Latin+American+Colonies

19.1 ESPIRIT Chart - Spanish colonies in America

- Haciendas formed the economic unit in the Spanish Latin American colonies; Spaniards would usually oversee these units that employed saltwater slaves and indigenous Americans (coercive labor system) - The Spanish Latin American colonies, although most of the labor force was involved with agriculture, much of the revenue brought back to Spain came in the form of gold (mining operations = reason why Spain invested in colonies) - Portugal established trade posts in Africa and Southeast Asia; but in Brazil, they focused on cultivation of sugar plantations - Framework for social relations in Americans based on economic dominance || - The Spanish explorers, Conquistadors (often from humble origins in Spain) established themselves as nobles in the Americans with Native Americans and imported slaves working for them in a lower social ranking - Encomiendas - Spanish grants of coerced labors from Native Americans - An encomendero was a holder of an encomienda (was allowed to use workers and to tax) - Women, missionaries, administrators, and artisans formed civil society - Miscegenation leads to sociadad de las casa (mixed races were placed into highly rigid social hierarchy - mestizos) - Importation of Spanish women and saltwater slaves shifted the character of colonies from conquest to settlement. || - Religion (Roman Catholicism) played a large role in Spanish expansion: it provided the initial impetus for the Spanish to expel Muslims from the Iberian peninsula, it unified the country (marriage between Isabella and Ferdinand), and provided an incentive for religious exploration and conquest in the New World - Spanish conquistadors and settlers able to quite easily displace indigenous Americans from positions of power - Structured bureaucracies sprang up in the New World countries; regional governments were created that reported to the Spanish govt.; however, sometimes salutary neglect played a role in allowing these government wings to act more independently --> laws in the New World were based on Spanish models but changed according to American conditions - Missionaries often acted as regional govt. aiding in public works projects and carrying out other functions of govt. - Eventually reforms enacted to curb the power of missionary govt. and encomienda systems || - The Caribbean (and the West Indies) served as a frontier for further Spanish exploration; also a "testing ground" for colonial political models - Diseases spread by initial wave of explorers (Columbus etc) ---> lead to widespread devastation among American Indian community - Because of shortage of NA labor, African slaves imported to increase efficiency - Resistance to the Spanish continued although rebellions never really reached full-scale || - Politics and religion were intertwined in Spain (non secular govt) --> expelling Muslims in 1492 (as well as Jews in Spanish Inquisition) - Religious motivation drove Spanish expansion - The pope helped to sign the Treaty of Tordesillas which gave Spain the right to Latin America and Portugal access to Brazil. || - Juan Gines de Sepulveda justified subjugation of American Indians (claimed that they needed to be 'saved') - Intellectual culture intrinsically tied to aspects of religion (schools and universities run by the clergy; churches offered places to practice architecture and artistry. - Sor juana Ines de la Cruz noted for strides made in art and literature || - It was technology (guns and steel) that allowed people like Cortes to subjugate American populations in the first place; however, not many other innovations were seen in the New World (other than the Spanish galleon ships) || Summary: The Effect of Spain on Latin America Spain, one of the great Western European powers of the 16th century, began to colonize Latin America to the point where indigenous American peoples had almost no autonomy (many were forced into slavery or serfdom), with the intention of economic gain through agriculture or raw materials (most famously gold and silver). Spanish encomenderos, who were often ambitious men from Spain itself, established plantations called encomiendos that grew cash crops and operated within a racially-integrated community (consisting of indigenous Americans, African slaves, and Western European landlords). Social class structure was also transformed into rigid system that ranked members according to race (because of mixed marriages, mixed races like mestizos were also ranked). Missionaries who promoted the adoption of Christianity also changed the religious character of Latin America, although indigenous groups still retained many of the social traditions they practiced prior to the arrival of Western explorers. Still, Native Americans were the group that suffered from Western imperialism the most; they were ravaged by disease, enslaved by their European overlords, and forced to abandon many parts of their traditional cultures.
 * E || Main Idea: Although haciendas formed the main economic unit in Spanish Latin America and most laborers practiced agriculture, Spanish investment in the New World really revolved around extraction of gold and silver in mines.
 * S || Main Idea: Spanish Latin America were mixed race societies, with highly structured social hierarchies.
 * P || Main Idea: Regional governments in the Spanish colonies formed part a bureaucracy with the government of Spain at the highest chain of command.
 * I || Main Idea: Interactions between the Spain and Native Americans lead to consequences for both: the Spanish benefited from the additional flow of precious metals into Europe while the Native Americans saw widespread disease and social subjugation destroy their political influence in the New World.
 * R || Main Idea: Religion provided the initial impetus and incentive to expel the Muslims from the Iberian peninsula, consolidate different regions in Spain under one entity, and drive Spanish expansion into the New World.
 * I || Main Idea: Religion, namely Roman Catholicism, played a hugely influential role in Latin American intellectual life.
 * T || Main Idea: Superior technology allowed Spaniards to subjugate the Natives Americans they encountered in the New World.

19.2 Notes Portuguese Colonies in America Main Idea: Brazil, under control of Portugal, became the Western Europe's first plantation colony, whose development was spurred by the discovery of gold in the 18th century. - Pedro Alvares Cabral, a Portuguese explorer on an expedition to India, was the first to set foot in Brazil in 1500. Brazil essentially ignored for the next 30 years. - The French pressed for control of Brazilian terrority but the Portuguese responded with military action. - Capitaincies were awarded to nobles that combined "broad, seemingly fuedla powers with a strong desire for commercial development." - Sugar planations established first using Native Americans; then switched to African slaves - In 1549, first missionaries sent - In 1600, first indigenous resistance broken; Brazilian colonies had 100,000 inhabitants (including 30,000 Europeans and 15,000 Black slaves; others were mixed race); royal capital established at Salvador
 * Brazil: The First Planation Colony**

Main Idea: Brazil soon became the world's leading sugar exporter, leading to more infusions of capital and labor to the colony. - The sugar making process was eventually streamlined; sugar was processed in the field and cut and pressed in large mills. - Required huge amounts of labor; Brazil imported 7,000 slaves a year (by end of 17th century, Brazil had 150,000 slaves - half of its total population) - Social classes remained the same: white planter families "became an aristocracy linked by marriage to resident merchants and to the few Portuguese bureaucrats and officials"; slaves occuped the bottom rung of the social ladder; people of mixed origin (African, Americans, and Europeans) fell somewhere inbetween - Missionary establishments became increasingly important, carrying out many of the functions of government and sponsoring the construction of sugar mills and ranches - The royal capital of Salvador, although under direct control of the Portguese authorities, often acted in an independent manner - Brazil gradually became Portugal's most important colony - Brazil depended on Portuguese for intellectual life; no universities or printing press in Brazil.
 * Sugar and Slavery**

Main Idea: The discovery of gold and the production of sugar in the Carribean led to a shift in Brazilian economic activity during the 17th century. - Brazil subject to changes in the power around the world; Habsburg Kings control Spain between 1580-1640; 1630-1654 Dutch challenge Portuguese control of northeastern portion of Brazil - Production of Carribean sugar plantations by the Dutch, French, and British undercut the Brazilian sugar trade by providing increased competition --> lead to eventual decline - Paulistas helped to discover an area rich with gold called Minas Gerais (Genral Mines) - Brazilian gold rush began (5000 immigrants a year from Portugal + many slaves); Gold production reached height between 1735-1760 (3 tons a year) - Brazilian gold and diamond production opened up Brazilian inland to development, with "disastrous effects" on indigenous populations; opened up areas to ranching and farming - Coastal agriculture picked up again by govt. control of slave trade and continuing sugar and tobacco growing. - Rio de Janeiro, port closest to the mines grew and was established as the capital in 1763. - Gold allowed Portugal to continue economic policies that harmed them later in the future; much of the gold went to England for manufactured goods, but once the Portuguese supply of gold dwindled, it became a dependent of England.
 * Brazil's Age of Gold**

Main Idea: Marquis of Pombal, an enlightened Portuguese despot, attempted to enact economic and social reforms to break England's hold on the Portuguese economy; most of his policies failed at acheiving this goal, although they did "[provide] a strucutre for [Brazilian] economic boom" that "set the stage for Brazilian independence." - Marquis of Pombol, Portugal's authoritarian prime minister, "supressed any group or institution that stood in the way of royal power and programs"---> i.e. supported govt. intervention in the economy; attempted to break the flow of Portuguese wealth to England though reform after Brazilian production of gold declined in 1760 - Considered an 'enlightened despot' ---> expelled Jesuit missionaries from Spain because he resented their partial autonomy in parts of Brazil - Brazilian reforms: "fiscal reforms aimed at eliminating contraband, gold smugglin, and tax evasion"; monopoly companies established to stimulate agricultural; new crops imported---> led to portions of Brazil flourishing (development of Amazonian region, cotton plantations, and export of wild cacao) - Brazilian social reforms: abolished slavery in Portugal (partly to ensure a good flow to Brazil); removed Indians from missionary control and encouraged mixed marriages to protect Portuguese control in the area - However, social reforms did little to change the character of Brazilian society; by late 18th century slave imports reached 20,000 a year - Pombal's policies basically ineffective: reduced trade imbalances w/ England to some extent but Brazil trade remained slow because weak international demand ---> but reforms still set ground for Brazilian economic boom in the late 18th century and Brazilian independence movement
 * Pombal and Brazil**

19.3 Thesis Statement Compare the effects of the gold and silver industries on the Portuguese and Spanish economies. The gold and silver industries in the 17th and 18th centuries helped to spur the economic buying power of both Portugal and Spain, in addition to helping the Iberian neighbors to shift their economic resources like capital and slaves towards the Americans. However, unlike the Spanish economy who turned towards other raw materials, the Portuguese suffered more heavily after their imports of gold dwlinded, slowly becoming a dependent of the English economy.

Gold and Silver Mines - coerced labor --> slavery (African, trans-Atlantic, saltwater slaves)

Similarities -increased buying power for manufactured goods - both rely on manufactured goods from England and do not develop their own manufacturing sectors - became dependent on gold/silver exports (led to slow decline of both economies)

Differences - Portuguese economy more heavily hit by devaulation of gold - Portugal becomes more involved in international slave trade