Terms of Use
Oral histories are intimate conversations between and among people who have generously agreed to share these recordings with BHS’s archives and researchers. Please listen in the spirit with which these were shared. BHS abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.
Every oral history relies on the memories, views, and opinions of the narrator. Because of the personal nature of oral history, listeners may find some viewpoints or language of the recorded participants to be objectionable. In keeping with its mission of preservation and unfettered access whenever possible, BHS presents these views as recorded.
The audio recording should be considered the primary source for each interview. Where provided, transcripts created prior to 2008 or commissioned by a third party other than BHS, serve as a guide to the interview and are not considered verbatim. More recent transcripts commissioned by BHS are nearly verbatim copies of the recorded interview, and as such may contain the natural false starts, verbal stumbles, misspeaks, and repetitions that are common in conversation. The decision for their inclusion was made because BHS gives primacy to the audible voice and also because some researchers do find useful information in these verbal patterns. Unless these verbal patterns are germane to your scholarly work, when quoting from this material researchers are encouraged to correct the grammar and make other modifications maintaining the flavor of the narrator’s speech while editing the material for the standards of print.
All citations must be attributed to Brooklyn Historical Society:
[Last name, First name], Oral history interview conducted by [Interviewer’s First name Last name], [Month DD, YYYY], [Title of Collection], [Call #]; Brooklyn Historical Society.
These interviews are made available for research purposes only. For more information about other kinds of usage and permissions, see BHS’s rights and reproductions policy.
Peter O. Mercado
Oral history interview conducted by John D. Vazquez
October 23, 1974
Call number: 1976.001.043
0:05 - Introductions; arrival in NYC, looking for work, bringing family over to U.S.
7:16 - Opening shop, siblings' marriages
11:57 - Working for democratic club, notable figures
20:32 - Nightclub, recollections of Jose Luis and Tony Santiago
25:54 - Lack of difficulty finding a job, going to trade school after war service
30:01 - Political affiliations
37:10 - Formative years for Puerto Rican community, lack of unity in the modern day
41:32 - Typical jobs for Puerto Ricans in 1940s, necessity of learning English, Brooklyn bodegas
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Peter O. Mercado
Peter Mercado arrived in Brooklyn from Puerto Rico at the age of eighteen on April 9, 1928. He was still a resident of the borough when interviewed in 1974. He was a small business owner in the Brooklyn community, formerly running a small storefront print shop at 314 Adams Street.
Peter Mercado, sixty-five when this interview occurred in 1974, emphasizes his well-informed view of the Puerto Rican community. He discusses his meeting with Carlos Tapia during the 1932 elections. He makes reference to the de Hostos Democratic Club; describing its activities and stating specific areas where Hispanic American votes were sought. Mercado recalls personalities such as politician Vito Marcantonio, businessman Don Parovereret, César Rodriquez, and Marino Rodriquez; both early businessmen in the Puerto Rican community in Brooklyn. He also makes reference to Jesus Colón and Gualda Rivera. Interview conducted by John D. Vasquez.
This collection includes recordings and transcripts of oral histories narrated by those in the Puerto Rican community of Brooklyn who arrived between 1917 and 1940. The Long Island Historical Society initiated the Puerto Rican Oral History Project in 1973, conducting over eighty interviews between 1973 and 1975. The oral histories often contain descriptions of immigration, living arrangements, neighborhood ethnicities, discrimination, employment, community development, and political leadership. Also included are newspaper clippings, brochures, booklets about Brooklyn's Puerto Rican community, and administrative information on how the project was developed, carried out, and evaluated.
Citation
Mercado, Peter O., Oral history interview conducted by John D. Vazquez, October 23, 1974, Puerto Rican Oral History Project records, 1976.001.043; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- de Hostos
- Democratic Club
- Denis, Antonia
- Grevi, Santiago
- Marcantonio, Vito
- Mercado, Peter O.
- Tapia, Carlos
Topics
- Business enterprises
- Emigration and immigration
- Employment
- Freemasons
- Journalism
- Periodicals
- Politics and government
- Puerto Ricans
Places
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Puerto Rico
Finding Aid
Puerto Rican Oral History Project records