Questions | Yonkers | Latino Communities
Sweat and Tears: Puerto Ricans Migrate to New York State
Document 2
Vocabulary
Evoked: Brought to mind, as in a memory or a thought.
Colony: Country that is settled and ruled by a stronger country.
Hailed: Greeted.
Classifications: Arranged in groups or classes.
Peon: Poor worker.
Exploited: Made use of others for financial gain.
Altruistic: Actions of living and acting unselfishly for the good of others.
Proclamation: Public announcement.
Imperialism: System in which a country extends its empire by colonizing other countries for financial gain.
…I learned that the Americans did not come to Puerto Rico because of the altruistic and democratic reasons that General Miles had stated in his famous proclamation when the Yankees invaded Puerto Rico in 1898. I learned that a race to gain control of the resources and the markets of the world was going on. The United States was first getting into this race in earnest around 1898. I learned the meaning of the word imperialism. I further learned that ever since the Americans had come into Puerto Rico, our country which had produced the varied products for our daily meals, was converted into a huge sugar factory with absentee owners caring absolutely nothing about the standards of living of the agricultural workers who comprise two-thirds of the Puerto Rican population. A man's sunrise to sunset labor under the burning tropical sun, cutting sugar cane, yielded one dollar and a half a day.
Document 2: Excerpt from Colon, Jesus. "Bitter Sugar: Why Puerto Ricans Leave Home." No date. Center for Puerto Rican Studies Archives, Hunter College, CUNY. The Jesus Colon Papers, Series Writing, Box 1, Folder 12.
Document 2 Short-Answer Questions
- Why did Mr. Colon believe that the Americans came to Puerto Rico in 1898?
- What hardship did the creation of huge sugar plantations cause for the agricultural workers in Puerto Rico?
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