During the 19th and 20th centuries, European countries competed to have the most territory in the newly discovered lands; two of these “New World” lands were Brazil and the United States. Brazil, colonized in 1500 remained under Portuguese rule until 1822, while the United States gained independence from Great Britain in 1776. While Brazil and the United States have differences, such as the regimes and racial classes, many similarities remain prevalent, including their origins as colonies and racial tensions. Although the states started off as a colony of a major European power, there paths diverged over time. The United States of America allowed Great Britain to experience serious economic prosperity due to the copious amounts of resources …show more content…
Brazil, however, was peacefully granted independence from Portugal in 1822 regardless of the fact that it benefited Portugal because Brazil was the “major produced of sugarcane and other agricultural products” (Drogus and Orvis 71-72). Due to the oppressive rule Great Britain had on the United States, the founding fathers created The Constitution to prevent a tyrannical government from occurring. This document “established liberal state under which democratic rights slowly extended over two hundred years to ass of citizenry” (Drogus and Orvis 65). Brazil, on the other hand, formed a monarchy that remained in place until 1889, which then initiated a limited democracy, set out by a constitution similar to the US. However, this democracy was plagued by military intervention during the 1930s when Getulio Vargas eliminated democracy in exchange for a semi-fascist regime that actually strengthened the state by expanding health and welfare systems and increasing the government’s role in the economy, steel industry, and oil industry. After Vargas was compelled to return …show more content…
The United States and Brazil each contain “big minorities of indigenous peoples, of blacks (because both had slavery until the second half of the 19th-century), and of immigrants from Italy, Germany and Asia (Chinese predominate in the US; Japanese in Brazil)” (“Comparing Brazil and the United States: American Brothers”). The indigenous population was susceptible to the foreign diseases brought over to the colonies by the European settlers, making it difficult to use them as a labor force. Slavery became the only viable option for the Europeans if they didn’t want to do work themselves. Although both were major slaveholding societies, the difference between the United States of America and Brazil lies in the racial classes within the two states. The United States’ racial classes originate from the deep seeded segregation of people of European descent (Caucasians) being the privileged and ‘superior’ race, while the black population (originally taken from their countries and forced into slavery in the Americas) being the ‘inferior’ and lacking appropriate living standards. African Americans were subjected to legal segregation and discrimination, as well as attacks (including torturing and lynching) by a white supremacy group called the Ku Klux Klan (simply because of their skin color) created serious socioeconomic disadvantages for the black population that
After the war of 1812, the United States moved toward to the creation of a unified national state and by 1830 became a nation-state. Through major changes in infrastructure, establishments of national banks, and the purchases of land, America was developing into its own fully functional and self-sufficient nation.
This chapter, “Three Old Worlds Create a New, 1492 – 1600,” covers the social, political and economic events that occurred in the worlds that made up America between 1492 and 1600. This chapter explores the history of the small societies that became the United States in broad contest of European exploration and exploitation. There existed conflicts between European kingdoms and this led to interest in colonies that strengthened the emerging nations. The curiosity of Europeans helped introduce them to African and American societies that had evolved over the centuries. The social and cultural collisions of these worlds changed and profoundly influenced Western history.
Throughout the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, the United States grew and flourished as a country. It went from being a nation focused only on expanding within their own country, and comprised of basically only one heritage, to becoming one of the world's greatest military, economical, and political superpowers, as well as being the earth's preeminent "melting pot" of thousands of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
... K. Manchester is an authority on the history of Brazil and its relations with Great Britain. In an article entitled, “The Recognition of Brazilian Independence”, Manchester argues, “the struggle for independence in Brazil was influenced decisively by the intimate and unique ties which bound Portuguese America to Europe.”; independence was ultimately won by diplomacy. In his letter to John Jay, Thomas Jefferson cautiously explores the possibilities of engaging in a war with Portugal for the independence of Brazil and recognizes that the colony cannot conduct a revolution without the help of a powerful nation. Brazil considered the North American revolution a precedent for theirs. Jefferson maintained that the United States was not in any condition to engage in war. Jefferson's letter helps discredit the United States as Brazil’s primary benefactor during this time.
Throughout the course of history, nations have invested time and manpower into the colonizing and modernizing of more rural governments. Imperialism has spread across the globe, from the British East India Company to France’s occupation of Northern Africa. After their founding in 1776, the United States of America largely stayed out of this trend until The Spanish-American War of 1898. Following the war, the annexation and colonization of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines ultimately set a precedent for a foreign policy of U.S. imperialism.
We must begin with Brazil’s history in order to understand the problem and how it came to exist. During the year 1500, Brazil was “discovered” by the Portuguese. The Portuguese saw the indigenous people as “savages” because they did not look or dress like Europeans. Hence, the idea that indigenous people are “savages” help influence the Portuguese that indigenous people need to be controlled and become more civilized. During the 16th century the Portuguese used “black” slaves to work in plantations to increase trading in Europe. After the year 1850 slave trade was abolished, but the Portuguese continued to bring slaves from Africa, illegally. Edward Eric Telles states, “Roughly three hundred years later, when the slave trade ended in 1850, 3.6 million African Americans had been brought to Brazil as slaves, ...
Like many Latin American countries, Brazil was originally inhabited by over two thousand distinct Native American tribes who’s history goes back over 10,000 years. However, they left scarce written records, hence little is know about them. Even so, today, Brazil is home to the largest population of un-contacted people in the world. During the age of colonization, Portugal flourished as it expanded its territories in both Africa and India. Yet, competition among colonizers increased as Portugal continued to zero-sum vie for territory against Spain. Pope Alexander VI fearing trade wars between two Catholic countries, declared in the Treaty of Tordesillas that newly discovered land, outside of Europe, to the west of the antemeridian* line to be considered Spanish and east Portuguese. Yet, unbeknownst to Pope Alexander VI, Brazil jettisoned into the Atlantic well beyond the antemeridian. In 1500 CE Portuguese’s explorers made first contact in Brazil and claimed it for Portugal.
The collapse of colonialism created various challenges for the newly free nations of the Western Hemisphere, in the 19th century. The rise of Personalist leaders, resurgence of Native American resistance, and immigration all affected the political environments of North and South America during that time. Young nations like The United States, Argentina, and Brazil found it difficult to manage themselves under their new constitutions. Regional separations and movements for women’s and black rights added to this difficulty, creating new political groups and questioning national identity.
The two nation-states of Brazil and Germany differ in many ways: economically, politically and socially. Germany's powerful economy, rich and wealthy society, and efficient government have put the country as a leader in the international scene. On the other hand, Brazil is still yet to emerge as a true democracy and is faced with a lot of problems. This paper is focused on political differences that both of the states have.
Before the American Revolution, the trends of colonial history remained rather consistent. The European superpowers continued to expand, reaping exponential benefits from the nations in which they colonized. Thomas Bender argues that the American Revolution was not just a revolution for the people of the continental United States, but was rather the starting point of a continuous global revolution that inspired social change and governmental autonomy for the colonized people. Bender examines global trends in Central and South America, as well as Europe before America’s Declaration of Independence to demonstrate that prior to the American Revolution, the great powers of Europe ruled with minimal backlash, exploiting weaker nations for increased
After the civil war, United States took a turn that led them to solidify as the world power. From the late 1800s, as the US began to collect power through Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines, debate arose among historians about American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesinger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority.
Race has been one of the most outstanding situations in the United States all the way from the 1500s up until now. The concept of race has been socially constructed in a way that is broad and difficult to understand. Social construction can be defined as the set of rules are determined by society’s urges and trends. The rules created by society play a huge role in racialization, as the U.S. creates laws to separate the English or whites from the nonwhites. Europeans, Indigenous People, and Africans were all racialized and victimized due to various reasons. Both the Europeans and Indigenous People were treated differently than African American slaves since they had slightly more freedom and rights, but in many ways they are also treated the same. The social construction of race between the Europeans, Indigenous People, and Africans led to the establishment of how one group is different from the other.
This revolutionary system of politics that did not rely on a king was just one of the differences between the American colonies and Great Britain. The pragmatism and diversity necessary in the colonies emboldened the colonists to create a completely new culture. People who started out as citizens of their respective countries slowly created a new language and a new society that was complete with a self-regulated economy. This new society would, eventually, become the United States of America.
Scholars have debated not only the nature of Iberian colonialism, but also the impact that independence had on the people of Latin America. Historian Jaime E. Rodriguez said that, “The emancipation of [Latin America] did not merely consist of separation from the mother country, as in the case of the United States. It also destroyed a vast and responsive social, political, and economic system that functioned well despite many imperfections.” I believe that when independence emerged in Latin America, it was a positive force. However, as time progressed, it indeed does cause conflict.
First, Britain had some tremendous natural attributes. It was naturally endowed with many deposits of coal and iron ore, which were used heavily in the early stages of factory production. In addition, Britain was situated at a critical point for international trade. Its position between the United States and the rest of Europe allowed them to have a serious impact in all matters of trade. Likewise, a multitude of navigable waterways, easy access to the sea, and a mild climate all contributed to the onset of industrialism. Britain's topography was conducive to industrialism because its diversity allowed for the production of many agricultural products, preventing any sort of shortage or famine. Evans remarks, “Each single such advantage could be replicated in other European countries and some could be accentuated, but no other nation enjoyed such a rich combination of natural bounties” (111). Furthermore, the nation was free of many trade tariffs that hampered industry in other European nations while featuring a real opportunity for upward movement in society which provided a great incentive for acquiring wealth. Britain also experienced tremendous population growth which provided a potential workforce as well as an increase in the demand for goods.