Advisor(s)
Dr. Russ Crawford
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Paper
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Ballroom
Start Date
21-4-2026 3:55 PM
End Date
21-4-2026 4:10 PM
Abstract
We have all heard the story of the Rust Belt, where it was once America’s heartland but has long been abandoned by the manufacturing sector. What if there were a place in the United States that, instead of closing plants, was building them? Puerto Rico, a US territory since 1898, had struggled to diversify its economy for half a century. Then, almost as if by magic, the island embarked on the most ambitious industrialization program the world had ever seen. The island would lift itself out of poverty no matter the cost. The Puerto Rican economy experienced growth in every possible metric, and with it, the Puerto Rican people prospered like never before. The government expanded universities, funded social welfare programs, and built institutions for the arts. Or at least that is what the Government of Puerto Rico would tell the Media. In reality, the economy was not growing fast enough to provide relief to the ballooning population or aid the thousands of agricultural workers left without work as fields were paved with concrete. With nowhere to go in their homeland, thousands booked flights for the mainland, not knowing where life would take them. The majority would end up in New York City, but a significant number made their way to Ohio and its glowing steel mills. Would they make it in their new home? Would they be welcome?
Recommended Citation
Frontera-Mendez, Pablo M., "A Century of Industrialization, in a Decade: Operation Bootstrap and Puerto Rican Migration to Ohio" (2026). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 30.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2026/Papers/30
Open Access
Available to all.
A Century of Industrialization, in a Decade: Operation Bootstrap and Puerto Rican Migration to Ohio
ONU McIntosh Center; Ballroom
We have all heard the story of the Rust Belt, where it was once America’s heartland but has long been abandoned by the manufacturing sector. What if there were a place in the United States that, instead of closing plants, was building them? Puerto Rico, a US territory since 1898, had struggled to diversify its economy for half a century. Then, almost as if by magic, the island embarked on the most ambitious industrialization program the world had ever seen. The island would lift itself out of poverty no matter the cost. The Puerto Rican economy experienced growth in every possible metric, and with it, the Puerto Rican people prospered like never before. The government expanded universities, funded social welfare programs, and built institutions for the arts. Or at least that is what the Government of Puerto Rico would tell the Media. In reality, the economy was not growing fast enough to provide relief to the ballooning population or aid the thousands of agricultural workers left without work as fields were paved with concrete. With nowhere to go in their homeland, thousands booked flights for the mainland, not knowing where life would take them. The majority would end up in New York City, but a significant number made their way to Ohio and its glowing steel mills. Would they make it in their new home? Would they be welcome?