Discussion Questions 10/17 on Cuba

Back ground: Who was the initial Cuban Revolution against and when? Who was the proclaimed leader of the rebels?

1. How many waves of exodus were there? When did they occur? What were characteristics of each?

2. How did they push/pull factor affect each wave? How did the Cuban society/government and the U.S. society/government affect those who left Cuba?

3. Throughout the waves, what was the relationship like between Cuba and the United States? How did the different waves of exodus affect the two governments?

4. Over time, Cubans who left went from being refugees to being ______.

5. What were the basic outlines to President Johnson's policy on immigration?

6. What were the Vuelos de la Libertad? Who did they involve? When?

7. In what exodus did the immigratin go from a politcal act to an economic one?

8. In what decade did Fidel Castro officially become President of Cuba?

9. What was operation Peter Pan? During which exodus and in what year did it occur?

10. What was the Bay of Pigs? How did America help imprisoned exiles (who were imprisoned as a result of what happened at Bay of Pigs) after the Cuban Missile Crisis?

11. What occured during the periodo especial? What did Castro emphasize?

12. How did the Cuban exiles change from exodus to exodus, how can they be compared?

13. What are some psychological effects on refugees who have migrated and resettled?

14. Which Cubans faced especially hard racism? Why?

15. What are balseros? What was Attorney General Janet Reno's plan of action in terms of balseros under President Clinton's orders?