The first inhabitants of puerto rico were huntergatherers who reached the island more than 1,000 years before the arrival of the spanish. Puerto rico is often used as a standin location to film movies set in different, hardertoaccess places, like vietnam or cubawhich doesnt do justice to. Discover librarianselected research resources on puerto rican history from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals. Ourstory is a series of modules designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through. Discovering the world through my sons eyes a latina mama. Puerto ricos complicated history with the united states.
I sure as heck did not hear much of this when i went to high school there. My dad taught my sister and me to be proud of our heritage and its rich cultural history, particularly the arts and literature, so enjoy these several fabulous books that are either written by puerto rican authors or are about the. It became known as puerto rico after 1521, when the city of san juan had been founded and given the islands original name. The ultimate puerto rican book list to celebrate culture and pride. When i was puerto rican, by esmeralda santiago, i havent read this one, but it related the story of pr in the 50s an a family migration to nyc. Puerto rican childrens literature social justice books. List of books and articles about puerto rican history online. A child of no importance is an inspirational novel of overcoming all odds to.
Through oral histories, personal interviews, eyewitness accounts, congressional testimony, and recently declassified fbi files, war against all puerto ricans tells the story of a forgotten revolution and its context in puerto rico s history, from the us invasion in 1898 to the modernday struggle for selfdetermination. I saw this one on amazon, stories from puerto rico. Discovering the world through my sons eyes a latina. The trials of the oldest colony in the world, by jose trias monge. Cuba continued to import slaves until 1864 and slavery was not officially abolished until 1888. Instead, puerto rico has always meant family, since many of my cousins, aunts, and uncles call the island home. For treatment of the island in its regional context, see latin america, history of, and west indies, history of.
Reading puerto rican history has been a revelatory experience, and i would certainly suggest you start with two outstanding books on the subject manuel maldonadodenis puerto rico. So all this information sitting in my head led me to want to provide a starting point for puerto rican genealogy newbies. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. Please do not read this as a bible to the history of puerto rico and instead a very very singular view with minimal updates or references to present day research and knowledge. A platform, you might say, to jump off from into your journey of family history that passed through puerto rico. The best books on puerto rico according to signature reads. Denis has written a history of puerto rico in the 20th century that strives to recall the true horror and history of american possession of its colony. This list is only a sample, and teachers are encouraged to search for further resources and continue challenging students to critique how recommended books represent puerto rican history and culture, particularly with regard to. And one of its newest spoils of war was puerto rico. Puerto rico relationship continues to open eyes and carry weight.
In 1950, after over fifty years of military occupation and colonial rule, the nationalist party of puerto rico staged an unsuccessful armed insurrection against the united states. This blog is the story of our lives, a multicultural family living, learning and discovering the world through our sons eyes. Puerto rico history and heritage travel smithsonian. Census its population of 3,808,610 was larger than that of 25 states. Taino indians who inhabited the territory, called the island boriken or borinquen which means. Not only an excellent introduction to the island for the nonexpert but it is also of value to scholars who are searching for new topics to research on puerto rican history and the puerto rican diaspora. Since all spanish ships, leaving america full of gold, had to stop in the island for. In this nonpartisan text, arturo morales carrion discusses the islands social, institutional, and cultural evolution and provides a historical perspective on all political positions. Puerto rico is a bilingual and multicultural society, greatly influenced by the spanish, african, indian, and u. Books and movies to read and watch before you go to puerto rico. Puerto rico at the dawn of the modern age does not present a socially comprehensive view of puerto rican history during the period it covers. Books to read while in puerto rico puerto rico forum. These incessant attacks, not on puerto rico only, but on all the other spanish possessions, and the reprisals they provoked, created such animosity between the people of both countries that hostilities had practically commenced before the declaration of war october 23, 1739. He has had access to all data obtainable in the island, and has faithfully and.
Brimming with humor and nostalgia, coconuts and collards is a recipepacked memoir of growing up latina. Museum of history culebra 2020 all you need to know. Scarce archaeological findings and early spanish accounts from the colonial era constitute all that is known about them. Since 1952 the island has been officially known as the commonwealth of puerto rico. But there have been many virulent disease epidemics after smallpox that have had an impact on the families of puerto rico and you may see these diseases listed as causes of death. The following discussion focuses on puerto rican history from the time of european settlement. As of the end of 2016, there have been 323 players born in puerto rico or descended from puerto rican natives who have played in the major leagues. Today this word used in various modifications is still popularly used to designate the people and island of puerto rico. The books and pamphlets in this collection were written by educated men of european descent whose perspectives inevitably differed from the viewpoints of those less privileged in puerto rican society at. To begin to learn about the island and its history, look to the following books.
Explore old san juan with david rodriguez, author of the rise and fall of the great barbate, on this smallgroup tour. There were at least four attempts to bring the island under english control, one in 1595, and three in the 18th century. Van middledyks work was the first major historical study of puerto rico in english. Van middledyk advanced puerto rican historiography by building on the works of brau, coll y toste, and acosta, and by consulting early spanish chronicles. Christopher columbus landed in puerto rico in 1493, during his second voyage, naming it san juan bautista. I found it a little quaint and not offensive at all, but your mileage may vary. From the spanish discovery to the american occupation r. In its place stepped the fledgling superpower in the north. The history of puerto rico began with the settlement of the archipelago of puerto rico by the ortoiroid people between 3,000 and 2,000 bc. The module includes links to handson activities and a list of recommended readings. The powerful, untold story of the 1950 revolution in puerto rico and the long history of u. These books are meant to facilitate discussion on various issues in puerto rican history and culture, including colonialism, race, gender, and environmental justice. In this book the spanishamerican war brought a definitive end to spains hold on the new world.
Teaching for change carefully selects the best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators. I learned a great deal from this book, and it provided a great short read prior to my first. Officially known as the commonwealth of puerto rico a selfgoverning entity in association with the united states, it includes the offshore islands of mona, vieques, and culebra. History of puerto rico christopher columbus reached the island and claimed it for spain on november 19, 1493. Wepa 10 books that celebrate puerto ricos rich culture off the. See more ideas about puerto rico history, history books and puerto rico. The history of puerto rico ranges from the earliest indigenous settlements to the reign of the taino, from the centuries under spanish control through more. The easternmost island of the greater antilles chain, it lies approximately 50 miles 80 km east of the dominican republic, 40 miles 65 km west of the virgin islands, and. List of books and articles about caribbean history. The french possessions freed their slaves in 1848 and were followed by the dutch in 1863 and puerto rico in 1873. This book is within the scope of wikiproject puerto rico, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of topics related to puerto rico on wikipedia.
Drawing on dramatic recent developments in research, the history of puerto rico offers the most uptodate and fully realized exploration of the islands past for students, travelers, and general readers alike. In three volumes, this is a wellbalanced account written by one of the socalled new historians of the caribbean. Puerto rico is a large caribbean island of roughly 3,500 square miles located in the west indies. When i was puerto rican by esmeralda santiago, conquistadora by esmeralda santiago, the rum diary by hunter s. The people of puerto rico today are caught in a centuriesold dilemma of identity. Puerto rico in the american century university of north.
Dec 14, 2009 the history of puerto rico ranges from the earliest indigenous settlements to the reign of the taino, from the centuries under spanish control through more than 100 years of life under the u. Black history month, childrens books, spanish bilingual childrens book. The first comprehensive book on the history of puerto rico was written by fray inigo abbad y lasierra in 1786, nearly three centuries after the first spaniards landed on the island. What to watch and read before your trip to puerto rico. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. Puerto rico remained under direct military rule until 1900, when the u. The history of puerto rico thousands of fulltext free books. This is history you barely hear in history of puerto rico classes back on the island. Chapter x dissensionstransfer of the capital 15151520 the total number of spaniards in the island at the time of the rebellion. Nov 06, 2007 puerto rico began to produce cattle, sugar cane, coffee and tobacco, which led to the importation of slaves from africa. Also latin american countries have greatly influenced puerto rican culture to develop its own distinguished cultural identity. At the end of the nineteenth century, cuba and puerto rico were ceded to the united states and cuba gained its independence in 1901. Its the easternmost island of the greater antilles chain.
Book this book does not require a rating on the projects quality scale. Two great books on puerto ricos colonial history for the. Puerto rico recommended books in puerto rico history. A sociohistoric interpretation and juan angel silens we, the puerto rican people. The easternmost island of the greater antilles chain, it lies approximately 50 miles 80 km east of the dominican republic, 40 miles 65 km west of the. Jul 12, 2019 puerto rico is often used as a standin location to film movies set in different, hardertoaccess places, like vietnam or cubawhich doesnt do justice to a land so beautiful in its own right. Congress passed the foraker act, setting up an administration with a u. The cover of the book war against all puerto ricans. An excellent contribution to the general history of puerto rico during the twentieth century. As a result, puerto rican bloodlines and culture evolved through a mixing. List of books and articles about caribbean history online.
Pedreiras interpretation of puerto rican culture, 1980. Both spanish and english are official languages of puerto rico, but mainly spanish is the spoken language. Puerto rico began to produce cattle, sugar cane, coffee and tobacco, which led to the importation of slaves from africa. Latinx and latin america, afrolatinx, spanishbilingual. Other tribes, such as the saladoid and arawak native puerto ricans, populated the island between 430 bc and ad. Trump was right all along about puerto rico july 23, 2019 trump stands vindicated in claiming that puerto ricos failure to get aid in the wake of hurricane maria was the doing of local leftists. Insightful and authoritative, the book helps readers understand the history behind puerto rico s complicated contemporary political status, its. List of books and articles about puerto rican history. Written by one of puerto rico s brightest legal minds and a former supreme court justice, his argument about the true nature of the u.
It then focuses on the first five decades of the u. We have been told in history books that christopher columbus brought smallpox to the islands of the caribbean and thus eradicated almost all of the native populations. A librarian at the free public library of san juan, van middledyk possessed knowledge of and access to considerable primary source material. The book begins with a historical overview of puerto rico during the spanish colonial period 14931898. Wepa 10 books that celebrate puerto ricos rich culture. We also have a list of films and organizations key to teaching and learning about puerto rico. Baseball in puerto rico has a long history, dating back to the nineteenth century and now extending into the twentyfirst. Written directly from a 1900s perspective so please use this as a resource for what perspectives were like during this era. The history of puerto rico from the spanish discovery to the american occupation language. In this ourstory module from the smithsonians national museum of american history entitled a puerto rican carnival, students will learn more about the carnival traditions of puerto rico.
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