Cuba

7 Pages 1694 Words

Introduction

It has been told, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Upon his voyages to the New World, he discovered what he called Juana, now known as Cuba. On October 28, 1492, Columbus and his voyagers sighted the island and the next day, October 29, 1492, the Europeans, for the first time in history, set foot on Cuban soil. Although Columbus discovered Cuba, it was already inhabited by Arawak Native Americans; variously described as members of the Ciboney, Taino, and Guanajatabeye tribes ( ). In 1511, Cuba was successfully invaded in an effort led by Diego Velaquez de Cuellar, Cuba’s soon to be governor, who governed from 1511-1524. The Spanish were in search of gold and although Cuba did not have as much as other Latin American countries, it did have some. The Spaniards used a type of labor called encomienda to mine the gold. Encomienda was a tribute institution where the Spaniards received Indians as an entrustment, to protect and Christianize, but in return could demand tribute including labor ( ). The Indians offered little resistance to the Spanish and by the end of the 16th century only small groups remained in the mountainous areas of the island.

Dependency
CUBA PAST AND PRESENT Many countries have had controversial and difficult pasts, but Cuba’s is exceptionally eventful. Since its discovery, it has been colonized, run by outsiders, invaded, and seen the rise of communism in the form of Fidel Castro. To understand the current relationship between the U.S. and Cuba one must understand the history between the two countries. From Spain to the U.S. Cuba has had to struggle for independence. Cuba was originally a Spanish colony. Then in 1823, Thomas Jefferson talked of annexing Cuba, but never acted upon it. Cuba gained their independence from Spain in December of 1898 . After the Spanish American War of 1898, the U.S. had extended rule to both Cuba and Puerto Rico. Under the Platt Amendment of 1901, the U.S...