Latin American History *Mid-term take home exam* analytical essay component

1

Continuities in Latin America for the Period 1780 to 1930

Colonialism has shadowed history all throughout the world . Its impact on some sectors was still apparent even after a colony has regained independence . Latin America is an example of a region that has continued some colonial practices even after it obtained freedom from the Spaniards and Portuguese

For the period 1780 to 1930 , continuities in Latin America existed even after independence was proclaimed . During this period , patriots fought and were successful to gain independence from colonizers . These pro-independent liberals

wanted freedom , not to revolutionize the region , but simply to rule it

Once independence was attained , continuities in Latin American nations became apparent . These continuities are highly evident in the political system , the Catholic Church , and slavery

Political System

Creole families dominated the patriot movement leading to the liberation of Latin America . The liberation movement had very little participation from indigenous groups . After the independence war was over , the countries at that time did not create societies based on

2

equality . Creole families , who were high up the society ladder advocated equality but only in theory . Laws promoting equal rights among the citizens were enshrined in constitutions . However , these laws remained in , for in practice , the old system was still in place The political system remained basically the same , only the ruling class was changed -- from colonizers to Creoles and meztizos or mixed-breed

In Mexico , Peru , and Venezuela , the military heroes of independence monopolized presidential seats . One of these heroes was Simon Bolivar a liberal patriot belonging to a rich Creole family , who led Venezuelans and Colombians in their fight for freedom

Slavery

Slavery , although gradually phased out in the region , did not change in essence . Owner and worker relationship was still the same . In fact slavery was documented by photographer Jose Christiano de Freitas Henriques Junior , a student in Rio de Janeiro at that time . He took pictures of slaves in Brazil to sell as souvenir items to Europeans and other visitors of the region

Aside from the slaves of Brazil and Cuba , there were those that came from Africa , who were made to work in fields in harsh conditions . There was another type of slaves in that era -- the urban slaves-for-hire They worked independently in streets as carriers or vendors , reporting to their owners daily or weekly to remit their earnings . Of all the slaves in that period , the ones

3

for hire had the most freedom and some eventually saved enough money to buy their independence

Catholic Church

The Church as a colonial institution remained strong , it 's influence among the people unquestioned . This implies that other non-desirable practices , such as monopoly over education , hold over vast real estates influence on banking and commerce , and exploitative fees that are sometimes charged even to the poorest , of the pre-independence Catholic Church continued after independence was established . An evidence of the Catholic Church 's continuity was depicted by illustrations created by Bavarian artist Johann Mortiz Rugendas...