Puerto Rico has been part of the United States since 1898, during the Spanish-American War. When you think of Puerto Rico, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is an island and not a part of America. Puerto Rico has very strong Hispanic influences and culture, which have nothing to do with the country it is a part of. The way of life is the opposite of that of America. Americans are stuck in this fast-paced, high-stress daily life. Puerto Rican life takes place after a very slow paced day and a positive attitude. The United States-owned territory was hit by Hurricane Maria in 2018. It was a devastating hurricane that left more than 3,000 people dead and the island remained without power for months. The United States has done little or nothing to contribute to its own disastrous cleanup. Puerto Rico, as an island and territory, has much to offer in terms of supplies, food, life and positive outlook. Often the island is examined without even thinking about what Puerto Rico could actually become. The island has a beautiful ethnography that should be explored by every American. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Puerto Ricans have had a long, difficult journey to become part of America. Puerto Rico was ruled by Spain for centuries, until Puerto Rico became independent from Spain in 1898. The citizens of Puerto Rico had many reasons to celebrate and rejoice, but the joy was about to end. The United States invaded Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War, not only because of the war, but also because Puerto Rico was showing interest in a potential sugar market in that region. “When the Americans arrived, General [Nelson] Miles issued a very famous executive order in which he promised to protect the lives, liberty, happiness and property of Puerto Ricans,” she says. “Many poor, working-class, peasant Puerto Ricans took this as an invitation to side with the Americans in what was still a war against Spain.” If I were Puerto Rican, this offer would seem great to me after being ruled and under the control of Spain for decades. Soon after the war ended, so did Americans' empty promises to their newly colonized territory. America and Puerto Rico never got off to a good start and this has impacted the status of the territory for American citizens. America was never fair to them to begin with and they had to wait almost 20 years to actually be taken seriously and as if the island was actually part of America. The Caribbean island was struggling under the new domination and power of America. When the Americans arrived, they implemented an extreme tax on sugar, causing the Puerto Rican coffee industry to disappear. Nor did Puerto Ricans immediately become citizens of the United States. In 1917, they finally received American passports. Nearly twenty years after the United States took control of the island, it had no real legal status. Even today, Puerto Ricans cannot even vote in the United States! The island's legal and economic situation deteriorated after the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2018. A few months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans voted for a referendum on statehood, as many Puerto Ricans may vote for, but ultimately the decision is up to Congress. Americans must move forward in their political opinions and points of view. With our current president, moving forward does not seemnot be a theme, but rather going back to the way things used to be and taking the country backwards. Justice Sonia Sotomayor's parents were born in Puerto Rico and she now serves on the Supreme Court and has spoken out on this issue. “It is very unlikely that statehood will ever happen, at least not in our lifetime, unless something in the political culture of the U.S. Congress changes dramatically to suddenly embrace Latin Americans, Latinos and Puerto Ricans,” she said. "And I don't think we're going that way." Hurricane Maria was a devastating natural disaster that struck Puerto Rico in 2018. As part of the United States, the country contributes to the losses and devastation. The president is coming and shows support, but in this particular case, the nation's leader did not provide any help President Donald Trump wanted to cut the hurricane relief fund, accusing Puerto Rico of using the money to pay back. his debts. Trump saw it as a waste of money for an island that didn't matter to him and didn't benefit him in any way. Many local citizens and even citizens across the country were trying and doing everything they could to. raising money for the island and even flying there to help When I visited Puerto Rico, there were still parts of the island, houses, beaches that were still not reclaimed. It was very sad to see and on top of that, our own president was not there for them. “Trump also spread false information about hurricane casualties in September, when he disputed the storm's official death toll – again without evidence. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló said there were at least 3,000 hurricane-related deaths in August, which the president inaccurately questioned in two tweets. "The fact that the president and the leader of the nation did not even care enough about the disaster caused all of Puerto Rico to suffer because of it. The National Relief Fund was later suspended for a long period of time by President Donald Trump Puerto Rico did not receive the same level of concern as other states if this were to happen to them. Growing up in America, being an immigrant is a very difficult thing to do. overlooked by those who are not immigrants. Being “part” of America should give you a better life and advantages, but for many, that is not the case. The article I read was about Puerto Ricans. in New York Puerto Ricans are never recognized when newspapers talk about the poor communities of the South Bronx and how it affects the Puerto Rican community the most. New York has the largest number of Puerto Ricans living in its state, after all. other State. This is why the book and the author focus on New York, because there is more room to collect data and observe. The Puerto Rican community is stuck in a void, like many other immigrants, between the hard-working poor class and achieving great luck and upward social mobility. It's hard to be a hard worker and not receive the credit you should deserve simply because of where you're from or what you look like. Puerto Ricans must earn their privilege, unlike many Americans who get this unearned privilege because we look a certain way. Puerto Ricans are overlooked when discussing economic issues and concerns and are not mentioned in newspapers as the poorest group in the South Bronx. Puerto Rico is the only U.S. trade line to the Caribbean and the first line of defense in Latin America. The island should be treated better, taking into account.