Image of a Cuban man
Image of a Native American man
Image of an African lady
Image of a German man
picture of an Irish man
Image of an Scandinavian lady
Image of an Italian lady
Image of a Japanese boy
Image of a Mexican woman
Image of a Chinese boy
Image of a Polish man
Picture of globe - clicking produces a Flash animated map showing the pattern of Cuban ànd Puerto Rican immigrationPicture of globe - clicking produces a Flash animated map showing the pattern of Chinese immigrationPicture of clock - click to view global timeline
Picture of clock - click to view global immigration timeline
Immigration Puerto Rican/Cuban
Image of US map - piece 1 Home Immigration Introduction Vocabulary Potluck Interviews Resources Conclusion
Image of US map - piece 2

Introduction

The islands of Puerto Rico and Cuba have a great deal in common. As near-neighbors in the Greater Antilles island chain, both lie in the Caribbean between Florida and Venezuela. Both share Spanish origins, and both islands have played key roles in the history of the Americas.

The immigrant experience of each island’s people, however, could not have been more dramatically different. In the latter half of the 20th century, the people of Cuba found themselves cut off from the United States, forced to overcome great dangers and obstacles to leave their homeland. In contrast, the people of Puerto Rico found themselves annexed by the U.S., and had to discover what it meant to immigrate to a country that already claimed them as citizens.

However different their political circumstances, the immigrants of both islands had to face the challenges of 20th-century migration, and to find new ways to establish lasting communities in a strange—if not so distant—land.



Puerto Rican festival, Lowell, Mass.
Puerto Rican festival,
Lowell, Mass.



 
Introduction | “The Fairest Island….” | Migrating to a New Land | In Spanish Harlem
Crossing the Straits
| Transforming a City | Vocabulary
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Irish
1790  The federal government requires two years of residency for naturalization
1864  Congress legalizes the importation of contract laborers
1819  Congress establishes reporting on immigration
1885   Congress bans the admission of contract laborers.
1898   Four month Spanish-American War begins with a naval blockade of Cuba and attacks on the island; ends with Cuba’s independence and U.S. acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam.
1948   The United States admits persons fleeing persecution in their native lands; allowing 205,000 refugees to enter within two years
1952  Immigration and Nationality Act: individuals of all races eligible for naturalization; reaffirms national origins quota system, limits immigration from Eastern Hemisphere; establishes preferences for skilled workers and relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens; and tightens security and screening standards and procedures
1953  Congress amends 1948 refugee policy to allow for the admission of 200,000 more refugees
1980   The Refugee Act redefines criteria and procedures for admitting refugees
1986   Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) legalizes illegal aliens residing in the U.S. unlawfully since 1982.
1900   Congress establishes civil government in Puerto Rico; Jones Act grants U.S. citizenship to island inhabitants; allows travel between mainland and the island without a passport .
1929   Congress makes annual immigration quotas permanent
1965  “Freedom flight” airlifts begin for Cuban refugees— assist over 260,000 people over the next eight years.
1966  The Cuban Refugee Act permits more than 400,000 people to enter the United States.
1959   Fidel Castro’s Cuban revolution prompts mass exodus of over 200,000 people within three years.
1961  The Cuban Refugee Program handles influx of immigrants to Miami; 300,000 relocated across the United States during the next two decades.
Native American