User:Lucal123/Jose Ramon Sanfeliz

Biography
Jose Ramon Sanfeliz was born September 21’st, 1870 in Sos Sitios, Havana Cuba. At the age of ten, he began working at a cigar factory which would turn into an endless cycle of labor at factories and mills in Havana. At the age of 25, Sanfeliz was working at Ramon Monet when the war between Cuba and Spain began. Sanfeliz led multiple political clubs throughout the war. Sanfeliz soon married, had eight children, though only five survived. He then moved to Cleveland, Ohio and then later New York with his daughter Josephine to live a better life.

Social Context
 Cuba's Long Emancipation and the Afterlife of Slavery 

After the emancipation there was a long and difficult process surrounding the freedom of all. Cuban slavery was still very visible throughout these times. While the US was cracking down on slavery and the right to freedom Mexico was not. This caused for trafficking of African Americans to Mexico throughout the late 1800's. These slaves were then put to work as laborers in factories of all sorts. This was sort of known as "legal slavery" throughout the period directly after the emancipation.

 Spanish American War 

The conflict between Cuba and Spain in 1895 had an incredibly large impact on the lives of both sides. The Spanish American war originated in February 1895. Cuba was attempting to gain independence from Spain; with fallen soldiers and blood shed Cuba ended up conquering Spain. During the war the Spanish military forced Cubans into slave communities which resulted in thousand's of deaths.

 Global Factory 

The Cane-Sugar industry was among the most successful industries throughout the late 1800's. This is because sugar was of high value and also laborer's would work for next to nothing while producing for the company. During the late 1800's basically all factories worked through laborer's, this was the most efficient way to make profit while not paying out much to the workers. Many Cubans worked in factories free of pay for the first two years, they did this to prove to the factory that they were of value while also securing a place to work in the future.