hispanic heritage essay - Blessed Sacrament Catholic School

hispanic heritage essay - Blessed Sacrament Catholic School

Grades 6-­‐8, Prompt for Informa4ve / Explanatory Wri4ng
Common Core Standard W.CCR.2 & WL.K12.AL.6.3
Florida’s history is rich with Hispanic influence. There are many Hispanic people
and events that have helped shape Florida's past and present, and will ultimately shape
the future of our great state. These individuals and events have influenced Florida in all
spheres of society, including science, art, politics, culture and the economy.
Your essay must be based on ideas and information that can be cited, such as
www.FloridaHispanicHeritage.com, or any other appropriate source.
For the essay, your Focusing Question is:
How has Cuban Independence from Spain and the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel
Castro been significant to Florida’s past, present, and/or future? Be sure to use
evidence from texts and reliable websites to support and develop your thinking.
Remember, a good informative essay:
• Has a clear introduction
• States a focus/topic clearly, precisely, and thoughtfully
• Uses specific evidence from text(s) or websites to support and develop the topic and
explains that evidence
• Concludes effectively
• Uses precise language
• Shows control over conventions
You will have one week to complete this research/reading/thinking/writing task. The essay will
have a single draft, and you may want to take some time to plan your writing before you begin
work. When you have finished, be sure to proofread. The essay will be due Tuesday
September 8th. Please read the following pages to aide in your research.
Heritage Facts
http://floridahispanicheritage.com/facts.cfm?lang=en#places
Vicente Martinez Ybor opened his cigar factory just outside Tampa in 1886. The forty-acre
tract where the factory was located included housing and other amenities for its workers.
Thousands of immigrant workers, many of them Cuban, Italian, and Spanish, inhabited the town
that came to be known as Ybor City. Cuban independence activist José Martí addressed some of
these workers at Ybor's factory, encouraging them to take part in the fight for an independent
Cuba.
The port city of Tampa served as the primary staging area during the Spanish-American
War in 1898 for U.S. troops on the way to battle in Cuba. Many Floridians supported the Cuban
peoples' desire to be free of Spanish colonial rule.
Pan Am Airways began regular flights in 1931 between the cities of Miami and Havana.
The duration of the trip was two and a half hours.
On January 1, 1959, the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro culminated in the
overthrow of Fulgencio Batista's government. Over 155,000 people fled Cuba from 1959 to
1962, many of them finding exile in Miami.
The Freedom Tower in Miami earned its name because it served as a government
reception facility for Cubans fleeing Castro's regime. Hundreds of thousands received services
and were documented at this building from 1962 through the early 1970's.
Florida has the third largest population of Hispanics in the nation, with more than 4 million
residing in the state. Twenty-three percent of Florida's population is Hispanic.
At least 60% of Hispanics reside in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties.
The majority of Florida's Hispanics trace their heritage to Cuba, Puerto Rico, or Mexico. In
addition, the percentage of individuals from Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Dominican
Republic is growing.
U.S Hispanic Chamber of Commerce estimates more than 266,000 Hispanic businesses
operating in Florida, ranking the Sunshine State third behind California and Texas.
Key moments in the Hispanic History of
Cuba
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/cubahistory.htm
1492
Christopher Columbus lands in Cuba during his first expedition. He claims Cuba for the Spanish
crown.
1514
Named after a local indigenous chief, the City of Havana is founded by Spanish soldier and
colonist Pánfilo de Narváez.
1520
Three hundred African slaves are brought to Cuba to mine gold for the Spanish empire. This is
the first large shipment of slaves to arrive on the island.
1789–1860
After the Haitian Revolution in 1789, Cuba becomes the world's greatest sugar producer. During
this period, approximately 500,000 African slaves are brought to Cuba to work in sugar
production in Cuba's booming sugar economy. Today more than 50 percent of Cuba's population
is mulatto (mixed African and European ancestry), 37 percent are described as white, and more
than 11 percent are described as black.
1898
The Spanish-Cuban-American War begins when the USS Maine is blown up in Havana's harbor.
Later that year, after heavy Spanish losses, Spain and the United States sign the Treaty of Paris.
The United States gains control of Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Although the
treaty grants Cuba independence, members of the United States business community will control
the overwhelming majority of Cuban resources through the late 1950s.
1956
The Cuban Revolution begins as Fidel Castro and his supporters attack army bases in the Sierra
Maestra region in a failed attempt to overthrow Batista, then dictator of Cuba. Today Cubans
celebrate July 26 in honor of the first attempt to overthrow Batista.
1959
Che Guevara, Camilo Cienfuegos, and rebel forces backing the revolution take control of
Havana and Cuba as a whole. In the three years following Castro's rise to power, 155,000 Cubans
flee their home country for the United States.
1960
U.S. President Eisenhower initiates an embargo (a law forbidding trade) on arms, sugar and oil
against Cuba in an attempt to punish the island for negotiating with the Soviet Union. In
response, Castro nationalizes (takes over for Cuba) all U.S. businesses and property. In the
following decades, the U.S. embargo against Cuba is strengthened by presidents Reagan and
Clinton. Americans were not permitted to travel to Cuba. U.S. companies may not trade with
Cuba, and Cuba cannot buy food or medical supplies from the United States.
1961
Castro officially becomes Prime Minister of Cuba. After his election, he suspends future
elections and disregards Cuba's 1940 Constitution in an effort to complete his socialist
revolution. Elections resume in 1976, when Castro is elected President of the State Council of
Cuba and assumes the nation's three highest-ranking positions.
1998
Pope John Paul II visits Cuba.
Milestones: 1801–1829
http://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829
1801–1829: Securing the Republic
In the early part of the 1800s, the United States developed more confidence as an independent
nation.
Opportunities to expand westward strengthened the notion that the United States should continue
its quest to occupy more territory of the vast North American continent. The European powers
did little to stop the young nation from extending its borders as they were embroiled in the
ongoing Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Indeed, the economic pressure of these European conflicts
compelled the French and the Spanish to sell the Louisiana and Florida territories to the U.S.
Government, more than doubling the size of the United States. During this period, the U.S. also
built an economy based on trade and commerce, and premised on the same neutrality as outlined
by the founders in the Early Republic. The United States even went to war with Britain in 1812,
when British actions threatened American neutrality and trading rights. Finally, the United States
used the newfound independence of the Latin American states from their former colonial ruler of
Spain to establish the idea of an American sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere and to
announce to the European powers the end of the era of colonization in the Americas.
Acquisition of Florida: Treaty of Adams-Onis (1819) and Transcontinental
Treaty (1821)
The colonies of East Florida and West Florida remained loyal to the British during the war for
American independence, but by the Treaty of Paris in 1783 they returned to Spanish control.
After 1783, Americans immigrants moved into West Florida.
In 1810, these American settlers in West Florida rebelled, declaring independence from Spain.
President James Madison and Congress used the incident to claim the region, knowing full well
that the Spanish government was seriously weakened by Napoleon’s invasion of Spain. The
United States asserted that the portion of West Florida from the Mississippi to the Perdido rivers
was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Negotiations over Florida began in earnest with the
mission of Don Luis de Onís to Washington in 1815 to meet Secretary of State James Monroe.
The issue was not resolved until Monroe was president and John Quincy Adams his Secretary of
State. Although U.S. Spanish relations were strained over suspicions of American support for the
independence struggles of Spanish-American colonies, the situation became critical when
General Andrew Jackson seized the Spanish forts at Pensacola and St. Marks in his 1818
authorized raid against Seminoles and escaped slaves who were viewed as a threat to Georgia.
Jackson executed two British citizens on charges of inciting the Indians and runaways. Monroe’s
government seriously considered denouncing Jackson’s actions, but Adams defended the Jackson
citing the necessity to restrain the Indians and escaped slaves since the Spanish failed to do so.
Adams also sensed that Jackson’s Seminole campaign was popular with Americans and it
strengthened his diplomatic hand with Spain.
Adams used the Jackson’s military action to present Spain with a demand to either control the
inhabitants of East Florida or cede it to the United States. Minister Onís and Secretary Adams
reached an agreement whereby Spain ceded East Florida to the United States and renounced all
claim to West Florida. Spain received no compensation, but the United States agreed to assume
liability for $5 million in damage done by American citizens who rebelled against Spain. Under
the Onís-Adams Treaty of 1819 (also called the Transcontinental Treaty and ratified in 1821) the
United States and Spain defined the western limits of the Louisiana Purchase and Spain
surrendered its claims to the Pacific Northwest. In return, the United States recognized Spanish
sovereignty over Texas.
U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2886.htm
At the height of the Cold War, and following the Cuban government's expropriation of U.S.
properties and its move toward adoption of a one-party system of government, the United States
imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1960 and broke diplomatic relations in 1961. On December 17,
2014, President Obama announced the beginning of a normalization process between the United
States and Cuba, starting a new chapter in U.S.-Cuba relations. A major step in this process was
reached on July 1, 2015, when President Obama announced the decision to re-establish
diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, effective July 20 with the re-opening of
embassies in both countries. Absent a democratically-elected or transition government in Cuba,
legislative action will be required to lift the embargo and rules for travel to Cuba by persons
subject to U.S. jurisdiction remain in effect.
U.S. policy toward Cuba is focused on supporting our values, such as freedom of speech and
assembly and the ability to access information, through engagement. The U.S. government is
reaching out to the Cuban people by fostering increased travel access and people-to-people
exchanges, encouraging the development of telecommunications and the internet, and creating
opportunities for U.S. businesses to support the growth of Cuba’s nascent private sector. Through
the opening of embassies, the United States is now able to engage more broadly across all sectors
of Cuban society, including the government, civil society, and the general public. The United
States is committed to supporting safe, orderly, and legal migration from Cuba through the
effective implementation of the 1994-95 U.S.-Cuba Migration Accords. The Administration has
no plans to alter current migration policy regarding Cuba.
Florida's Hispanic Leaders
http://floridahispanicheritage.com/leaders.cfm?lang=en
U.S. Florida Senators
Marco Rubio
Senator Marco Rubio is the junior United States Senator from Florida. He was first elected to this
position in November 2010 and began serving in January 2011. Prior to becoming a United State
Senator, Marco Rubio was the first Cuban-American to serve as Speaker of the Florida House of
Representatives (2007 to 2009). Senator Rubio, a Miami native, is a graduate of the University
of Florida and University of Miami School of Law.
Mel Martinez
Melquiades Rafael Martinez Ruiz, most commonly known as Mel Martinez, is the first CubanAmerican to serve in the United States Senate (2005-2009). He also served as the chairman of
the Republican National Committee, becoming the first Latino to serve as chairman of a major
party. Under President George W. Bush, Senator Martinez was the 12th Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development.
U.S. Florida Representatives
Carlos Curbelo, Republican (Florida (CD-26))
Carlos Curbelo pushed out Rep. Joe Garcia, a Democrat, from Florida's Congressional District
26 House seat. A Miami-Dade County school board member, he also founded a political
consulting firm, Capital Gains. He was supported in his campaign by former Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush, who is looking more and more as though he'll be making a 2016 presidential run. A son of
Cuban exiles, Curbelo stood at odds during the campaign with Garcia's support for relaxing trade
restrictions with Cuba, so the upcoming fight over Obama's recent Cuba initiative is sure to
figure on his agenda. According to his school board bio, Curbelo founded Center Court Charities,
a non-profit group that runs basketball leagues for students in the summer.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
From Florida’s 27th congressional district, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen started serving
in the United States House of Representatives in 1989. Born in Havana, Cuba, she is the first
Hispanic woman and first Cuban-American to be elected to Congress. Prior to serving as a
Congresswoman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen served in the Florida House of Representatives and the
Florida Senate.
Joe Garcia
Congressman Joe Garcia serves the 26th congressional district of Florida, which encompasses
most of western Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys. Congressman Garcia is the former
executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation and was nominated by President
Barack Obama to be the director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact and Diversity of the
United States Department of Energy. Congressman Garcia, a Miami Beach native, is a graduate
of Miami Dade College and the University of Miami School of Law.
Mario Diaz-Balart
Serving the 25th congressional district of Florida, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart represents the
southwestern part of Miami-Dade County and a large portion of the Everglades. He was first
elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2003. Prior to serving as a congressman, Mario
Diaz-Balart served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate. He was born
in Ft. Lauderdale, FL to the late Cuban politician, Rafael Diaz-Balart, and attended the
University of South Florida.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart served Florida’s 21st congressional district in the U.S. House
of Representatives from 1993 to 2011. Prior to his service in the U.S. House of Representatives,
Congressman Diaz-Balart served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate.
He was born in Havana, Cuba to the late Cuban politician, Rafael Diaz-Balart.
Florida Supreme Court
Jorge Labarga
The Honorable Jorge Labarga began his legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in West
Palm Beach and later joined the State Attorney's Office in the same circuit. He was then
appointed to the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit and later to the Fourth District
Court of Appeal. In 2009, he was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court, where he serves as the
84th Justice to take office. On June 30, 2014, he was sworn in as Florida's 56th Chief Justice and
the first person of Hispanic descent to lead the state's judicial branch. Justice Labarga was born
in Cuba and is a graduate of the University of Florida where he received his B.A. and J.D.
Raoul Cantero
Former Justice Raoul G. Cantero, III was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in 2002 and is
the first Justice of Hispanic descent to sit on the Court. During his appointment to the Florida
Supreme Court, Justice Cantero was the chair of the Supreme Court's Commission on
Professionalism. Before his appointment, he was a shareholder and head of the Appellate
Division of the law firm of Adorno & Yoss in Miami. Justice Cantero born in Madrid, Spain to
Cuban parents, is a graduate of Florida State University and Harvard Law School.
Florida Notables
Dr. Pedro Greer
Dr. Pedro José Greer, Jr. (born June 15, 1956 in Miami, Florida) is Assistant Dean of Academic
Affairs and Chair of the Department of Humanities, Health and Society at the Florida
International University School of Medicine. He founded the Camillus Health Concern, a
Catholic charity which delivers health services to thousands of homeless people in Miami-Dade
County and the St. John Bosco Clinic which serves disadvantaged people in Little Havana. He
was awarded a MacArthur "genius grant" in 1993, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009,
and, most recently, Florida’s Great Floridian Award by Governor Rick Scott. A Miami native, Dr.
Greer graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in chemistry in and earned his MD in
1984 from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.
Carlos Gutierrez
Carlos Gutierrez is currently a Vice Chairman of Citigroup's Institutional Clients Group. He
previously served as the 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009. Gutierrez is a
former Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Kellogg Company. He was born in Havana, Cuba
and, like many exiles, came to the U.S. in 1960 and settled in Miami, Florida.
Emilio and Gloria Estefan
Gloria and Emilio Estefan are both Cuban American entertainers who reside in Miami, Florida.
Gloria Estefan is a singer, songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. She has sold an estimated 100
million records worldwide, is one of the top 100 best selling music artists, won seven Grammy
awards and is the most successful crossover performer in Latin music to date. Emilio Estefan is
married to Gloria Estefan. He is a producer and has won 19 Grammy Awards. He also sits as the
second Vice Chair to the Commission for the National Museum of American Latino, which is a
bipartisan commission charged with exploring the possibility of creating a National Latino
Museum in Washington, D.C.
Andy Garcia
Andy Garcia is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having
appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather Part III. Andy Garcia
was born in Havana, Cuba and, like many exiles, relocated to Miami, Florida where he studied
acting at Florida International University.
Willy Chirino
Willy Chirino is an entertainer and salsa singer. As founder of the Willy Chirino Foundation, his
philanthropic efforts have been recognized by UNICEF and the Department of State. He was
born in Cuba and came to the U.S. through Operation Peter Pan, designed to get Cuban children
out of the county when they feared that the government would take them away from their parents
during the revolution. He considers Miami, Florida his hometown.
Poetry by José Martí
Versos Sencillos #1
Yo soy un hombre sincero
De donde crece la palma,
Y antes de morirme quiero
Echar mis versos del alma.
Yo sé bien que cuando el mundo
Cede, lívido, al descanso,
Sobre el silencio profundo
Murmura el arroyo manso.
Temblé una vez en la reja,
A la entrada de la viña,
Cuando la bárbara abeja
Picó en la frente a mi niña.
Yo sé los nombres extraños
De las yerbas y las flores,
Y de mortales engaños,
Y de sublimes dolores.
Oculto en mi pecho bravo
La pena que me lo hiere:
El hijo de un pueblo esclavo
Vive por él, calla y muere.
Oigo un suspiro, a través
De las tierras y la mar,
Y no es un suspiro,– es
Que mi hijo va a despertar.
Alas nacer vi en los hombros
de las mujeres hermosas:
y salir de los escombros,
volando las mariposas.
Yo sé que el necio se entierra
Con gran lujo y con gran llanto.
Y que no hay fruta en la tierra
Como la del camposanto.
Yo he visto al águila herida
Volar al azul sereno,
Y morir en su guarida
La vibora del veneno.
Rápida como un reflejo,
Dos veces vi el alma, dos:
Cuando murió el pobre viejo,
Cuando ella me dijo adiós.
Yo vengo de todas partes,
Y hacia todas partes voy
Arte soy entre las artes,
En los montes, monte soy.
Yo he puesto la mano osada,
De horror y júbilo yerta,
Sobre la estrella apagada
Que cayó frente a mi puerta.
Gocé una vez, de tal suerte
Que gocé cual nunca: cuando
la sentencia de mi muerte
leyó el alcalde llorando.
Yo he visto en la noche
Oscura llover sobre mi
Cabeza los rayos de lumbre
pura de la divina belleza.
Todo es hermoso y constante,
Todo es música y razón,
Y todo, como el diamante,
Antes que luz es carbón.
Si dicen que del joyero
Tome la joya mejor,
Tomo a un amigo sincero
Y pongo a un lado el amor.
He visto vivir a un hombre
Con el puñal al costado,
Sin decir jamás el nombre
De aquella que lo ha matado.
Callo, y entiendo, y me quito
La pompa del rimador:
Cuelgo de un árbol marchito
Mi muceta de doctor.
La Rosa Blanca
Cultivo una rosa blanca,
En julio como en enero,
Para el amigo sincero
Que me da su mano franca.
Y para el cruel que me arranca
El corazón con que vivo,
Cardo ni ortiga' cultivo:
Cultivo la rosa blanca.
LOS ZAPATICOS DE ROSA
Hay sol bueno y mar de espumas,
Y arena fina, y Pilar
Quiere salir a estrenar
Su sombrerito de pluma.
"¡Vaya la niña divina!"
Dice el padre, y le da un beso,
"Vaya mi pájaro preso
A buscarme arena fina!".
"Yo voy con mi niña hermosa",
Le dijo la madre buena:
"¡No te manches en la arena
Los zapaticos de rosa!"
Fueron las dos al jardín
Por la calle del laurel:
La madre cogió un clavel
Y Pilar cogió un jazmín.
Ella va de todo juego,
Con aro, y balde y paleta:
El balde es color violeta,
El aro es color de fuego.
Vienen a verlas pasar,
Nadie quiere verlas ir,
La madre se echa a reír,
Y un viejo se echa a llorar.
El aire fresco despeina
A Pilar, que viene y va
Muy oronda:"¡Dí, mamá!
¿Tú sabes qué cosa es reina?"
Y por si vuelven de noche
De la orilla de la mar,
Para la madre y Pilar
Manda luego el padre el coche.
Está la playa muy linda:
Todo el mundo está en la playa;
Lleva espejuelos el aya
De la francesa Florinda.
Está Alberto, el militar
Que salió en la procesión
Con tricornio y con bastón,
Echando un bote a la mar.
¡Y qué mala, Magdalena
Con tantas cintas y lazos,
A la muñeca sin brazos,
Enterrándola en la arena!
Conversan allá en las sillas,
Sentadas con los señores,
Las señoras, como flores,
Debajo de las sombrillas.
Pero está con estos modos
Tan serios, muy triste el mar:
¡Lo alegre es allá, al doblar,
En la barranca de todos!
Dicen que suenan las olas
Mejor allá en la barranca,
Y que la arena es muy blanca
Donde están las niñas solas.
Pilar corre a su mamá:
"¡Mamá, yo voy a ser buena;
Déjame ir sola a la arena;
Allá, tú me ves, allá!"
"¡Esta niña caprichosa!
No hay tarde que no me enojes:
Anda, pero no te mojes
Los zapaticos de rosa."
Le llega a los pies la espuma,
Gritan alegres las dos;
Y se va, diciendo adiós,
La del sombrero de pluma.
Se va allá, donde ¡muy lejos!
Las aguas son más salobres,
Donde se sientan los pobres,
Donde se sientan los viejos!
Se fue la niña a jugar,
La espuma blanca bajó,
Y pasó el tiempo, y pasó
Un águila por el mar.
Y cuando el sol se ponía
Detrás de un monte dorado,
Un sombrerito callado
Por las arenas venía.
Trabaja mucho, trabaja,
Para andar: ¿qué es lo que tiene
Pilar que anda así, que viene
Con la cabecita baja?
Bien sabe la madre hermosa
Por qué le cuesta el andar:
--¿Y los zapatos, Pilar,
Los zapaticos de rosa?"
"¡Ah, loca! ¿en dónde estarán?
¡Dí dónde Pilar!" –"Señora",
Dice una mujer que llora:
"¡Están conmigo, aquí están!"
"Yo tengo una niña enferma
Que llora en el cuarto obscuro,
Y la traigo al aire puro,
A ver el sol, y a que duerma.
"Anoche soñó, soñó
Con el cielo, y oyó un canto,
Me dio miedo, me dio espanto,
Y la traje y se durmió.
"Con sus dos brazos menudos
Estaba como abrazando;
Y yo mirando, mirando
Sus piececitos desnudos.
"Me llego al cuerpo la espuma.
Alcé los ojos, y ví
Está niña frente a mí
Con su sombrero de pluma.
"¡Se parece a los retratos
Tu niña"--dijo:--"¿Es de cera?
¿Quiere jugar? ¡si quisiera!…
¿Y por qué está sin zapatos?
"Mira, ¡la mano le abrasa,
Y tiene los pies tan fríos!
¡Oh, toma, toma los míos,
Yo tengo más en mi casa!"
¡No sé bien, señora hermosa,
Lo que sucedió después:
¡Le ví a mi hijita en los pies
Los zapaticos de rosa!"
Se vio sacar los pañuelos
A una rusa y a una inglesa;
El aya de la francesa
Se quitó los espejuelos.
Abrió la madre los brazos,
Se echó Pilar en su pecho,
Y sacó el traje deshecho,
Sin adornos y sin lazos.
Todo lo quiere saber
De la enferma la señora:
¡No quiere saber que llora
De pobreza una mujer!
"¡Sí, Pilar, dáselo! ¡y eso
También! ¡tu manta! ¡tu anillo!"
Y ella le dio su bolsillo,
Le dio el clavel, le dio un beso.
Vuelven calladas de noche
A su casa del jardín;
Y Pilar va en el cojín
De la derecha del coche. Y dice una mariposa
Que vio desde su rosal
Guardados en un cristal
Los zapaticos de rosa.