BY A.R.
New York City has forever been known as the giant melting pot in the US and has attracted millions of people through the decades. Living with my mom in Sunny-Side and being born into a Latino family, I felt like there were hispanic people all over NYC. This was very true looking back on it now. Based of census data from 2010, the NYC’s population was 8.3 million, but 27.4% was Latino which is almost 2.27 million people. This is a very high number which is why NYC is considered the city with the most hispanics living there throughout the nation. Since this data was from the 2010 census, this number could easily be even higher today. A large majority of NYC’s Latino population is actually Puerto Rican. Based off of census data again there are 1.2 million Puerto Rican's in NYC which is a little more than half. But the question is that when did all these Puerto Rican people come to NYC in the first place and why? Were things really that bad for them that they had to leave the places they called home or was the talk about the American dream persuasive enough to make them leave their homes?
I feel like the best place to start looking as to why the population is so high now is to look back in the past from where is all started. The best place to really look at is around 1917 which was when Puerto Ricans gained US citizenship also known as the Jones Act. Around that time the territory suffered a devastating economic depression and this was most likely the push factor that caused many Puerto Ricans to move in the first place. Especially since before the depression, there were not that many Puerto Ricans in the US until the formation of small barrios in NYC became more common. It is very clear that this depression on the island was the major push. As more and more people went off to the mainland to leave their poor economies, there were many family members that were left behind. This was mostly likely because the boat ride to the mainland was very expensive and there was limited space. The family that members that were left behind most likely wanted to travel to the US as well and since they have family in the US, they have more of a reason to travel.
NYC having much opportunity to offer, tons of immigrants who went to the US wanted a fresh start, to be with family again, and almost of all them were concerned with finding work.(Sanchez, pg.65). Factories in the city would hire Puerto Ricans to fill the positions for low pay. Since Puerto Ricans moved here with little money and started making little money, the possibility of them moving was probably low. Even though these Puerto Ricans who moved to NYC received terrible jobs, terrible pay, poor living conditions, and worked in unhealthy environments, it still must have been better then being completely poor with no money, food, or water from which they emigrated.
"Decennial Census - Census 2010." NYC Population. March 14, 2011. Accessed January 30, 2017. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/data-maps/nyc-population/census-2010.page.
"Puerto Rican / Cuban - Migrating to a New Land - Immigration...- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress." Puerto Rican / Cuban - Migrating to a New Land - Immigration...- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. Accessed January 30, 2017. https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/cuban3.html.
Sanchez, George J. Becoming Mexican American. NYC, NY: Oxford University Press.
Interesting post. Also astonished on how the Puerto Rican population really flourished once barrios were form. I expected where barrios were created by the Puerto Ricans themselves since they migrated in large numbers to NYC. Also surprised how there's not a lot of Cubans in retrospect to how many Puerto Ricans that migrated to the NYC.
ReplyDeleteI really like your post and the fact that you expressed that your also Latino. The census data was well placed and it really put into perspective how many Latinos there really are in the city. You imagine there are quite a few but having an actual number really brings out the reality of it. In the second paragraph, I think you did a good job talking about how and why the Puerto Ricans came to the US in the first place and what the reality of it was having to do with money to get on the boat and the relatives that has to be left behind because they couldn't afford it or there was no more room. The truthful facts put in your blog post are what were really important.
ReplyDeleteYour post was very eye-opening and the use of the census data gave me a real idea and understanding of the demographics. I love how the Puerto Rican and Latino community in general really emphasize their beliefs in family and support. I could only imagine how hard it was for them to leave their family behind, but as you said it only gave them more of a reason to travel to and from. It's saddening how many immigrants migrate from their native country in hopes for better opportunities to only be given "terrible jobs, terrible pay and poor living conditions," etc. The final paragraph of your blog post is extremely powerful because it emphasizes their hopes for a brighter future and strength to keep working towards the "American Dream," even though they were given such poor opportunities to begin with. You should take the time to read "Migrating to a New Land" on https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/cuban3.html, which discusses very similar topics to your blog post with a little more detail.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog post it I found it really useful and different that you used statistics to convey your point. It gives us the reader a better picture of what it is like because numbers are easier to make sense of to show change of population size. Your post reminded me of exactly what my dad told me he went through back in china, as to that’s why he traveled over here to the united states in hopes to achieve the “American dream”. Its crazy to see that history does always continue to repeat themselves because my dad came in the 80’s and he worked from the bottom up. The conditions were similar from low wages to horrible living conditions. Its great to see that throughout your post you really answered the questions you had asked in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI love how you mentioned your Latino ethnicity and connections to NYC. The census data also put a lot of things into perspective for me. I also really like how your post focused a lot on why Puerto Ricans came to the mainland in the first place, a better life/better economy. It's sad how many people would come here and not receive the care and treatment that they wanted for themselves and their families. Overall great thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI really liked that fact that you included the consensus data because it was able to actually give me an idea as to just how big the Latino population was in NYC. I also liked the fact that you included your Latino background and experiences with NYC. I love the constant drive of motivation this post talks about. It seems as though the Latinos were driven to make a better life for their families, and the one's that they loved, and nothing was going to get in the way of that. This post puts a great emphasis on the struggles the Latino's faced and just how far they would go to make a better life for themselves, and I believe that is very important.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post, it really clarifies exactly the large influx of people who migrated to the mainland, with the census data! As you mentioned the Jones Act gave the Puerto Ricans citizenship, but with certain limitations like, not being able to vote or participate in Congress. Being that their was an anterior motive for the US granting citizenship to Puerto Ricans like accessing their resources and exploitation of their laborers! Do you feel as if Puerto Rico should be annexed into the United States? Due to the false hope given to their people in the early 20th century to escape times on depression on the island to reach the mainland and the conditions were just as worse!
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