Puerto+Rico+2

Ivette Weaver Zach Zovath

Puerto Rico is an island located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Puerto Rico is approximately 1000 miles southeast of Miami, FL. In comparison to its size of the states, it is about three times bigger than the state of Rhode Island. The capital city of Puerto Rico is San Juan. Juan Ponce de León founded San Juan in 1508. He was also Puerto Rico’s first governor. The population of Puerto Rico is 3.99 million, 27th most populated state/territory in the United States. Puerto Rico has a very rich and diverse history. The first known settlers of Puerto Rico were the Ortoiroid people, and are given credit of settling most of the Caribbean. Human remains have been found in areas of Puerto Rico dating back to 2000 BC. The Taino culture became dominant between the 7th and 11th centuries. Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering Puerto Rico in 1493. The native Indians, Taino, on the island called the island “Borinquen”. The term Boricua comes from the Taino term Borinquen. Columbus later named the island San Juan Bautista, for Saint John the Baptist. In 1508, the name was finally changed to Puerto Rico, or rich port, and the capital city was named San Juan. Puerto Rico’s first political leader was Juan Ponce de León, the founder of Puerto Rico’s capital city. Soon after Juan Ponce de León began leading Puerto Rico, the Spanish began to colonize the island and enslaved the Taino people. A few of the Taino leaders tried to start a revolt, but Ponce de León easily stopped it. In 1520, Charles V issued a decree to emancipate the Taino people, but by that time their population was drastically reduced due to harsh working conditions, disease, and violence brought by the Spanish. Towards the end of the 19th century an uprising known as “Grito de Lares” was led by Ramón Emeterio Betances, the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement. On July 17, 1898, Puerto Rico received its first experience of autonomy being named a province of Spain. However, Puerto Rico’s autonomy was short lived. On July 25, 1898, the United States invaded the island and was ceded by Spain under the Treaty of Paris. The Foraker Act of 1900 gave Puerto Rico a place in the House of Representatives and the Jones-Shafroth Act granted Puerto Ricans US citizenship. This resulted in many Puerto Rican citizens enlisting in World War I. However, natural disasters and the great depression left the island very poor and depleted on natural resources. In 1947, Puerto Rico was granted the right to elect their own governor. In 1952, Puerto drafted a constitution that was ratified by the United States. Puerto Ricans gave it the name Estado Libre Asociado, or the Free Associated State, which means a commonwealth. In 2007, Puerto Rico developed the protocol to grant Puerto Rican Citizenship. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, meaning that the chief of state for Puerto Rico is the President of the United States, and has many of the same government characteristics as any other state in America. The head of the government of Puerto Rico also works the same way as any state. An elected governor and their two legislative chambers, House of Representatives and Senate, run Puerto Rico’s government. There are 51 seats in the House of Representatives and 27 seats in the Senate. Puerto Rico has authority over its internal affairs while the United States has primary control over all other matters that are covered by the Federal government. Puerto Rico is not divided into counties like other states, but the country is divided into municipios or municipalities. An elected mayor and municipal assembly govern each municipality. Puerto Rico also has one seat in congress that is heard but has not vote regarding congressional matters. Because they do not have a vote, Puerto Ricans are able to vote in the presidential primary elections, but they do not have any electoral votes and do not vote in presidential elections. Puerto Rico uses American currency, and is considered to have the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico’s main economic component was, for a very long time, agriculture. In the 1960’s the country’s main crop was sugar cane. However, that has been replaced by the manufacturing, tourism, and pharmaceutical industries. Tourism is very important to the Puerto Rican economy, and is one the country’s largest industries, right behind manufacturing. Many large American companies have invested heavily in Puerto Rico because of different tax incentives. Because Puerto Rico is an American territory, the minimum wage is the same in the United States. While Puerto Rico’s economy has potential to be very productive, the economic slowdown in America has caused a great setback. In 2007, the median household income was $17,741, which is $18,597 below the United State’s lowest median household income. In September 2008 Puerto Rico’s unemployment rate rose to 12.6%
 * __History__**
 * __Government and Politics__**
 * __Economy__**

Trying to || Puerto Ricans, generally, have less space in their homes and a closed door does not mean a room is off limits. || Trying to cause trouble in the classroom || PR are very caring people and try to help family and friends with their problems. ||
 * **Behavior** || **Possible Misunderstanding in Mainstream Culture** || **Strategies** ||
 * Speaking loudly and quickly || Gives the impression that the student is yelling at or trying to talk over other students ||  ||
 * Student frequently stares at other students || Rude or socially awkward || Socially acceptable in Caribbean and Latin Cultures. ||
 * Waits to respond to questions during class discussion || The student does not know the answer || Puerto Ricans are taught English as a second language from kindergarten, and around 20 percent are fluent in English and Spanish. Giving the student them time needed to respond is important. ||
 * Finish other people’s thoughts or sentences || Rude, does not value other person’s opinion || Puerto Ricans are not offended when this happens during conversation. ||
 * Opens closed door in classroom || The student does not understand concept of privacy
 * Being late/tardy || Lazy or uninterested in class rules || Many countries do not have the same view on time as Americans. Latin Americans, in general, have a more relaxed concept of time. Explain the concept of being on time to the student and their parents, model punctuality to the student, and offer incentives for being on time. ||
 * Stops talking in social situations || The student does not appear to be paying attention or has social issues || Puerto Ricans want private time they take it in their minds not away from others ||
 * Involved in other peoples’ personal matters || Rude or nosey
 * Stands close to others when communicating || Does not respect personal space || Amount of personal space is much smaller in Puerto Rico and many other Latin countries. ||

__References:__ · CIA (2009). //The World Fact Book – Puerto Rico.// Retrieved October 1,2009, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rq.html

· Fish, L. (2008). //Building blocks: The first steps of creating a multicultural classroom//. Retrieved September 28, 2008, from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/buildingblocks.html

· Rivera, M. (2009, July). //Welcome to Puerto Rico// Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://www.topuertorico.org/index.shtml

· Wikipedia. (2009). //Juan Ponce de Leon.// Retrieved September 30, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n · Wikipedia. (2009). //Puerto Rico.// Retrieved September 30, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_rico