino", in reference to a word used in the language of the Tainos (Figueroa, Sept. 17). The island’s discovery did not lead to a quick occupation, though. Juan Ponce de Leon, in search of gold, made the first effort to settle on the island in 1508. In the next twenty years, the Taino population became decimated while forced to labor in prospecting gold, a phase that ended in this time, succumbing to disease and a breakdown in their social network. An important implication of this initial occupation of the island by Spaniards is the imposition of the Spanish language. Because the Taino population could be counted in small amounts and Spanish had established their presence on the island by instilling their language as the only accepted language, in the name of Spain, a first storey was constructed in the notion of identity of the Puerto Rican. The Tainos had been moved out and taken over, the Spanish had moved in and started to let their culture infiltrate into that of the Taino, and now things were changing. Because the gold rush on the island lost its surge, the Spanish turned its attention to the agricultural success they could have with the island. However, as a result of their occupation, they lacked the labor force to effectively move an agricultural economy. In order to replenish the population and create a strong labor force, the Spanish took part in what others around Puerto Rico had begun to do, import cheap labor, namely African slaves. As the profit grew from cash crops- sugar emerging as the most important- slavery became an absolute necessity in those 300 years as a way to keep agriculture prosperous for the island of Puerto Rico. The second storey of the notion of Puerto Rican identity now constructs itself upon this first floor during the time period of the sixteenthcentury to the late nineteenth century.Eventually, by the nineteenth century, Puerto Rico became the second largest producer of sugar in the Caribbean (Scarano, 1984). About half of the slave population was African born, and the slave system virtually existed to sustain the sugar economy (Scarano, 1984). As the sugar production demonstrated its importance as the main source of economic stability for the island and as a requirement for stabilizing a society, the role of African slaves, and various immigrants that trickled into the island, became absolutely significant in the notion of identity. Without the immigrants and the African slaves that came or were brought to Puerto Rico, there would have been no economic base to establish a colony or structured society with. Thus, without slaves and immigrants, there would not be "Puerto Rico" as it is known today. Spain fought hard to keep Puerto Rico in its control, against other countries and the island’s people itself, because by the end of the nineteenth century, Spain failed to maintain her powerful empire and only had three maritime colonies left. Puerto Rico was one of them, and in the last century of its rule of Puerto Rico, Spain strengthened the powers of Spanish representatives on the island in an effort to hold on to the island as much as possible, but that failed against the island’s people. They demanded more autonomy from Spain, politically and economically, because they were tired of being governed by the outside and supporting the outside, while for all this time, have not been rewarded in any way. Citing the identity of Puerto Rican, the island sent Ramon Powers to Spain with a mandate to request full citizenship representation, open immigration for the purpose of economy, freedom or reform for agricultural development, and to foster a slave trade for the economy. He went in name of the Puerto Ricans. The Spanish government granted the economic requests, but not the political request for representation (Figueroa, Oct.
22). Here, in the late nineteenth century is where the second storey ends and the third begins. Spain loses Puerto Rico to the United States in 1898, as a result of the Spanish American War, and loses, ultimately its power as a country. No longer does Spain have ties to Puerto Rico, but her occupancy of 400 years has left an indelible mark on the island’s culture, which will cause conflict for the ever-constructing identity of Puerto Rico. Now, Puerto Rico is at the hands of the United States, which essentially helps in forming the third storey, and future storeys of the Puerto Rican identity. The Spanish occupation has had great impact when speaking about Puerto Rican identity. Puerto Rico now yields the Spanish language as its official (and almost only) language. Although the Spaniards came, conquered, and killed the original population, Puerto Ricans take great pride in the fact that they are a Spanish speaking nation. In fact, in a study by Nancy Morris, 85% of those interviewed considered the Spanish language as an important aspect of the Puerto Rican identity (Morris, 1995). To this day there exists a resemblance between the Spanish spoken by Puerto Ricans on the island and the Spanish spoken by those from the region of Andalucia in Southern Spain, where many of the Spanish who occupied Puerto Rico were from (Del Valle …show more content…
Atiles, 1980). Another important notion demonstrated above, while not explicitly, is that of race. The original inhabitants of Puerto Rico were the Taino Indians.
When the Spanish arrived, they instantly took over of the island, assuming a hegemony of the people. The Spanish then imported African slaves, while European immigrated to the island (Figueroa, Oct. 6) . As a result of the mixing of Taino blood, Castilian and Andalucian blood and African blood, as well as various streams of European blood, the people of Puerto Rico consider themselves "the rainbow people". Although there are many shades and background, Puerto Ricans unite under the name, the feeling of "Puerto Rico", regardless of the difference, and form their life, and their respect around this heritage of heterogeneous cultures. This rainbow, though, does give way to problems in outside classification of Puerto Ricans, meaning by those who are not Puerto Rican. Because Puerto Ricans cannot fit into one given box of black or white, the identity of a Puerto Rican is often challenged. While others use the rainbow as a way to set them apart, Puerto Ricans use the rainbow as a way to band together. It has been made obvious the importance and effect that the Spanish occupation has on the identity of the Puerto Rican. From issues of language to race, the Spanish has touched and influenced so many areas that would later have importance in constructing the notion of the
Puerto Rican identity. Thus, it is imperative that in debating the issue of Puerto Rican identity, one should look at the history of Puerto Rico under Spanish rule. References De Valle Atiles, Francisco. "The Spiritual Life of the Jíbaro", from Iris M. Zavala and Rafael Rodriguez (eds), 1980, the Intellectual Roots of Independence: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Political Essays. New York: Monthly Review Press, pp. 95-103. Dietz, James. (1986). Economic History of Puerto Rico. Princeton: Princeton U Press. Pp. 98-170, 194-231, 242-250. Fernandez, Ronald. (1996). The Disenchanted Island: Puerto Rico and the United States in the Twentieth Century (Second Edition). Westport: Praeger. Ferré, Rosario. (1995). The House on the Lagoon. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Figueroa, L. (Sept.15, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". From Colonial Subjects to National Minority: Puerto Rican Migration. Figueroa, Luis. (September 17, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". From Tainos to Early Spanish Colonialism. Figueroa, Luis. (October 6, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". Settler Colonialism and Nationalism in the 19th Century. Figueroa, Luis. (October 22, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". from "Puerto Rico" to "Porto Rico": Politics, Economics, adn Society Under Early American Rule, 1898-1920s. Figueroa, L. (Dec. 10, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". The "Best of Both Worlds"? Culture Nationalism, Colonial Ambitions and Ambiguities. Glasser, Ruth. (1995). My Music is My Flag: Puerto Rican Musicians and Their New York Communities, 1917-1940. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. Gonzalez, Jose L. Puerto Rico: the Four-Storeyed Country. New York: Markus Weiner Publishing, Inc. Guerra, Lillian. (1998). Popular Expression and National Identity in Puerto Rico: The Struggle for Self, Community and Nation. Gainesville: U Press of Florida. H.R.856. 105th Congress. "Young Bill". March 5, 1998. http://www.us-english.org/press/prpoll.htm http://www.us-english.org/press/prpoll2.htm http://Welcome.ToPuertoRico.org/history.htm Larson, Stephanie. (1998). The Role of Politics in Puerto Rican Culture. Http://frontpage.trincoll.edu/slarson. Library of Congress American Memory Collection. FSA-Office of War Information Photograph Collection. "Guitar Player above the swamp water. The workers ' quarter of Puerto de Tierra. San Juan, Puerto Rico".LC-USF34-012589-E. Morris, N. (1995). Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity. Praeger: Westport, CT. Negrón-Muntaner, F. (1997). "English Only Jamás but Spanish Only Cuidado: Language and Nationalism in Contemporary Puerto Rico". From Negrón-Muntaner and Grosfoguel (Eds.), Puerto Rican Jam: Essays on Culture and Politics. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 257-285. Rivera, Angel, Q. "Music, Social Classes, and the National Question in Puerto Rico". In Glasser. Scarano, Francisco. "Sugar and Slavery in Puerto Rico, 1815-1849: An Overview," from Scarano, 1984, Sugar and Slavery in Puerto Rico: The Plantation Economy of Ponce, 1800-1850. Madison: U of Wisconsin Press. pp.3-34 Trías-Monge, J. (1997). "The Shaping of a Colonial Policy". From Trías-Monge, Puerto Rico: the Trials of the Oldest Colony of the World. New Haven: Yale University Press, 36-51. Walker, Rich. (1998). A Multicultural Alternative to Language and Nationalism. Http://frontpage.trincoll.edu/rwalker. Waxer, Lise. (October 29, 1998). Puerto Rican Music Between Rafael Hernandez and Rafael Cortijo.
of stories, one built upon another in order to further incorporate each aspect in the past that contributes to the idea of "Puerto Ricaness" in the present. Thus, in looking at the history of Puerto Rico and the effects of Spanish colonialism, we will see that Puerto Rican identity has been constructed story by story, catalyzed by the Spanish occupation. At the time of the sixteenth century, the country of Spain was in its prime, enjoying its status as the most powerful empire in Europe; possessing more land than any other European country. This was the time of the Renaissance, the "rebirth", and in this time of the "new", Spain looked to further support and maintain its position in seeking wealth and empire overseas, not just in the European region. Christopher Columbus, as appointed by King Ferdinand and Queen Elizabeth, was sent in search of wealth and treasure, and in his travels, discovered what is known today as "America", the United States, in 1492. In November of 1493, Columbus discovered the island of Puerto Rico, which at that time was occupied by a native people, named by the Spaniards as "Taino", in reference to a word used in the language of the Tainos (Figueroa, Sept. 17). The island’s discovery did not lead to a quick occupation, though. Juan Ponce de Leon, in search of gold, made the first effort to settle on the island in 1508. In the next twenty years, the Taino population became decimated while forced to labor in prospecting gold, a phase that ended in this time, succumbing to disease and a breakdown in their social network. An important implication of this initial occupation of the island by Spaniards is the imposition of the Spanish language. Because the Taino population could be counted in small amounts and Spanish had established their presence on the island by instilling their language as the only accepted language, in the name of Spain, a first storey was constructed in the notion of identity of the Puerto Rican. The Tainos had been moved out and taken over, the Spanish had moved in and started to let their culture infiltrate into that of the Taino, and now things were changing. Because the gold rush on the island lost its surge, the Spanish turned its attention to the agricultural success they could have with the island. However, as a result of their occupation, they lacked the labor force to effectively move an agricultural economy. In order to replenish the population and create a strong labor force, the Spanish took part in what others around Puerto Rico had begun to do, import cheap labor, namely African slaves. As the profit grew from cash crops- sugar emerging as the most important- slavery became an absolute necessity in those 300 years as a way to keep agriculture prosperous for the island of Puerto Rico. The second storey of the notion of Puerto Rican identity now constructs itself upon this first floor during the time period of the sixteenthcentury to the late nineteenth century.Eventually, by the nineteenth century, Puerto Rico became the second largest producer of sugar in the Caribbean (Scarano, 1984). About half of the slave population was African born, and the slave system virtually existed to sustain the sugar economy (Scarano, 1984). As the sugar production demonstrated its importance as the main source of economic stability for the island and as a requirement for stabilizing a society, the role of African slaves, and various immigrants that trickled into the island, became absolutely significant in the notion of identity. Without the immigrants and the African slaves that came or were brought to Puerto Rico, there would have been no economic base to establish a colony or structured society with. Thus, without slaves and immigrants, there would not be "Puerto Rico" as it is known today. Spain fought hard to keep Puerto Rico in its control, against other countries and the island’s people itself, because by the end of the nineteenth century, Spain failed to maintain her powerful empire and only had three maritime colonies left. Puerto Rico was one of them, and in the last century of its rule of Puerto Rico, Spain strengthened the powers of Spanish representatives on the island in an effort to hold on to the island as much as possible, but that failed against the island’s people. They demanded more autonomy from Spain, politically and economically, because they were tired of being governed by the outside and supporting the outside, while for all this time, have not been rewarded in any way. Citing the identity of Puerto Rican, the island sent Ramon Powers to Spain with a mandate to request full citizenship representation, open immigration for the purpose of economy, freedom or reform for agricultural development, and to foster a slave trade for the economy. He went in name of the Puerto Ricans. The Spanish government granted the economic requests, but not the political request for representation (Figueroa, Oct.
22). Here, in the late nineteenth century is where the second storey ends and the third begins. Spain loses Puerto Rico to the United States in 1898, as a result of the Spanish American War, and loses, ultimately its power as a country. No longer does Spain have ties to Puerto Rico, but her occupancy of 400 years has left an indelible mark on the island’s culture, which will cause conflict for the ever-constructing identity of Puerto Rico. Now, Puerto Rico is at the hands of the United States, which essentially helps in forming the third storey, and future storeys of the Puerto Rican identity. The Spanish occupation has had great impact when speaking about Puerto Rican identity. Puerto Rico now yields the Spanish language as its official (and almost only) language. Although the Spaniards came, conquered, and killed the original population, Puerto Ricans take great pride in the fact that they are a Spanish speaking nation. In fact, in a study by Nancy Morris, 85% of those interviewed considered the Spanish language as an important aspect of the Puerto Rican identity (Morris, 1995). To this day there exists a resemblance between the Spanish spoken by Puerto Ricans on the island and the Spanish spoken by those from the region of Andalucia in Southern Spain, where many of the Spanish who occupied Puerto Rico were from (Del Valle …show more content…
Atiles, 1980). Another important notion demonstrated above, while not explicitly, is that of race. The original inhabitants of Puerto Rico were the Taino Indians.
When the Spanish arrived, they instantly took over of the island, assuming a hegemony of the people. The Spanish then imported African slaves, while European immigrated to the island (Figueroa, Oct. 6) . As a result of the mixing of Taino blood, Castilian and Andalucian blood and African blood, as well as various streams of European blood, the people of Puerto Rico consider themselves "the rainbow people". Although there are many shades and background, Puerto Ricans unite under the name, the feeling of "Puerto Rico", regardless of the difference, and form their life, and their respect around this heritage of heterogeneous cultures. This rainbow, though, does give way to problems in outside classification of Puerto Ricans, meaning by those who are not Puerto Rican. Because Puerto Ricans cannot fit into one given box of black or white, the identity of a Puerto Rican is often challenged. While others use the rainbow as a way to set them apart, Puerto Ricans use the rainbow as a way to band together. It has been made obvious the importance and effect that the Spanish occupation has on the identity of the Puerto Rican. From issues of language to race, the Spanish has touched and influenced so many areas that would later have importance in constructing the notion of the
Puerto Rican identity. Thus, it is imperative that in debating the issue of Puerto Rican identity, one should look at the history of Puerto Rico under Spanish rule. References De Valle Atiles, Francisco. "The Spiritual Life of the Jíbaro", from Iris M. Zavala and Rafael Rodriguez (eds), 1980, the Intellectual Roots of Independence: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Political Essays. New York: Monthly Review Press, pp. 95-103. Dietz, James. (1986). Economic History of Puerto Rico. Princeton: Princeton U Press. Pp. 98-170, 194-231, 242-250. Fernandez, Ronald. (1996). The Disenchanted Island: Puerto Rico and the United States in the Twentieth Century (Second Edition). Westport: Praeger. Ferré, Rosario. (1995). The House on the Lagoon. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Figueroa, L. (Sept.15, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". From Colonial Subjects to National Minority: Puerto Rican Migration. Figueroa, Luis. (September 17, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". From Tainos to Early Spanish Colonialism. Figueroa, Luis. (October 6, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". Settler Colonialism and Nationalism in the 19th Century. Figueroa, Luis. (October 22, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". from "Puerto Rico" to "Porto Rico": Politics, Economics, adn Society Under Early American Rule, 1898-1920s. Figueroa, L. (Dec. 10, 1998). Lecture from "Puerto Rico". The "Best of Both Worlds"? Culture Nationalism, Colonial Ambitions and Ambiguities. Glasser, Ruth. (1995). My Music is My Flag: Puerto Rican Musicians and Their New York Communities, 1917-1940. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. Gonzalez, Jose L. Puerto Rico: the Four-Storeyed Country. New York: Markus Weiner Publishing, Inc. Guerra, Lillian. (1998). Popular Expression and National Identity in Puerto Rico: The Struggle for Self, Community and Nation. Gainesville: U Press of Florida. H.R.856. 105th Congress. "Young Bill". March 5, 1998. http://www.us-english.org/press/prpoll.htm http://www.us-english.org/press/prpoll2.htm http://Welcome.ToPuertoRico.org/history.htm Larson, Stephanie. (1998). The Role of Politics in Puerto Rican Culture. Http://frontpage.trincoll.edu/slarson. Library of Congress American Memory Collection. FSA-Office of War Information Photograph Collection. "Guitar Player above the swamp water. The workers ' quarter of Puerto de Tierra. San Juan, Puerto Rico".LC-USF34-012589-E. Morris, N. (1995). Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity. Praeger: Westport, CT. Negrón-Muntaner, F. (1997). "English Only Jamás but Spanish Only Cuidado: Language and Nationalism in Contemporary Puerto Rico". From Negrón-Muntaner and Grosfoguel (Eds.), Puerto Rican Jam: Essays on Culture and Politics. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 257-285. Rivera, Angel, Q. "Music, Social Classes, and the National Question in Puerto Rico". In Glasser. Scarano, Francisco. "Sugar and Slavery in Puerto Rico, 1815-1849: An Overview," from Scarano, 1984, Sugar and Slavery in Puerto Rico: The Plantation Economy of Ponce, 1800-1850. Madison: U of Wisconsin Press. pp.3-34 Trías-Monge, J. (1997). "The Shaping of a Colonial Policy". From Trías-Monge, Puerto Rico: the Trials of the Oldest Colony of the World. New Haven: Yale University Press, 36-51. Walker, Rich. (1998). A Multicultural Alternative to Language and Nationalism. Http://frontpage.trincoll.edu/rwalker. Waxer, Lise. (October 29, 1998). Puerto Rican Music Between Rafael Hernandez and Rafael Cortijo.