Migration from Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico in the 80's Essay

Migration from Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico in the 80's - Essay Example The journey of the Dominican Republic was not an easy one but the fact remains that they were able to reach their destination using some boats by the name â€Å"Yolas†. This essay aims to discuss the Dominican Republics migration to Puerto Rico in the 80’s. (Ferguson and James) To start with, history has it that there is a close link between Dominican Republic and the Puerto Rico since the pre-Columbian times. This happened when the Arawak people who originated from the Amazon basin of South America came and settled in both territories. The fifteenth and the sixteenth century mark the starting point of the problems in the Dominican Republic when Spain conquered Dominican Republic as well as the Puerto Rico. Spain remained in control until the 19th century and during this time there was a gradual constant flow of people in both directions. The bureaucrats, soldiers, clerics, professionals, students, artisans and slaves were flowing to both directions. Precisely, there we re many exiles that moved from the Hispaniola Island of Puerto Rico in 19th century; this was due to political upheavals. (Falcon and Douglas) The political upheavals comprises of Spain cession of the Island to France, Haitian occupation of Santo Domingo and the Haitian Revolution of the 1804’s. ... a result of development swift when the Dominican sugar industry moved to the eastern province of San Pedro de Macoris, La Romana and Puerto Plata which attracted so many interested workers form the Caribbean island as well as Puerto Rico. (Bulmer) From this time the historians continued to document the growing number of the people from Puerto Rico in the Dominican Republic and especially in the 20th century. For instance the census done in Dominican showed that there were six thousand and d sixty nine Puerto Ricans living in the Dominican Republic. The religious affinities, linguistic and cultural likeness made the Dominicans and the Puerto Ricans to intermarry which made their second generation not to term themselves as the Puerto Rican but Dominican. However, the period between 1930 and the 1960 had a very minute number of Puerto Ricans migrating to the Dominican Republic and very few Dominicans migrated to Puerto Rico. In 1940 there was a drastic stop of Puerto Rican to the Domini can Republic. Similarly, there was a strict control coming from the Trujillo regime which made it very hard for the Dominicans to travel and only professionals, entrepreneurs and political exiles were able to move and settle in Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, after the death of Trujillo in 1961, there was a large-scale migration from the Dominican Republic to the Puerto Rico. Research shows that there was a dramatic growth of the Dominican population in Puerto Rico. (Moya and pons) There were two major factors that contributed to the migration of the Dominican Republic especially in the 80s. These comprises of political and economic factors. Firstly, the political factors largely contributed to the Dominicans migration. (Ferguson and James) For example, the earliest migrates were linked to the