French immigration to Puerto Rico

Encyclopedia : F : FR : FRE : French immigration to Puerto Rico

The French immigration to Puerto Rico during the 18th and 19th century came about as a result of various economic and political situations which occurred in Louisiana (USA), Saint Domingue (Haiti) and in Europe.

Early French setters, such as the ones pictured, immigrated to the Americas and Puerto Rico

Situation in Louisiana

In the 17th century, the French settled the area in the New World known as New France. New France included an expansive area of land along both sides of the Mississippi River between the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains, including the Ohio Country and the Illinois Country. Louisiana was the name given to an administrative district of New France. Upon the outbreak of the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years' War (1754-1763) between the Kingdon of Great Britan and its North American Colonies against France, many of the French settlers fled to the Caribbean islands of Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. These islands were part of the Spanish Empire which welcomed and protected the French from their English enemy.

Situation in Saint Domingue (Haiti)

Type of Steamship in which French and Corsicans arrived in Puerto Rico

In 1697, the Spanish Crown ceded the western half of the island of Hispanola to the French. The Spanish part of the island was named Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic) and the French named their part Saint Domingue (which was later renamed Haiti). The French settlers dedicated themselves to the cultivation of the sugar cane and owned plantations which required a huge amount of manpower. They imported slaves from Africa to work in the fields. However, soon the population of the slaves outgrew those of the whites. The slaves lived under terrible conditions and where treated cruelly. In 1791, the slaves were organized into an army led by the self-appointed general Toussaint Louverture and rebeled against the French. The ultimate victory of the slaves over their white masters came about after the Battle of Vertieres in 1803. The French fled to Santo Domingo and made their way to Puerto Rico. Once there, they settled in the western region of the island in towns such as Mayagüez. With their expertise, they helped develop the island's sugar industry converting Puerto Rico into a world leader in the exportation of sugar.

Situation in Europe

France and Corsica (an island ceded to France by Genoa in 1768) were going through many economic and political changes during the 19th Century. One of the changes occurred with the advent of the Second Industrial Revolution, which led to the massive migration of farmworkers to larger cities in search of a better way of live and better paying jobs. Starvation spread throughout Europe as farms began to fail due to long periods of drought and crop diseases.

There was also widespread political discontent. King Louis Phillipe of France was overthrown during the Revolution of 1848 and a republic was established. In 1870, Germany declared war against France in what became known as the Franco-Prussian war. The combination of natural and man-made disasters created an acute feeling of hopelessness in both France and Corsica. Hundreds of families fled Europe and immigrated to the Americas and Puerto Rico. All of this came about when the Spanish Crown, after losing most of her possessions in the New World, was growing fearful of the possibility of losing her last two possessions, Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Royal Decree of Graces of 1815

The Spanish Crown had issued the Royal Decree of Graces (Cédula Real de Gracias), on August 10, 1815 with the intention of encouraging trade between Puerto Rico and other countries who were friendly towards Spain. The decree also offered free land to any Spaniard who would be willing to move to the island. The decree was revived in the mid 19th Century with several changes. The Spanish Crown decided that one of the ways to end the pro-independence movement was to allow European of non-Spanish origin to settle the island. Therefore, the decree was printed in three languages, Spanish, English and French. Those who immigrated to Puerto Rico were given free land and a "Letter of Domicille" with the condition that they swore loyalty to the Spanish Crown and allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church. After residing in the island for five years the settlers were granted a "Letter of Naturalization" which made them Spanish subjects.

Hundreds of Frenchmen and Corsican (they were French citizens of Italian descent) moved and settled in Puerto Rico. The Corsicans settled the mountainous region in and around the town of Yauco where they became successful coffee plantation owners. The French who immigrated from mainland Europe settled in various places in the island. They were instrumental in the development of Puerto Rico's tobaco, cotton and sugar industries. It wasn't long before they intermarried into the local population, adopting the language and customs of their new homeland.

Currently

La Casa Francesa

The French influence in Puerto Rico is very much present and in evidence in the island's cuisine, literature and arts. French surnames such as Betancourt and Gautier are common in Puerto Rico. The descendants of the original French settlers have distinguished themselves as business people, politicians and writers. "La Casa del Francés" (The Frenchmen's House), built on 1910, is a turn of the century plantation mansion, recently designated as a historical landmark by the National Register of Historic Places, is located on the island of Vieques. It is now a guest house.

Famous Puerto Ricans with French surnames

Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier

Marisol Malaret (1970)