...explores the almost unheard case of the Cuban Five. Five males from Cuba were given unfair jail sentences after being accused of espionage and terrorism. Under false allegations and pretenses, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González, and Rene González have been part of a long trial with minimal media coverage. The five aimed to seize the plans of anti-Cuban terrorist organizations, many of which are based in Miami, Florida. The trial lasted over six months, and became the longest trial in United States history. More than 119 volumes of testimony and over 20,000 pages of documents were collected and even with the testimony of three retired US Army generals and a retired admiral, who stated that no evidence of espionage existed, they were still sentenced. A statement by Fernando González Llort (2001) clearly states the Cuban-American National Fund (CANF) appears to be the primary foundation of such terrorist organizations, involving and gaining support from various American leaders. The acts of the Cuban Five would expose the wrong-doings of many American key figures and for such a reason; the heroes were made out to be the criminals. González Llort also states the only thing he and his fellow companions are guilty of is reporting, or more so warning, in the most docile manner, possible threats to Cuba by terrorists in the United States. Plastered all over the media in the year 1999, was a unique custody battle over Cuban born Elian González. Elian made...
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...dependencies. Both of these concepts were key during the Cuban revolution held in the XXth century. The Cuban revolution was an armed revolt led by Fidel Castro’s 26th of july movement and allies against the authoritarian government of Cuban president Fulgencio Batista. The revolution started in 1953 and lasted 5 years and a half until 1959 when the rebels finally ousted Batista, however the causes to it weren’t just short term but also long term ones. The purpose of this essay is to analyze both of this types of causes which led together to start the revolution. The long term causes started with the Cuban ten years war also known as the great war in 1868 to 1878. This war was part of Cuba’s fight for independence from Spain due to that it was the first of 3 wars between the 2 countries. In October 10 1868 sugar mill owner, Carlos Manuel Cespedes and his followers proclaimed independence beginning the conflict. The Cuban people demanded 4 main things to the Spanish parliament: Tariff reform, Cuban representation in parliament, judicial equality with Spaniards and full enforcement of a slave trade ban, however the Spanish government denied all of this demands which caused discontent among Cubans and ended in a conflict. The war finally ended because the rebels lacked of organization, resources, participation of the white race, the inability to bring the war to western provinces (such as Havana) and the Us opposition to Cuban independence (it sold weapons to Spain). The pact of Zanjon...
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...The Cuban Summer By Milcha Sanchez-Scott Najemah Smith Milcha Sanchez-Scott was born in 1955 in Bali, the daughter of a Colombian father who was an agronomist and a mother with Chinese, Indonesian, and Dutch ancestry. As a young girl Milcha Sanchez-Scott was sent to a convent boarding school near London, where she learned English. In 1969 her family moved to California, where Sanchez-Scott attended high school and the University of San Diego, majoring in philosophy. A series of jobs followed, including one at an employment agency in Los Angeles where she met recent immigrants who told her their stories. Sanchez-Scott became so interested in their experiences that she began taking notes. Shortly afterward she found a job as an actress in an L.A. Theatre Works' project at the women's prison in Chino. There she worked with the writer Doris Baizley and was persuaded to use her notes as material for a play. This resulted in Sanchez-Scott's first play, Latina, which was commissioned by Susan Loewenberg of L.A. Theatre Works and premiered in 1980. Dog Lady and The Cuban Swimmer were first produced in 1984. They were so successful—The Cuban Swimmer won a Le Compte de Nouy Foundation Award—that Sanchez-Scott went to New York to participate in the theater workshop of playwright Irene Fornés. There Sanchez-Scott developed Roosters (1988). Currently she lives in Southern California. Her more recent plays include Evening Star, City of Angels, and The Architect Piece. http://www.bedfordstmartins...
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...1902 – The fledging nation of Cuba gained independence from the US and Spain. The US still had power over their economy however. Guantanamo bay was leased to the US. The Cuban flag rising on May 20th 1906 – The people revolted after the president rigged the elections for reelection. The US had to step in to keep order. Charles Edward Magoon was appointed governor for three years. Tomás Estrada Palma First president of Cuba 1908 – Cuba is made independent again with José Miguel Gómez as president. The US continued to be involved the in Cuban gov’t. 1940 – A new constitution was introduced that reworked things like labor laws and health care. Fulgencio Batista was elected president. Cuba had many Communist Party members in the cabinet at...
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...large amount of his energy on redefining Cuba's identity by introducing different policies to transform the social setting of the country. He expected the public to clearly separate themselves into distinguishable groups and to focus on choosing one identity. This gave way to a very identitarian discourse that dictated the policies in Cuba. The Cuban government focused on repressing desire in the public...
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...The uprising Cuban Revolution was one of the minor causes to the missile crisis. By 1958 Fidel Castro had taken over the Cuban “presidency” with the full support of his fellow communist followers in the Cuban government. He gradually gained their trust when he was first introduced as a cabinet member for President Batista in 1943. At this point in time Castro had an overwhelming amount of support from his countrymen, and as his first act as the President of Cuba he trimmed the prices of rent throughout the country, however many land owners in Cuba were American, leaving many Americans frustrated with Castro. Despite what Americans thought of Castro he greatly improved the lives of Cubans, he nearly eradicated polio and malaria, installed a...
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...Hesbon ogeka LA history &politics 4/12/2013 The Cuban Missile The Cuban Missile Crisis remains an example of one of the most terrifying events in history for the people of the world. A very real threat existed for the crisis to escalate and create World War III, which would include the annihilation of countries and cause unimaginable damage from the use of nuclear weapons by the United States and the former Soviet Union. The conflict had historical roots in the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union, as well as in the history of relations between the United States and Cuba. The strife between the United States and Cuba culminated when Fidel Castro overthrew a government publicly supported by the United States, although political and military officials in the United States secretly welcomed the events. However, it soon became clear that the takeover of Cuba by Castro would result in escalating conflict between it and the United States, something that quickly became more evident in the Bay of Pigs invasion and Operation Mongoose; both designed to eliminate Castro from the political field in Cuba. The Soviet Union supported Castro’s regime and Cuba’s stand, and forced its hand with the placement of nuclear missiles on the island. The United States countered, and the two countries played out their hands to determine the fate of the world. In the end, the United States and the Soviet Union came to an agreement, both sides attempting to avoid a nuclear...
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...The Americans sent military units into Camaguey and Oriente and to the Liberals, supported the conservative government of Menocal and resolved the protest. In 1933 the United States intervened on the side of the opposition ending the Machado dictatorship. In the meantime, the economy of the island was combined with the mainland. Cubans used U.S. currency, bought U.S. commodities, and sold virtually all their products in the U.S. market. Sugar despite wild variations, was the main money earner in Cuba. Immigrant workers were a force to be reckoning with in Cuba’s sugar and tropical fruit businesses. The largest single group came from Spain from the northern areas of Galicia and Asturias and from the Canary Islands. But the lack of land and the only crop was sugar, which made life problematic for the rural folk in numerous nearby islands, also created conditions that made people emigration to Cuba from the rest of the black Caribbean. Then there was a short-lived revolutionary government of Ramon Grau San Martin, which came to power soon after the failure of the...
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...“Cuban Girl Martyr”: An Ordinary Girl Lifted to Fame by Yellow Journalism Sensationalism is at the forefront of the media with every outlet attempting to captivate a broader audience in order to elicit popularity and sales among themselves. The Spanish-American war was not excluded from this type of coverage. At a time when the American government was arguing that they their presence was needed in Cuba in order to generate change, the need for support by the general public was sought through all outlets. Cuba had long been a Spanish colony and the revolutionary movement, which had been simmering on and off there for much of the 19th century, intensified during the 1890s. Many in the United States called upon Spain to withdraw from the island,...
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...Starts off with audio/video addressing America on crisis The Cuban missile crisis was a suspenseful 13 day standoff between the Americans and the Soviet Union. It all started on October 14, 1962, when a high altitude U-2 plane took pictures of nuclear tipped IRBM (intermediate-range ballistic missiles) and MRBM (medium range ballistic missiles) in Cuba. The two proposals were set on the table: air strike and invade, or naval blockade. Ever since the Bay Pigs invasion, (which was an American led invasion where we got over 1200 Cuban refugees and sent them to Cuba to overthrow the government, but the effort failed) the Cubans wanted to be better protected. Cuba was allied with Soviet Union at that time and since the Cold War was going on between...
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...re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. “To the Cuban people, America extends a hand of friendship ”, he said. ‘Since the President took office in 2009, he has taken steps to support the ability of the Cuban people to gain greater control over their own lives and determine their country’s future. Now, the President is taking the next steps to renew our leadership in the Americas, end our outdated approach on Cuba, and promote more effective change that supports the Cuban people and our national security interests.’( "President Obama Delivered a Statement on Cuba." The WHITE HOUSE. 17 Dec. 2014. Web. 1 May 2015. <https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign-policy/cuba>.) It seems to me as if this would be an especially good time for a change in America’s relations with Cuba and that the moment has finally come to put an end to this mess that not only economy of both countries suffers from but the real people too, and to admit that the embargo has to be lifted. The U.S. trade embargo on Cuba was placed after World War II by the President Eisenhower in October 1960, one year after Fidel Castro seized power. Thus, diplomatic relations were severed. It was an implicit reluctant recognition of the permanence of the Castro regime and an explicit signal of U.S displeasure with expropriation of American property and with Cuba’s having become an ally of the Soviet bloc. A 1961 disaster with a name Bay of Pigs, carried out by Cuban exiles, was...
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...During Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential tenure, a disagreement with Fidel Castro caused friction between the United States and Cuba. The turmoil between the United States and Cuba continued after John F. Kennedy took office. Each one these men, Fidel Castro, President Eisenhower, President Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev struggled for power and almost led our nations to a nuclear war. What led to the Cuban Missile Crisis? Fidel Castro was a lawyer in Cuba, he was unhappy with Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship and tried to use the law to remove Batista from power.1 After his failed attempts he became a rebel with the intent of overthrowing Cuba’s dictator Fulgencio Batista. His vision was to spread the wealth of the rich and give to the poor; and provide everyone with the same resources.2 Batista’s cruel behavior and murder of the Cuban people made him a target, he eventually fled.3 After winning public support and overthrowing their dictator, Fidel Castro began to spread the wealth among the Cuban people.4 This was a positive movement for the poor, but not popular among the more educated people who knew how to make money, so they began to flee Cuba.5 On April 15th 1959, Fidel Castro made an attempt to meet with President Eisenhower, instead, President Eisenhower went to play golf to avoid interaction with Castro.6 His intentions may have been to address the turmoil between the United States and Cuba. Instead, Vice President Nixon met with Fidel Castro, the vice presidents...
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...President Kennedy imposed the final phase of the embargo in 1962, disenfranchising Cuba from trade with the United States. He established the embargo to decrease "the threat posed by its alignment with the communist powers." (Kennedy 1962) The United States has maintained the Cuban embargo even after establishing a close relationship with communist China and other countries. The embargo’s aim to bring the infamous Castro's out of power by choking the economy failed, as the Cuban people now suffer the consequences. The United States supported president...
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...English1 1st Period CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS John .F. Kennedy was the youngest man to become the president of the United States. He held office for almost 3 years before being assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He faced many important events while being in office, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and The Bay of Pigs. During his second year of presidency he was warned by his advisors that the United States might be under threat by the Soviet Union. They suspected that the Soviet Union had started to build powerful missiles which would be transported to the island of Cuba. These missiles would have the capability to travel great distances and could hit major US cities such as Washington D.C, Houston and San Francisco. John F. Kennedy knew about the strained relationship between the United States While John F. Kennedy was suspicious at first later it was clear to him that this was an act to shift the power from U.S to the Soviet Union. After he was completely sure about the situation JFK addressed the public on this issue on October 22, 1962. He explained his decision to perform a naval blockade near the coast of Cuba, he also said that the US was ready to use military force if there is a threat to national security. The Cold War was one of the most important wars and would have been one of the most deadly wars of the 20th century. The Cold War is the closest that the world has come to a nuclear war. One of the main events of this war was the Cuban Missile Crisis. The 2 most...
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...The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 Throughout 1952- 1959 a right wing dictator called Batista was in power. The Americans supplied him with many resources and had large trading deals. In 1959 Fidel Castro led a revolt again Batista and came into power and began ruling in a communist way. Americans immediately stopped trading with Cuba so Castro looked for help from Kruschev. The Bay of Pigs 1961: The new young president Kennedy decided to launch a CIA plan to contain communism. He sent 1,500 cuban exiles into Cuba hoping to spark a revolt against the new communist regime. This was a fiasco as Kennedy had underestimated the popularity of Castro as well as the strength of the Cuban armed forces, he wanted to contain communism. Castro then asked Kruschev to help him with defend Cuba from any other attacks. The US had missiles in Turkey facing towards the USSR so Kruschev wanted threatening missiles as well. Kennedy sent U2 spy planes in which it was confirmed that the USSR were sending missiles to Cuba and the bases were being made towards the US. Kennedy called upon the committee of the National Security to help him decide how to deal with the situation. A naval blockade was then sent around Cuba to prevent the USSR ships containing the missiles to reach Cuba. The ships turned away when they met the American navy, however the missiles already on Cuba carried on being made. Kruschev sent a letter to Kennedy admitting there were missiles on Cuba but only for defence. Before...
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