The History of Black Rights in the United States and Puerto Rico

Simple past/ Past progressive:

Black Issues in the U.S. and Puerto Rico

Both the United States and the Caribbean were affected by the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade

​But first...

• They use "enslaved people" instead of "slaves" because slavery was not a job or identity, but a condition forced upon them. A teacher or doctor chooses their profession, but enslaved people had no choice in being enslaved.
  

• The word "slave" can make it seem like this status was natural or permanent, rather than something imposed through violence.

​Why do historians not use the word "slave"?

• The Transatlantic Slave Trade was when European countries took 12 million Africans from their homes and forced them to work in the Americas. This trade happened across the Atlantic Ocean (between Africa, Europe, and the Americas).

• Enslaved people were put on ships in terrible conditions. Many did not survive the journey. Those who survived were forced to work on plantations (large farms) growing sugar, tobacco, and cotton.

​

​What was the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade?

• The Caribbean (Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, and Puerto Rico) received the most enslaved people (5 million) because European countries (like Spain, France, and Britain) had many sugar plantations there. Sugar was very valuable, and they wanted many workers to grow it.

  
  
  

The Caribbean and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

• The Transatlantic Slave Trade lasted for about 400 years. It started in the 1500s and ended in the 1800s.

How Long Did It Last?

• The U.S. Civil War was a war between the North (Union) and the South (Confederacy) of the United States. It lasted from 1861 to 1865.

• The main reason for the war was slavery. The North wanted to end slavery, while the South wanted to keep slavery because their economy depended on it.

• After four years of fighting, the North won, and slavery officially ended in the U.S. in 1865.

​The American Civil War

... Black people still faced discrimination. They could not vote, go to the same schools as white people, or sit in the same places on buses.

​Almost 100 years after slavery ended...

...Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Her brave act led to her arrest and sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

​In December 1955...

... Martin Luther King, who was inspired by Parks and other activists, wrote and delivered his famous "I have a Dream" speech.

​In March 1963...

Following King's speech, President Johnson recognized the power of King's message and the momentum it created for civil rights. Soon after, President Johnson declared that the nation had to "overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice" and urged Congress to pass civil rights legislation. His administration took significant steps to advance civil rights, culminating in the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

1964

In Puerto Rico...

... a prominent abolitionist of mixed African descent and organizer of the "Grito de Lares" rebellion against Spanish rule, wrote the "The Ten Commandments of Free Men."

​

​In 1867, Ramon Emeterio Betances...

... bought the freedom of many Puerto Rican children born into slavery.

In addition, Ramon Emeterio Betances...

the Spanish government ended slavery in Puerto, influenced in part by the persistent pressure exerted by Ramón Emeterio Betances and other abolitionist activists.

​Finally, in 1873...

... today Afro Boricuas face significant challenges related to colorism (i.e. preferring lighter skinned "triguenos" over darker skinned individuals).

To this today the island has not had many black politicians and has not had any black governors.

​Despite this change...

​ Jose Celso Barbosa
(1857–1921)

​Pedro Albizu Campos (1891–1965)

​On the song "Preciosa"

(1892- 1965)

​On the poem "¿Y Tu Abuela Donde Esta?"

(1895-1977)

... elements of African heritage are deeply embedded in Puerto Rican life through traditions like Santería, music genres such as Bomba and Plena, and culinary staples like Sancocho. Another significant dish is mofongo, whose name originated from the Angolan Kikongo term mfwenge-mfwenge, meaning “a great amount of anything at all.”

​Even though most Boricuas identify as white in the census...

... can also be seen in commonly used words, such as "chevere," "merengue," "dengue," "motetes," "gandul," "guineo," "ñame" and "malanga."

​African influence...

Multiple Choice

What happened in 1963 in the US?

• Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat

• Martin Luther King gave the "I have a dream" speech

• Johnson signed the civil right act

Multiple Choice

The "ed" in HAPPENED sounds like

• t

• d

• id

Fill in the Blanks

Even after slavery (end)

black people in the US still faced discrimination.

Multiple Choice

The "'ed" in ENDED sounds like

• t

• d

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Reorder

Reorder the following

• Rosa Parks

• refused to

• give up her bus seat

• to

• a white man

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Multiple Choice

The "ed" in REFUSED sounds like

• t

• d

• id