Obama In Cuba --Madeleine Norton, 4th period

No "sitting U.S. President" has visited Cuba in almost 90 years, not to mention the fact that most every American administration involved with Cuba focused on depleting or isolating the communist Cuban government. However, President Obama's visit to the neighboring country is going to change all of that, so it's easy to see how its citizens can't stop talking about it. Many Cubans hope it will mean the beginning of more open trade, opportunities, and the exchange of ideas, such as Samir "a Cuban who works as a 'mule,' traveling abroad to bring back items that can't be found on the bare shelves of Cuba's state-run stores." 

CNN author Patrick Oppmann adds, "During his three-day visit, Obama will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, speak to anti-government activists and attend a baseball game between Cuba's national team and the Tampa Bay Rays. Obama will bring with him the promise of a more prosperous future for Cuba, where the economy has struggled to recover from the collapse of the Soviet Union, its ally and benefactor. While the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which only Congress can lift, still remains in place, Obama has taken the sting out of many of the sanctions. Soon up to 110 direct commercial flights per day between Cuba and the U.S., and relaxed travel sanctions will flood the island with American visitors."

This can be synthesized (as Oppmann states) with Calvin Coolidge the "last U.S. President to visit Cuba (who) arrived in the island on a U.S. gunboat. President Obama (on the other hand,) will engage in what could be termed 'cruise ship diplomacy,' bringing in his delegation of executives from dozens of U.S. firms eager to do business in Cuba."

Article link found here: http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/20/politics/obama-visit-cubans-reaction/