History of the Island and Its Relationship with the U.S. Puerto Rico History of the Island and Its Relationship with the U.S.

On the map on your handout, circle the island of Puerto Rico On the map on your handout, circle the island of Puerto Rico. Then, draw a line from the southern tip of Florida to the Island. Using the map scale, estimate how many miles Puerto Rico is from the southern tip of Florida.

Puerto Rico is about 1,000 miles from Florida.

Background Before Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, and before Hurricane Irma sideswiped the island less than two weeks earlier, the U.S. territory was already struggling to recover from an 11-year economic recession and overwhelming public debt. Now with no electricity and undrinkable water on much of the island, along with a loss of 80 percent of crop value, the island faces a humanitarian crisis. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/04/learning/lesson-plans/island- in-crisis-teaching-about-puerto-rico-after-hurricane-maria.html

Video on the Devastation of Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria (Click on the video at he bottom of the page.) What did you notice on the video? What questions do you have? Did you know? Puerto Rico won its first Olympic gold medal when Monica Puig beat Germany’s Kerber in women’s tennis at the 2016 Olympic Games.

How much do you know about Puerto Rico How much do you know about Puerto Rico? Write T or F next to each statement. Early inhabitants of Puerto Rico were a peaceful people called the Tainos and had leaders named conquistadors who wore headdresses made of eagle feathers. The first known name given to the island was Boriquen meaning “land of the brave lord.” Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon, gave the island the name Puerto Rico meaning “rich port.” Spain was the only European nation to occupy the island. The U.S. gained control of the island after winning the Spanish-American War and renamed the island Porto Rico. As a commonwealth of the U.S., Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, use the U.S. dollar as currency, and pay federal taxes. As a U.S. citizen, Puerto Ricans vote in U.S. Presidential elections and elect representatives to U.S. Congress. The U.S. and Puerto Rico have had a peaceful relationship. In the 1960’s, the majority of Puerto Ricans favored remaining a commonwealth of the U.S., but today, there are almost as many Puerto Ricans who want to become a state as there are those who want to remain a commonwealth. The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007 could have resulted in the creation of a 51st state in the U.S.

Click on Discovering the Caribbean: Puerto Rico. Once there, turn to Chapter 2 (page 15). You can use pages 15-23 to figure out how much you really know about Puerto Rico! Correct your T/F predictions from the previous slide. If you discover that a statement is false, correct it to make it true.

True/False Answer Key How well did you do True/False Answer Key How well did you do? Check your work using the KEY!

The US-Puerto Rico Connection Spanish-American War GPB: Bernardo Vega View the Spanish-American War Video and respond to the following statement. Many groups come to the U.S. as immigrants. In the case of Puerto Ricans, the U.S. came to them. Describe how the United States came to control the island of Puerto Rico. View this video and answer the questions. Look for the U.S. spelling of the island (Porto Rico – until 1932) while you watch the videos! What gave Puerto Ricans the ability to immigrate to the U.S.? Once Puerto Ricans have the opportunity to move about the United States, which port do most set out for? What are their initial intentions and how do their plans change over time? Explain the concept of a nation with two shores, in relation to the Puerto Rican experience.

What do you think? You read (top of page 23) that a bill titled the Puerto Rico Democracy Act was introduced in U.S. Congress in 2007. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives but not the Senate. If the bill had passed, Puerto Ricans would have been able to vote to remain a commonwealth, become an independent nation, or become the 51st state of the U.S. Based on what you have learned today, if you were a Puerto Rican who got to vote on the political status of the island, how would you have voted? Option #1 – Become an independent nation Option #2 – Remain a commonwealth of the U.S. Option #3 – Become the 51st state of the U.S. Why? What are the advantages and disadvantages to each option?