Letter to Wonder Woman from Pura Cruz, n.d.

Open letter to Wonder Woman from Pura Cruz, n.d.

 

In 1898, the United States took possession of Puerto Rico as part of the concessions of the Spanish-American War. The Jones Act of 1917 made Puerto Rico an unincorporated territory, granting U.S. citizenship to all Puerto Rican residents. With Puerto Rico now part of the United States, American speculators took advantage of the small economy and tropical climate to organize large-scale sugar cane operations. This influx of absentee farm owners shifted the local economy from a diverse subsistence agricultural economy to an economy centered on a single cash crop. The owners made huge profits, while very few local residents benefited from this economic shift.

By the 1930s, poverty and unemployment in Puerto Rico were rampant. The economy was so hyper-focused on sugar cane that food had to be imported onto the island. These hardships encouraged many Puerto Ricans to take advantage of their American citizenship and immigrate to New York.

Small communities of Puerto Ricans developed in New York City. The largest of these communities was on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This barrio, or neighborhood, was East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem.

 

How do immigrants become a part of their new community?

 

Identify the main idea of this letter and explain how the author became a part of American society while preserving her cultural heritage.