Critical Analysis of Puerto Ricans as an Ethnic Group - Research Paper Example

?I. Historical Oppression, Persecution or Discrimination the Group Experienced in their History up to and including the 21st Century The island of Puerto Rico was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. Upon their arrival the European settlers immediately oppressed the indigenous population. The native Indians of Puerto Rico were called the Tainos. The European settlers enslaved the men and raped the women. They brought many unknown diseases into the Indian population which killed thousands of Indians since they did not receive proper medical treatment. In 1511 after decades of abuse the Tainos rebelled against the Spaniards that colonized them. The revolt was a massacre as the European soldiers had superior weapons and better combat training. Thousands of Tainos died in this revolt. In the aftermath of the revolt the European settlers had a shortage of free labor. They decided to keep their oppressive ways by importing slaves from Africa. After centuries of Spain having total control over the affairs of Puerto Rico in 1818 the Spanish King gave transfer of land ownership to the settlers in the island. In 1868 the Puerto Rican people revolt against the Spanish government in a claim for independence. The historical event was called “El Grito de Lares”. Over 400 Puerto Ricans fought in this conflict led by Ramon Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis. The attempt to take over the government was unsuccessful. One of the biggest abuses in the history of Puerto Rico was the existence of slavery. On September 22, 1873 the Spanish courts abolished slavery in Puerto Rico. At the time there were nearly 30,000 slaves in Puerto Rico which composed 5% of the population (Int. #3, 2011). Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain for four centuries. In 1898 the American-Spaniard war occurred between the United States and Spain. The United States won the war and one of the prices of victory was gaining full control over Puerto Rico. The United States awarded U.S. citizenship to all Puerto Ricans in 1917. In 1952 the island of Puerto Rico officially became a commonwealth of the United States. II. Deep Cultural Values and Contributions They Made to Society and Rest of the World Spanish and English are the official languages of Puerto Rico, but Spanish dominates the culture. Since both languages are used in Puerto Rico the locals sometimes referred to their mixed language as Spanglish. Puerto Rico is a very family oriented culture. Unmarried children often live with their parents until their 30’s. Most adults marry in their mid 20’s. The male is supposed to be the provider and head of the family, but in the 21st century it is customary for both partners in a relationship to work. When they get married women continue to use their surname. The normal greeting used in Puerto Rico by males is to shake hands, while females kiss themselves in the cheek. Puerto Ricans are very friendly people. When tourists come to the island people feel it is their obligation to serve and help the tourists in any way they can. Hand gestures and facial expression are often used during conversations. Puerto Ricans have a high tone of voice and proximity when talking to others is customary. In Puerto Rico visiting friends and particularly family members is considered a social obligation. Most weekends sons and daughters visit their parents. When a person visits your home the host must offer their guests drinks and food. The use of alcoholic beverages is customary in most family and friend gatherings as well as special events. The most consumed beer in Puerto Rico is a locally produced brand called Medalla. During Christmas season children receive gifts on two occasions. On Christmas day when Santa Claus brings them gifts and on the 6th of January which is the date the Three Wiseman brought gifts to baby Jesus when he was a newborn. There are many holidays that are celebrated in Puerto Rico. During a holiday the government does not work and many businesses depending on the holiday also close down. A list of the holidays celebrated in Puerto Rico is illustrated below: 1. New Year’s 2. Three Kings Day 3. Birth of Eugenio Maria de Hostos 4. Martin Luther King Day 5. President’s Day 6. Abolition of Slavery 7. Easter 8. Jose de Diego’s Birthday 9. Memorial Day 10. U.S Independence Day 11. Luis Munoz Rivera Day 12. Constitution Day 13. Jose Celso Barbosa Birthday 14. Labor Day 15. All Souls Day 16. Discovery of Puerto Rico 17. Thanksgiving 18. Christmas (CultureGrams, 2011). Puerto Ricans have made a lot of contributions to the US and global society. Throughout the 20th century when the U.S was involved in WWI, WWII, and Vietnam War conflicts thousands of Puertoricans sacrificed their lives fighting in the U.S. military. As of today the U.S. Armed Forces is actively recruiting soldiers from Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico had five Miss Universe winners. The five beauty queens of Puerto Rico are Marisol Malaret, Debora Cathy Dew, Dayanara, Torrez, Denise Quinones, and Zuleyka Rivera. Puerto Rico despite being a territory of the United States participates in the Olympic Games as a separate nation. There are lots of excellent Puerto Rican musicians. Some of the most famous and renounce musicians include Ricky Martin, Mark Anthony, and Jennifer Lopez. Just as in the United States the national pastime of Puerto Rico is baseball. Its most famous baseball player was the philanthropist Roberto Clemente who is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Puerto Rico is known for its dominance in the sport of boxing. One of its most famous fighters was the former welterweight champion and pound per pound king Felix Trinidad. III. Puerto Rico Proverbs Just as in many different cultures Puerto Rico has many proverbs its population uses in its communication with each other. One of those proverbs is “What might not happen in a year might happen in an instant” (Int. #6, 2011). This proverb comes from the belief of Puerto Ricans of living the moment. Puerto Ricans treasure life and they live everyday as if it was their last. A second proverb used in Puerto Rico is “Who gossips to you will gossip of you” (Int. #6, 2011). This proverb to Puerto Ricans means they should watch out against people that gossip and speak badly of others particularly in the workplace. IV. Demographics and Current Events Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean region. The island is a territory of the United States. The official political relation between the US and Puerto Rico is called a commonwealth. The islanders referred to the political status as “Estado Libre Asociado (ELA).” The current governor of Puerto Rico is Luis Fortuno. The population of Puerto Rico is 3.725 million people (Int. #2, 2010). The geographic dimensions of the island are 100 times 35 miles. Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with 1,064 people living per square miles. The population of Puerto Rico is growing at a rate of 0.254% (Int. #4, 2011). The population of Puerto Rico is made up a mix of ethnicity since Puerto Rican ancestry is composed of a mixed of three races: European Caucasian, Taino Indians, and African heritage. Puerto Ricans considered themselves a separate nation from the United States, thus they are culturally different. Puerto Rico is a multicultural society. A lot of Americans have moved to Puerto Rico or have vacation homes in Puerto Rico due to its lower cost of living and amazing tourism spots including some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Due to its higher standard of living a lot of people from the neighboring Caribbean countries such as Dominicans and Cubans have legally or illegally immigrated into Puerto Rico. The island of Puerto Rico is divided into 78 municipalities. San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico and the San Juan metropolitan area is home to 1/3 of Puerto Rico’s population. A note concerning Puerto Rico’s population is that more people from Puerto live in the United States than in the island. Over 1 million Puerto Ricans live in New York and approximately 4.6 million are scattered across the United States. Roman Catholicism is the religion that is most practiced in Puerto Rico with a participation rate of 85%, while the second largest religion is Protestantism (Int. #5, 2011). Education is very important to the government and to the people of Puerto Rico. Free schooling is provided by the state from elementary school up to high school. Children attend 12 years of schooling prior to graduating high school. The language spoken by educators in the schools of Puerto Rico is Spanish, but English is taught as a second language during all grade levels. The adult illiteracy rate in both the male and female population is 94%. (CultureGrams, 2011). Young adults are expected by their families to attend college. The parents financially support their children’s college education expenses. The largest and most influential university in Puerto Rico is the state’s university called the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). The UPR public network is composed of nine campuses that have over 45,000 enrolled students. The two largest campuses are the San Juan and Mayaguez campuses. The UPR Mayaguez campus has an engineering school that is considered one of top five engineering schools in the world. Other important universities in Puerto Rico include Inter-America University, Sacred Heart University, and Catholic University. The U.S dollar is the official currency in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is considered a developed economy. A developed economy is a country that produces a gross domestic product per capita above $9,000 a year. The gross domestic product per capita in Puerto Rico is $16,300 (CountryWatch, 2011). The manufacturing sector provides about 20% of the jobs in Puerto Rico. Some of the industries that generate jobs in PR include the pharmaceutical, chemical, and engineering industries. The service industry and the government generate a lot of jobs. The unemployment rate in Puerto Rico is one of the highest among any state or territory of the US at 16.1% (Int. #1, 2011). The actual unemployment rate is much higher since the labor participation rate in Puerto Rico is about 46% which is much lower than the US labor participation rate of 75%. Puerto Rico is a hot zone for hurricane activity due to its geographic location. Hurricane Katrina who devastated the US mainland last month hit Puerto Rico, but the damages were minimal. One of the hottest topics in Puerto Rico is the resolution of its political status. On August 2011 the University of Puerto Rico Alumni and Friends Abroad Association made history by presenting for the first time in the US Congress a forum called “Puerto Rico at its Political Crossroads: A forum to discuss the political future of the island” (Yankee, 2011). References Internet 1. Bls.gov (2011). Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.bls.gov/lau 2. Census.gov (2010). 2010 Census Data. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/index.php 3. Encyclopediapr.com (2011). Abolition of Slavery (1873). Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.enciclopediapr.org/ing/article.cfm?ref=06102001 4. Indexmundi.com (2011). Puerto Rico Population Growth Rate. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://www.indexmundi.com/puerto_rico/population_growth_rate.html 5. Puertorico.com (2011). Facts About Puerto Rico Culture. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.puertorico.com/culture/facts 6. Special-dictionary.com (2011). 33 Puerto Rican Proverbs. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.specialdictionary.com/proverbs/source/p/puerto_rican_proverb Articles CultureGrams. 2011. “Puerto Rico” 21 September 2011. CountryWatch. 2011 “Puerto Rico” 22 September 2011. Gonzalez, J. (2000). Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America. New York: Penguin. Lehman, J. Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Detroit: Gale Book (E-Book). 25 September 2011. Hanson, E.P. (1962). Puerto Rico: Ally for Progress. Van Nostrand Company. Lehman, J. (2011). Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Detroit: Gale Book (E-Book). Retrieved September 25, 2011 from http://auth.go.galegroup.com/auth/capmAuthentication.do?userGroupName=gale156&origURL=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.galegroup.com%2Fps%2Finfomark.do%3Faction%3Dinterpret%26source%3Dlibrary%26actionString%3DDO_DISPLAY_ABOUT_PAGE%26tabID%3DT002%26prodId%3DGVRL%26userGroupName%3Dgale156%26docId%3DCX3405899999%26type%3DaboutBook%26version%3D1.0%26authCount%3D1&productShortName=GVRL&isStartUrlRequest=false&isCookieCheckDone=false Yankee, U. (2011). Status Discussion Slated for Capitol Hill. Caribbean Business. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.topix.com/forum/world/puerto-rico/T6486FCDJSCM3OTG4 Read More