The History of Oppressed Puerto Rico :: Historical Spanish Essays

The news report of Oppressed Puerto RicoJesus Colon, in How to Know the Puerto Ricans, makes a assertion that I believe explains and articulates the effect centuries of exploitation has had on Puerto Rico, and on the individuality of Puerto Ricans. He writes, So when you come to knock at the door of a Puerto Rican home you will be encountered by this feeling in the Puerto Rican-sometimes unconscious mind in himself-of having been taken for a ride for centuries.(Santiago, 71) This assertion is appropriate and arranged in the sense that Puerto Rico was invaded, ruled, and exploited by the Spaniards from 1508 until July 1898 when the Spanish iris diaphragm was lowered and the United States began its invasion. With the exclusion of the aristocrats, who were either directly from Spain or criollos , at that place was complete oppression in Puerto Rico during the time it was a Spanish colony. The history of Puerto Rico under Spanish rule is useful in understanding the formation of Pue rto Rican identity and in understanding some of the belles-lettres written by Puerto Ricans regarding issues of identity. The numerous historical, economical, social, and political circumstances of Puerto Rico as a colony has affected identity formation of its people. In 1508, ponce de Leon led the arrival of Spanish into Puerto Rico. Between the years of 1511-1513, Tanos fought against the Spaniards because they were victorious away the Tano culture. An outright rebellion with guerrilla warfare occurred in 1511 and then 1513-1514 experienced a lessening of this overt path of rebellion and a conversion to more evasive and passive forms of fortress (Figueroa, Sept. 22). Among Puerto Ricans, especially the jibaros , there was a great amount of anti-state, anti-Spanish sentiment. However, the plebian peasantry (jibaros) erected a faade that they were following Spanish governing orders, although in reality the peasants discounted and discredited the orders of the Spaniards (Figuer oa, Sept. 22). By presenting this faade, the authorities falsely believed that the peasantry was not going to cause problems and would be loyal to Spain and its delegates. From 1650 until one hundred years later, relative isolation from the international economy fostered the growth of an independent, racially mixed peasantry whose contact with the outside world was limited to occasional inglorious trade with foreigners.(Scarano, 4) Despite evidence that it would be unsuccessful, the Spanish government tested to create a plantation labor force from the peasantry. This would