Latin American Revolutions

This week during class, we learned about some of the most important Latin American Revolutions. The Latin American Revolutions of Brazil, Gran Colombia, and Mexico stand as few of the most important revolutions due to their major contribution to the abolishment of slavery and independence from European forces. The revolts of these Latin American countries helped contribute to the downfall of slavery in the late nineteenth century. Without these revolutions, slavery may not have been eradicated as it has been in the majority of countries around the world. To study the impact of race on the Latin American Revolutions for independence, we first split into small groups. Each group was assigned a revolution and created a timeline of major events which occurred during their historical revolution. By analyzing documents of our assigned Latin American revolution and creating a timeline, the class was able to gain a better understanding of how race impacted the countries under European control.

The revolts of Brazil, Gran Colombia, and Mexico  resulted from Latin American slaves and laborers being treated poorly due to their race and their desire for independence from European forces. In the Haitian social structure, Slaves and Indians were greatly affected by slavery and discrimination. Indians made up over 50% of the population of colonial Latin America. Indians lived in Latin America before the Spanish arrived and were forced to provide labor in Spanish mines and farms. Slaves were of African descent and made up 11% of the population. Slaves were considered property and could be bought or sold. The three Latin American Revolutions were fought in the hopes of gaining independence from  European rule. They also fought to gain rights for those who were victims of discrimination and enslavement.  Following the revolutions, the  countries of Brazil, Gran Colombia, and Mexico were able to form new, independent government systems which consisted of a republic or a constitutional monarchy. These new forms of government allowed the people to have more rights and increased freedom. However, there were many differences among these Latin American Revolutions. For example, the Brazilian Revolution was the only non-violent revolution. Also, discrimination between races did not become problematic until after the revolution. After the Latin American Revolutions, the countries of Brazil and Gran Colombia detached from European rule and formed their own independent, united countries. Following the Gran Colombia Revolution, Gran Colombia detached from European rule and formed multiple independent countries. Although the countries of Brazil, Gran Colombia, and Mexico gained independence from European rule after the revolutions, racial inequality still remained a problem.

Today, racial inequality remains an issue in our society. Although this issue may not be as prominent as it was nearly 50 years ago, it still continues to affect people regardless of their ethnicity or socioeconomic background.  A recent shooting in Ferguson, Missouri has raised the issue of racial inequality and has caused much controversy around the nation. On August 9th, 2014, Michael Brown, an 18 year old African American male was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking down the middle of the street when Wilson drove up and told them to move to the sidewalk. Brown and Wilson struggled through the window of the police vehicle and Wilson's gun was fired during the course of the struggle. According to reports, Brown was believed to be surrendering to the officer when he was fatally shot. The shooting of Michael Brown exemplifies that to this day, discrimination and racial profiling still occur. The Ferguson shooting points out that differences continue to exist between whites and people of color.  Although it is natural for differences to exist within a society, as a community we must work towards a non-violent, peaceful resolution to conflict.  Unfortunately, despite significant progress, the issue of racial inequality and discrimination remains a large part of our society. As with the Latin American Revolutions, racial inequality and discrimination remain relevant today and will require further attention in order for this issue to be resolved.  As a community, we must work together to solve our differences in a more peaceful manner.

Brazilian Revolution Timeline: