Chapter IX, The Puerto Ricans Summary and Analysis

Puerto Ricans have been part of the United States indirectly for some time, but as American immigrants their presence is rather new. They repeat many of the patterns of enclave living of other ethnic groups. They are multicolored and arrived in the United States with the welfare state in place. Puerto Rican progress is relative to the period it is measured from.

Since Puerto Rico has been a Western possession since the late 15th century, it has a large range of races and racial mixtures. Puerto Rico only achieves independence from Spain in the late 19th century and Americans exercise varying degrees of control since then. Economic development in Puerto Rico begins in earnest after World War II, with family incomes increasing six fold between 1940 and 1966. Their standard of living is much lower...