San Juan, Puerto Rico

first thought as I saw the island for the first time was a sense of assimilation. Being someone who’s always wanted to grow closer to my heritage, this was everything I dreamed about growing up. Going to the island for the first time exposed me to Puerto Rican culture, exotic animals, amazing food and acres and acres of rainforest. This is one cultural expedition I will never forget. As we stepped out the back door of our hotel my feet instantly hit the cool white sand. This was the…

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico to parents Maria Hilaria Bonilla, and Eugenio Maria de Hostos y Rodríguez on January 11, 1839. Eugenio was sociologist ,writer, politician, philosopher, and lawyer. His first years of education took place in San Juan School, in his native country of Puerto Rico. During his teenage years Eugenio was sent to Spain to continue his education, where years later he graduated as a lawyer. From a young age Eugenio Maria de Hostos was an idealist, with ideas of independence for…

Speaking broken Spanish to my parents is perfectly fine, but speaking it to my Puerto Rican relatives is a whole different story. Their vocabulary and pronunciation is so distinct to mine. Hand gestures were key components to use in order for them to understand me. This used to be frustrating, to the point that I would rather bypass the conversation. I was not always this excited. In fact, when I went to Puerto Rico with my family for the first time, I was mostly scared then excited. When I got…

Filipino insurgent helping them. The Rough Riders, which also included Roosevelt’s leadership, were volunteers that went to Cuba to battle at El Caney and San Juan Hill. The American army did not stop there, and took over Puerto Rico with the command of Nelson A. Miles, before Spain signed the armistice. This gave to America Guam, Puerto Rico, the freedom of Cuba, and the Philippines, which were much more of a problem, in which McKinley decided to keep the Philippines making the U.S. seem more…

I had a hard time deciding whether I agreed or disagreed with the above quote. On one hand, yes, America has succeeded in establishing a progressive political system and envisioned a new idea of what it means to be free, but on the other hand, I feel as though that the United States has departed from the ideas of freedom, responsible government, and human equality. In the end, I decided that I disagree with the idea of America is much more of a political and moral fact. What started as the…

“Government is best which governs least” according to the article “Civil Disobedience,” by Henry David Thoreau. In this article, Thoreau also mentioned that he believes that government is best when it governs not at all. However when a government governs not at all, then there exist chaos and war. But a government that governs least is a government that many people will agree is the best type of government. This type of government allows people absolute freedom. Not freedom per say, but…

An injustice I see throughout my community, or the American community in general, is racial and religious discrimination. Ever since the creation of America, there has been racism and a division among the people, and many people have tried to erase the tension entirely, but only small doses of success have been seen here and there. Yes, there is equal rights for all now, but there is a definite tension still among the American people when it comes to race and religion. People have to be…

The Space Traders begin with the arrival of an extraterrestrial species, named Space Traders, which offer a solution to the current financial and environmental crises that America faces for an exchange of the current African American population. This initial offer was greeted with overwhelming support by the white population who viewed the space traders as being pleasant and unthreatening. Conversely, the black population did not share the same enthusiasm toward the space traders and disapproved…

In his personal essay, “Captivity”, Sherman Alexie develops an intriguing view on the complexities of the relationship between Native Americans and European Americans, criticizing Caucasians for hypocrisy and fight for power between the two. His many examples comparing the relations between Whites and Native Americans in his essay, while formidable to producing his argument, are helped significantly by a metaphor presented through the mentioning of Mary Rowlandson, a historical figure who was…

The United States won control over Puerto Rico in 1898 after the Spanish-American War was over, Spain had surrendered the remainder of its overseas colonial empire to the United States. Even though Puerto Ricans were not considered citizens of the United States till 1917 with the Jones Act some say that “Puerto Ricans have been ‘born in the U.S.A’ since 1898.” (Nieto, 515) Once the United States had control over Puerto Rico, they had to decide the relationship with them and in 1952 they…