The Doctrines of Imagination : American Foreign Policy & the Images of Puerto Rico , 1898-1965
pointed governor . 6 This hypocritical action was justified because the United States communicated that this law would help civilize Puerto Rico , develop its economy , and undo Puerto Rico ’ s past Spanish colonial ties . Puerto Rico was receiving a lesson on freedom .
American writers echoed the sentiments of legislation like the Organic Act as they described Puerto Rico and its people . These descriptions created images of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans . In this case , members of the Young People ’ s Missionary Movement of the United States , an organization of evangelical Christian missionaries , had the goal of civilizing and bringing God ’ s prosperity to Puerto Rico . 7 One of the organization ’ s leaders , Howard Grose wrote a book in 1909 titled Aliens or Americans ? where he points to four problems that plagued Puerto Rico . The first two problems were the tyranny of the Spanish empire and “ the economic oppression of the people .” The Catholic Church and the lack of education across the island were the following two problems . In essence , every problem that Grose noted was linked to the Spanish and their imperial practices . Spanish imperialism held Puerto Rico back from being self-dependent , according to Grose and he deduced that Puerto Rico had the potential to become an economically prosperous island with an American helping hand that was not neglectful like Spain . 8
Similar to Grose , an author named Charles H . Rector wrote a book in 1898 about Puerto Rico titled , The Story of Beautiful Puerto Rico : Graphic Description of the Garden Spot of the World by Pen and Camera , which evaluated the island ’ s economic potential . Topics included discussions on the land , the Puerto Rican people , and what ailed the island . He found that Puerto Rico ’ s reliance on cash crops like tobacco , sugar , and coffee were crucial to the Puerto Rican economy . Before American occupation , Puerto Rico was hurt economically by high Spanish tariffs . Puerto Rican coffee and tobacco were not of better quality than its Brazilian and Cuban counterparts . Sugar cultivation was an industry in decline . Puerto Rico focused on the production of cane sugar while other parts of the Caribbean cultivated beet sugar . Cane sugar yielded less than beet sugar and was more difficult to produce . With slavery abolished in Puerto Rico in 1873 , there was no modern industrial infrastructure that could possibly help produce the same output as enslaved people were producing prior to 1873 . 9 Rector believed that with the help of the United States , Puerto Rico could obtain the infrastructure needed to increase production . He believed that with US intervention Puerto Rico had the potential to double the sugar it exported . 10 Rector ’ s comments highlighted that Puerto Rico could improve with the United States ’ guidance . Puerto Ricans were viewed with similar promise despite their negative portrayal .
Puerto Ricans were largely viewed as exotic , backwards , and lazy in this period . Although Americans saw Puerto Ricans in that light , they thought the United States could redeem them . Rector thought that if Puerto
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