United States citizens have emigrated to the Republic of Honduras (1821) for many reasons including agriculture, mining endeavours, business, military service and missionary work. In the last two centuries, the United States has developed many interests in Honduras. These have included banana farming and mining of gold and silver. Honduras also represents a route to the isthmus between North and South America and the Panama Canal. The United States has deployed armed forces to Honduras on numerous occasions to protect these interests. In geopolitical terms, Honduras has represented a bulwark against socialist forces in Central America and has a permanent United States military presence. Honduras has also received United States foreign aid. All of these factors have led to a gradual increase over many decades of American immigrants to Honduras.
History
The American Civil War (1861 1865) instigated a wave of migration to the northern and western areas of the United States, to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In smaller numbers, people also immigrated to Central America. José María Medina (18261878), President of The Republic of Honduras received the immigrants. In 1856, an American legation was opened in Tegucigalpa. In 1862, James R. Partridge (18231884), a Unionist, became the first U.S. government representative to reside in Honduras.
The first record of immigration from the U.S. to Honduras was made in the city of San Pedro Sula, on May 3, 1867. Sixty-one immigrants from the South, led by Colonel Malcom Green, made a formal request for immigration.
Marco Aurelio Soto (18461908) was President of Honduras from 1876 to 1883. Soto owned the mining rights to mineral deposits at El Rosario, San Juancito, Honduras. Soto offered companies that invested in his mine an exemption from Honduras taxes for a period of twenty years. In 1880, Julius Valentine, of New York City, founded the "New York and Honduras Rosario Mining Company". Valentine gave Soto fifty percent of the company's stock for mining rights at El Rosaria.
On April 1, 1895, President of Honduras, José Policarpo Bonilla Vasquez (18581899), issued another immigration law. He sought to regulate immigration to Honduras from the United States, Germany, England, France, Italy, China, and Palestinian (Arabia). A law of 1906 applied to immigrants from the United States, Europe, Palestine and to people of the Jewish faith. Other new laws encouraging immigration followed in the presidencies of Vicente Mejía Colindres (18781966) and Tiburcio Carías Andino (18761969).
In the late 19th century and early twentieth century, immigrants from the United States worked in Honduras' banana growing and mining industries. They made up the majority of the workers in these industries. American investment began with the Rosario Mining Company, followed by the founding of the United Fruit Company, and the Standard Fruit Company.
Missionaries
The first missionaries in Honduras were the Mercedarians who arrived with the Spanish in 1563. In 1793, the first Church of England missionary, Christian Frederick Post arrived in British Honduras. In 1896, the first American Protestant missionaries, arrived in Honduras. They were Evangalists from the Central American Mission founded by Cyrus I. Scofield. From the 1930s, the Unity of Brethren have been important in Honduras religion.
Military presence
For many years, the U.S. has had vested interests in Honduras and a focus on keeping access to the isthmus between North and South America. Protection of these interests has involved keeping the Honduras government stable, preventing Communist influence in the Honduras region and intervening to stop neighbouring unrest, using Honduras as a launch pad.
From March 23 to 31, 1903, Marines protected the U.S. consulate and the steamship wharf at Puerto Cortes when Manuel Bonilla deposed Juan Ángel Arias Boquín. Between February and June 1907, during a war between Honduras and Nicaragua, U.S. Marines under the command of Captain William Freeland Fullam (18851926) protected Americans in Puerto Cortes, La Ceiba and Trujillo. In 1911 and 1912, Marines protected U.S. interests during Honduran civil unrest.