Cuba-U.S. Relations Research by Ruben Rubio

Important Points
1. Cuba-U.S. relations were established in the 18th century when “European colonies of the New World” began trading with Cuba for sugar and tobacco.
2. In 1762 British presence in Cuba facilitated trade to the British colonies.
3. Spain authorized Cuban ports to be opened to North American for the purpose of trading in November 1776.
4. The U.S. was interested in making Cuba a slave colony and adding another route for the Atlantic slave trade.

Wikipedia.  Wikimedia Foundation.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Franklin_(author).  01 September, 2017.

1. Baseball was introduced to Cuba by the US in the 19th century.
2. By the 20th century baseball became a national past time in Cuba like in the U.S., and
many talented Cuban players defected to the U.S.  
3. Cuban baseball traveling teams began to travel to the U.S. to play Major League Baseball (MLB) before World War I.  Only Cuban light-skinned players were allowed to travel and play in the U.S. if they looked white by American standards.
4. In 1947 desegregation in MLB allowed Cubans to showcase their talents and reach fame.  
5. The U.S opened up relations with the Cuban baseball league and allowed players to join Cuban rosters during the MLB off season.
6. In 1999 the U.S. Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban All-Star baseball teams played two games (one in Cuba and one in the U.S.).  The two games were the first played in each other’s soil since 1959.

"Baseball."  Encyclopedia of Cuban-United States Relations, Thomas M. Leonard, McFarland, 1st edition, 2010.  Credo Reference, https://ezpz.calarts.edu/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/mcfcubus/baseball/0?institutionId=827. Accessed 30 Sep 2017.

Questions
1. Is xenophobia the reason why the U.S. wanted to make Cuba a colony for slavery?
2. Will the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba ever be completely removed?
3. With the U.S. trade embargo in place where did all the baseball game revenue go?
4. When will there be another MLB game in Cuba?
5. How many Cubans have played Major League Baseball?   

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