The Caribbean

Cuba & Puerto Rico In 1521 Cuba was taken by Spaniards. Thousands of Natives were slaughtered or driven away. By 1825, Cuba and Puerto Rico were the only remaining colonies in the Western Hemisphere. A war with Spain in 1898 gave US control of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Video Spanish American War

The US and CUBA The US gave Cuba its independence, but reserved the right to intervene in Cuba’s domestic affairs if a problem arose. In the 1950s Fidel Castro led a successful revolution and installed a communist government. Thousands of Cubans, not wanting to live under Castro’s rule fled to the US. (The US government granted political asylum for all Cubans wanting to come to the US.)

Castro vs USA Bay of Pigs- A failed attempt in 1961 to oust Castro’s government. Cuban Missile Crisis- in 1962 the Soviet Union attempted to place nuclear missiles in Cuba. After a dangerous standoff, the Soviets withdrew their plans. The US has made it illegal for US businesses to export or import items to and from Cuba. The US had hoped this boycott would force Castro out of office. (That was over 40 years ago. The boycott is still in effect.) Video on Kennedy

Usian Bolt of Jamaica

Jamaica Spanish settlers arrived in By 1600, all Natives had been wiped out, suffering from forced hard labor, ill treatment, and disease. England took control of Jamaica in Jamaica became an independent nation in 1962.

Hispaniola The name of the island that contains the countries of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Dominican Republic Its capital is the oldest European settlement in Latin America

Haiti A former French colony. It became an independent nation after a slave rebellion in Haiti has suffered through years of ineffective leaders. It is the poorest country in Latin America.

Poverty in Haiti

Same island Dominican Republic

Puerto Rico

PUERTO RICO Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. (A common wealth is a self-governing political region.) San Juan- Capital Cites

Common Wealth Puerto Ricans are US citizens, however they cannot vote in presidential elections. While Puerto Rico’s wages are low and unemployment is high, their economy is much stronger than any of their West Indies neighbors.

Commonwealth vs. State The US has given Puerto Rico the choice of remaining a commonwealth, becoming a state, or an independent country. The citizens have always voted to remain a commonwealth. Quote If I were a Puerto Rican, I would prefer to remain a commonwealth of the United States. Commonwealth status seems to carry most of the advantages of being a state, without the disadvantages of being entirely Independent

Issue for the Caribbean

A hurricane is a tropical cyclone, occurring in the North Atlantic Ocean or the Northeast Pacific Ocean, east of the International Dateline. Hurricane Isabel (2003) as seen from orbit.

hurricane damage Puerto Rico