Latin American Revolutions Mini-Q

Latin American Revolutions Mini-Q Latin American Independence: Why Did the Creoles Lead the Fight? EV Overview: Between 1810 and 1826, revolutions broke out across Latin America. Many Latin Ameri-cans resented the control Spain had over its colonies in North and South America. The leaders above, Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, were two of the key Latin American leaders in the struggle for independence from Spain. Both men came from a class of people known as Creoles or Criollos. Like most leaders in the fight for independence, these two Creole men were born in the Americas but their ancestors were from Europe. The question you will answer in this Mini-Q is Latin American Indepen-dence: Why Did the Creoles Lead the Fight? The Documents: Document A: Complex National Identity Document B: Rivalry Between Creoles and Peninsulares Document C: Spanish Economic Policies Document D: Economic Troubles in Mexico Document E: Popular Revolution in Mexico Document F. Cicules React to Social Tensions A Mini Document Based Question (Mini-Q) 2012 The DR Projec This page may be reproduced for classroom use 149 Hook Exercise: Ranking Social Groups Directions: By the late 18th century, a rigid social hierarchy existed in colonial Latin America. Certain groups had more power and privilege than others, and there was little room for social advancement. Below are descriptions of the main social classes that made up colonial Spanish America. With a partner, read through the descriptions and then fill in the circle diagram and social pyramid below. Mestizos were people of mixed Spanish and Indian heritage who in 1800 made up about 7% of the total population. Most mestizos were small farmers, shopkeepers, artisans, and overseers in mines and on haciendas (ranches and plantations). EV Peninsulares were people born in Spain who migrated to the colonies. Peninsulares made up less than 1% of the colonial population. Some peninsulares were very wealthy, but not all. Peninsulares worked in high-ranking jobs in the government, military and church. Indian peoples made up well over 50% of the population of colonial Latin America. These were the people who lived in Latin America before the arrival of the Spanish. By law, Native villages were forced to provide labor in Spanish mines and farms. Slaves were of African descent, and many were born in Africa. Slaves were about 11% of the popu-lation. Under colonial law, slaves were considered property and could be bought and sold. Mulattos and Free Blacks: Mulattos were people of mixed African and Spanish blood. More so than in North America, blacks in Spanish America were able to buy their freedom. Together, free blacks and mulattos made up about 8% of the population. Creoles were people of pure Spanish blood who were born in America. Their ancestry went back to the original conquistadores - something they were very proud of. Creoles made up about 23% of the population. Creoles owned the largest and richest mines and haciendas. Despite their wealth, Creoles held few high-ranking jobs in the government, church, or trade. These jobs went to the peninsulares. Task One: Create a pie chart that shows the names and percent-ages of the six social classes in colonial Latin America. Spanish America Social Hierarchy Task Two: Determine where you think each group falls in the social hierarchy. Write each social class name on the pyramid Re prepared to defend your decisions. Latin American Independence: Why Did the Creoles Lead the Fight? "We came to serve God and to get rich." So said the conquistador, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, about the Spanish conquest of the Americas. In their search for gold and souls to save, Spain created an empire that extended as far north as Colorado and as far south as Patagonia in South-ern Chile. This empire lasted for over 300 years. Then, between the years 1811 and 1830 one Spanish colony after another - Uruguay, Para-guay, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, the United Provinces of Central America, Peru, Bo-livia, Columbia, and Venezuela - declared their independence from Spain. Why did Latin Americans become unhappy with Spanish rule? One major complaint was that the Spanish were unwilling to share political power. The Spanish crown appointed viceroys, or governors, who ruled the Spanish colo-nies. Even after several generations of colonial rule, viceroys and other govern-ment officials always came from Spain and rarely consulted with Americanos leaders who had always lived in the Americas. Another annoyance was Spain's economic policies. Spain believed the purpose of the colonies was to build the wealth of the mother country. Under the economic system called mercantilism, the Spanish officials took the majority of the profits from resources they found in the Ameri-cas. More of this story will be told by the docu-ments. Despite these political and economic griev-ances, we know from the historical record that as late as 1800 there was little revolutionary activity in Latin America. Then, however, some-thing happened. In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte's French army invaded Spain, removed the Span-ish king from the throne, and replaced him with Napoleon's brother. Because Spain was up to its elbows in trouble, it could not pay proper atten-tion to its colonies across the Atlantic Ocean. This created an opening for Americanos like Simon Bolivar, Juan de San Martin, and Agus-tin de Uturbide. Wasn't this the perfect time for Latin American colonies to remove Spanish authority and declare their independence? A big question was what this independence would look like. Bolivar, San Martine, and Uturbide were all Creoles, born in America but of pure Spanish blood. As much as they wanted OREGUN TERRITORY UNITED STATES MEXICO Geff of UNITED PROVINKOF CENTRAL AMERIKA ATLANTIC OCEAN VENEZUELA PACIFIC OCEAN EMPISE OF SE BOLIVIA Independent Latin American states in 1830 ARGENTINE URUGUAY to be rid of the Spanish they were always uneasy about the racial mix of people who made up the rest of the Latin American population - slaves, free blacks, mulattos, mestizos, not to mention the Spanish-born pure-blooded peninsulares. With this mixed population, creating a new coun-try with a stable government, a strong economy, and a sense of nationhood was a real challenge. This Mini-Q dives into the excitement and the complexity of revolutionary Latin America. Examine the six documents that follow and answer the question before us: Latin American independence: Why did the Creoles lead the fight? E Background Essay Questions 1. Why did Spain create colonies in Latin America? 2. Name Spanish Latin American countries that became independent between 1800 and 1830. 3. Which countries on both sides of the Atlantic experienced revolutions during the late 18th and early 19th centuries? 4. How did Napoleon's invasion of Spain influence independence movements in Latin America? 5. How many racial groups existed in Latin America during the 18th century? 6. From which social class did most Latin American revolutionaries come? 7. Define these terms: colonies viceroys Americanos mercantilism Creoles mulattos mestizos peninsulares Timeline 1492-Italian Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain, reaches the Americas 1780-Industrial Revolution begins in England. 1776-North American colonies declare independence from England. 1789-French revolution begins. King Louis XVI is executed in 1793. 1803-Thomas Jefferson purchases Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte. 1804-Simon Bolivar attends Napoleon I's coronation in France. Haiti hecomes independent country from France 1809-1824-Rebellions for independence rage throughout Latin America EV