URBAN MIGRATIONS AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY BARRIOS, GHETTOS, AND CHINATOWNS

THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS LEADING TO THE MIGRATION OF PUERTO RICANS TO NEW YORK CITY

BY S.S.

Economics is a key factor in determining the migration patterns in ethnic groups and it can serve as both a push and pull factor for their migration. This is the case for the Puerto Rican migrants of the early twentieth century. Although as always, there were political and social reasons, economic opportunity was a driving force. Excess population, the US domination of Puerto Rican businesses, and two World Wars, are just a few reasons. The question I wish to answer is: What were the main economic factors in Puerto Rican migration to New York City? Did the United States take advantage of economic conditions in Puerto Rico to import cheaper labor?

In 1898 the United States signed the Treaty of Paris with Spain, which ceded the territory of Puerto Rico to the US. New economic issues faced Puerto Ricans after the country became a US commonwealth. The United States dominated the Puerto Rican economy by investing capital, forcing Puerto Rico into a one-crop economy based off the production of sugar, and owning fifty percent of the sugar produced in Puerto Rico. Production increased however, employment remained constant. Puerto Ricans flocked to the United States in hopes of finding a job. Another push factor was a claimed excess population. Because of the greater population, there was more competition for jobs, which led many Puerto Ricans to America. In fact, C.  Wright Mills concluded that at least 90 percent of Puerto Rican migrants came to the United States, specifically, to New York City, because of a need for a job. The Jones Act of 1917 made this process far easier for Puerto Ricans.  The Act granted them the right to move freely among the fifty states although they have no votes in Congress. That year, approximately 10, 800 Puerto Ricans emigrated from the island. While this benefitted the Puerto Ricans on their job hunt, it also benefitted the United States, which I will discuss in the next paragraph. The onslaught of World War I in 1917 meant two things for Puerto Ricans; there would be a need for soldiers and a need for unskilled laborers to cover jobs in factories. This led to another influx of Puerto Ricans to New York City, as that was the location of many factories in the United States. The Johnson Act of 1921 restricted European immigrants from entering the country, but led to a rise in employment for unskilled workers, such as many Puerto Ricans. By 1940, approximately 85 percent of the Puerto Rican population living in the US lived in New York City, though it has been argued that this percent should be even greater. Perhaps the largest migration of Puerto Ricans came during the time surrounding World War II. As the American economy boomed, many Puerto Ricans wanted a piece of the action. World War II ends the early part of the twentieth century, but of course many more Puerto Ricans came after this time.

My following question was whether or not the United States manipulated the Puerto Ricans in order to increase their labor force and at cheaper price than many European immigrants. This question was brought to mind while researching the Jones Act of 1917. That same year, the United States entered the First World War. The government understood that a war would mean a need for increased labor and more men to fight in the army. It was a prudent decision on the government’s part to grant American citizenship to the Puerto Ricans, as this could fulfill both of their needs: for labor and soldiers. However, Puerto Ricans did not have many of the rights as other US citizens, specifically, they do not have a voice in congress. By the late 1940s many factories in New York City had begun searching for workers in Puerto Rico, enticing them with the promise of free transportation and other such subsidies. Once again, this was a mutually beneficial relationship, as Puerto Ricans were finding jobs and settling in to enclaves in New York City, whereas the American economy was getting their much-needed cheap labor in return. However it was unfair that companies and factories were exploiting the Puerto Ricans for cheap labor. It is easy for me to say, given the provided evidence, that is more likely than not that the US had manipulated the Puerto Ricans in order to benefit from their cheap labor.

References:

Sanchez Korrol, Virgina E. From Colonia to Community: The History of Puerto Ricans

 in New York City. Berkley, California: University of California Press, 1983.