Author:
Connecticut Department of Education
Subject:
Arts and Humanities, U.S. History, World History
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Level:
High School
Grade:
9, 10, 11, 12
Provider:
CT State Department of Education
Tags:
Language:
English
Media Formats:
Text/HTML

Lesson 3.3-2: U.S. Occupation of the Island

Lesson 3.3-2: U.S. Occupation of the Island

Overview

Big Ideas/Topics to be Addressed, including Key Concepts and Terms 

  • Interest of United States in Puerto Rico  

  • Beginning of the U.S. colony era 

  • U.S. governing style in Puerto Rico (Military rule of Puerto Rico) 

Materials/Resources/Speakers

Radical Contexts: Puerto Rican Politics in the 1960s and 1970s and the Center for Puerto Rican Studies,” Centro Journal XXI, 2 (Fall 2009): 221-255. R 

The Spanish-American War - Explained in 11 minutes 

Puerto Rico: Five Centuries of History by Francisco A. Scarano 

Autonomy of War of a National Identity Autonomy and War | In Search of a National Identity: Nineteenth and Early-Twentieth-Century Puerto Rico | Articles and Essays | Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age: Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Perspectives | Digital Collection

July 25, 1898: U.S. Invades Puerto Rico 

PBS resources: Spanish-American War 

Article: U.S. forces invade Puerto Rico - HISTORY 

The Colonial Status https://youtu.be/1jTMzIkWsKs 

Puerto Rico: The Invisible and Recurring Social Struggles in the Oldest Colony in the World 

Puerto Rico’s Complicated History with the United States 

Colonial Lessons: The Politics of Education in Puerto Rico, 1898–1930 | The American Historian 

The U.S. Navy's Toxic Playground: Vieques, Puerto Rico https://youtu.be/uluOaP697NA 

The All-Too-Real Consequences of Military War Games 

Residents of Vieques, Puerto Rico, Are Struggling to Deal With a Public-Health Crisis 

Environmental Conflict and Cultural Solidarity: The Case of Vieques 

Research Guides: A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States: 1999: Vieques Island Protests 

H.R.1645 - Vieques Recovery and Development Act of 2011, 112th Congress (2011-2012) 

Biblioteca Digital Puertorriquena: Puerto Rican Digital Library 

Military Government in Puerto Rico - The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division

Chronology - The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division 

Maps and modules from the Center on Puerto Rican studies in New York 

Recommended Learning Activities, including UDL Principles/Scaffolded Supports and Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning Opportunities

Day 1 

Initiation: Start by reading quote that pertains to the U.S. occupation of Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War and ask students to discuss what they think the quote means. 

Cuba y Puerto Rico son de un pajaro las dos alas reciben flores o balas sobre unmismo corazon. (Translation:  Cuba and Puerto Rico are the two wings of a bird -- they receive flowers and bullets in the same heart.) - Lola Rodriguez de Tio(https://ciudadseva.com/texto/cuba-y-puerto-rico-son-de-un-pajaro-las-dos-alas/ This verse was written more than a century ago, at the height of pro-independence fervor sweeping the sister islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico.) 

Students may not know much about the U.S. occupation, but this is an opportunity to get some background knowledge from the students.  Have students discuss, Why did the U.S. invade/occupy/acquire Puerto Rico? Then, provide students with a mini-lesson on the history of the U.S. occupation of the island that gives them an overview of the reasons U.S. occupied Puerto Rico, including a timeline of U.S. colonization in Puerto Rico and ways in which the U.S. “governed” Puerto Rico using its military, noting that Puerto Rico was under military rule at the time of U.S. occupancy.    

Activity: Students read excerpts from U.S. Acquires Puerto Rico that explains the circumstances behind taking over Puerto Rico. Have half of the class read the excerpts with the odd numbers and the other half read the even numbers. Then, have students use the following: U.S. takes over Puerto Rico: Activity worksheet to summarize and share their findings with a classmate who read the opposite excerpts.  

Closing: Teachers assign different points of view for students to prepare for debate as to whether the U.S. occupied, invaded, and/or acquired the island.   

Day 2 

Activity: Students debate if U.S. influence on Puerto Rico was negative, positive, or a combination of both.     

Closing: As result of debate, students complete Exit Slip identifying their perspective as to whether the U.S. occupied, invaded, and/or acquired Puerto Rico.  (Teacher will report out aggregate results at the beginning of the next lesson.) 

Home Links/Reflections to Affirm Identity

Students watch a documentary with their families and reflect on the U.S. occupation of the island of Puerto Rico. 

Virtual visit to Museum of Art in Puerto Rico that highlights artifacts and paintings during U.S. occupation. Link: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico

Options for Content Continuity Across History Courses and Interdisciplinary Integration

Political Science 

English  

Sociology  

Geography