History Q4BM 'What If?'

One change made by one individual can change the lives of many. If Columbus hadn’t colonized Puerto Rico, then there would be no Spanish on the island of many skins.

I believed that if Columbus had not discovered the Caribbean Islands then others during the time would have. For example, it the alternate past I made, John Cabot, and English sailor, would have gone in a similar direction. John Cabot was the explorer that I had put toward finding Puerto Rico. This would lead to Puerto Rico being an English colonized settlement. Since Englishmen would have discovered Puerto Rico, the name that was given would have been in English and the main language learned would have been also been English. Some of the most significant points would have been Puerto Rico being named St. John’s Island after Saint John the Baptist. _­

My favorite part was researching and learning new facts that I didn’t know, such as John Cabot’s expeditions. Also I enjoyed creating Primary Source documents. The hardest part was finding Primary Sources about such old topics, many were websites announced that the documents had disappeared or been ruined.

The most interesting facts I researched were the reasoning behind why Puerto Rico wasn’t a state, and about the Spanish- American War. During the Spanish American war Puerto Rico was used as a military base for the Spanish and French. If Englishmen had colonized Puerto Rico it would have been used as a beneficial military base for America due to its position in-between North and South America. This would have lead to Puerto Rico being acknowledge at a higher priority rather than a territory of America, similar to the situation with Hawaii. In this alternate past, Puerto Rico or St John’s Island would have become a state because of recognition of its position during the war.

To improve this project I would have enjoyed turning this into a television interview. I could have asked questions about how Puerto Ricans thought that the change would have affected their land, and staged actors talking about the alternative past and future. I would have used both videos and shown how life would have been different for both cultures.