Racism In Latin America

By the end of the 18th century things Latin America where beginning to change. No longer happy with the European control, the creole’s wished to reform the nations and push forward on their own terms . The result was about 16 years’ worth of war throughout the Continent, lasting from 1808 to 1824 . Although not every nation became a part of these revolutions, as Brazil and Cuba did not, the rest became “young republics” . But these republics were now tasked with a new challenge, to form there new identities. By revolting the republics had parted themselves from everything in their past lives, and now had to show who they truly were not that they were free. Around the same time though an increase in the book trade with Europe would expand Latin America’s understanding of the world. These books provide Latin Americans with the latest social ideas to the latest scientific theory, namely Darwinism. Darwinism offered a new way to explain biology, but a problem though arose when this theory applied to humans. The theory claimed that those of European decent were in fact the fittest, were subhuman. The theory then gave a new justification to racism. Latin America also displayed these racist ideas. For example, Sarmiento claims that the only hope for

With a revolution brewing, the oil companies began to look like safe havens . Additionally the companies offered the Huastects a greater than was possible income than through farming. The hiring of the Huastects, depicts a sharp contrast to previously racist notions. Although they may have done menial jobs, the hiring shows that Latin American nations, were willing to change in order to advance. The need for workers made it so that any labourer would be accepted and used in order to develop the nation. Thus Therefore, the act of “proletatintion”, deemed racial differences meaningless, in the name of