Questions | Yonkers | Latino Communities
Sweat and Tears: Puerto Ricans Migrate to New York State
Document 3
Vocabulary
Colonialism: System in which a country settles and rules another country.
Monoculture: An economy that is based on one crop or product.
Exploitation: Practice of using others for financial gain.
Discrimination: Practice of singling out a group or person for unfavorable treatment.
Dexterously: Skillfully.
Colonialism made me get out of Puerto Rico thirty years ago. Colonialism, with its agricultural slavery, monoculture, absenteeism and rank human exploitation are making the young Puerto Ricans of today come in floods to the United States.
I didn't find any bed of roses in the United States. I found poor pay, long hours, terrible working conditions. I met discrimination even in the slums and in the low-paying factories where the bosses very dexterously pitted Italians against Puerto Ricans, and Puerto Ricans against American Negroes and Jews.
Document 3: 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 3 Short-Answer Questions
- Why does Mr. Colon think that young Puerto Ricans "come in floods" to the United States?
- What did Mr. Colon find in the United States?
Printable version of this DBQ
You need to download (free) Adobe Acrobat Reader