LAGUNA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

STA. CRUZ, LAGUNA

Charisse Lyka E. Ajoc A/Prof. Rhoneil Vibora

BSED Soc Sci II C

HISTORY: Before the Nation Building in the Americas

First settlers in America

Asian nomads are thought to have entered the Americas via the Bering Land
Bridge (Beringia), now the Bering Strait, and possibly along the coast.

Before the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the
region was home to many indigenous peoples, a number of which had advanced
civilizations, most notably from South; the Olmec, Maya, Muisca and Inca.

What were the reasons for exploration and colonization?

They ended up colonizing North America for different economic reasons. Spain
colonized America because they were searching for gold and silver. They did find a lot
of gold and silver when they conquered the Aztec and Inca Empires. France colonized
North America because of the great amount of furs they found there.

The discovery of America

It is commonly said that "Columbus discovered America." It would be more

accurate, perhaps, to say that he introduced the Americas to Western Europe during his
four voyages to the region between 1492 and 1502.
 America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who set forth the
then revolutionary concept that the lands that Christopher Columbus sailed to in 1492
were part of a separate continent.

NATION BUILDING IN THE AMERICA

(LATIN AMERICA)

LATIN AMERICA GAIN THEIR INDEPENDENCE

I. NATIONALIST REVOLTS
A. By the end of the 18th century, the political ideals of the revolution in
North America were threatening European control of Latin America.
B. Privilege social classes divided colonial Latin America.
1. Peninsulares- Top level
2. Creoles- Controlled land and businesses.
3. Mestizos- largest segment, worked as servants or labourers.
C. Creole elites were especially influenced by revolutionary ideals.
1. They liked the ideas of free press, free trade, and equality before the
law.
2. Also resented colonial control of trade.
a. esp. the peninsulares.
D. Creole elites denounced the rule of Spain and Portugal.
1. Spain and Portugal were weakened by the defeats at the hand of
Napoleon.

E. On the Island of Hispaniola more than one hundred thousand slaves

rose up and seized control of the island.
1. 1804 the area now called Haiti became the first independent state in
Latin America.
F. Mexico experienced a revolt beginning in 1810.
 1. Miguel Hidalgo inspired by the French Revolution, he urged the
mestizos to free themselves from the Spanish.
G. In 1810 Hidalgo led an unsuccessful armed attack on the Spaniards.
1. They were defeated and Hidalgo was executed.
2. September 16 is Mexico’s Independence Day.
H. The involvement of Indians and mestizos in the revolt against Spain
frightened both the creoles and peninsulares.
1. They cooperated in defeating the popular revolutionary forces.
2. They then overthrew the Spanish in order to preserve their own power.
I. In 1821 Mexico declared its independence from Spain.
1. Agustin de Iturbide named himself emperor in 1822, but was removed.
2. Mexico then became a republic.
J. Two members of the creole elite are considered liberator of South
America.
1. Jose de San Martin- Argentina
2. Simon Bolivar- Venezuela
K. San Martin believed the Spanish had to be removed from all of S.
American countries for any nation to be free.
1. He freed Argentina by 1810.
2. In 1817 he led forces against the Spanish in Chile. He surprised the
Spanish, and their forces were defeated.
L. San Martin wanted to move on to Lima, the center of Spanish
authority.
1. Allied with Simon Bolivar because he knew he would need help.

M. By the end of the 1820s, S and C America were free of the Spanish.

1. Concert of Europe- Use force to restore Spanish Rule.

2. Monroe Doctrine- Warned against European involvement in L. America
and guaranteed the independence of the new Latin American Nations.
II. Difficulties of Nation Building
 A. The new L. American nations faced many serious problems between
1830 and 1870, such as border wars, a huge loss of property and people,
and no modern infrastructure.
B. Over the 19th century these new countries will become economically
dependent on Europe and the U.S. once again.
C. The new nations began as republics, but soon caudillos came to
power.
1. Caudillos ruled by force.
2. Mexican ruler Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
a. He misused state funds, halted reforms, and created chaos.
b. 1835 settlers in Texas revolted against him.
D. In 1836 Texas gained its independence.
1. War between Mexico and the U.S. soon followed (1846-1848).
2. Mexico lost nearly ½ of its territory.
E. Santa Anna’s rule followed by a period of reform dominated by
Benito Juarez.
1. Child of Native American peasants.
F. The U.S. intervention in L. America led to the building of the Panama
Canal (1914).
1. The U.S. controlled it for most of the 20th century.
G. Political independence did not translate into economic
independence. Britain and other Western nations dominated the Latin
American economy.
1. L.A. continued to be a source of raw materials and food for the
industrial west.
2. Finished consumer goods, especially textiles, were imported.
H. A basic problem for all L.A. nations was the domination of society by
elites.
1. Large estates remained a way of life in L.A.H. Land remained the basis
of wealth, prestige, and power in L.A. throughout the 19th century.
 2. The elite ran governments and made huge profits, while the masses
lived in dire poverty.
III. POLITICAL CHANGE IN LATIN AMERICA
A. After 1870 L.A. governments wrote constitutions similar to those in the
United States and Europe.
1. Ruling elites kept their power, by restricting voting rights.
B. Effects of the Spanish American War.
1. Cuba became a protectorate of the U.S.
2. Puerto Rico annexed by the U.S.
3. U.S. supported a rebellion that allowed Panama to become
independent. a. In return U.S. received the land to build the Panama
Canal.
C. American investments in Latin America were protected by military force.
1. The Marines were in Haiti from 1915-1934.
2. Nicaragua from 1909-1933.
a. Resentment built against the big power from the north.
D. In Mexico, among other Latin American countries, large landowners
supported dictators who looked out for the interests of the ruling elite.
1. Dictator Porfirio Diaz ruled Mexico between 1877 and 1911 with the
support of the army, the Catholic Church, the aristocrats, and foreign capitalists.
E. Wages declined under this dictator, and 95% of the rural population did
not own land.
1. A liberal landowner force Diaz out, and a wider revolution started.
2. Emiliano Zapata demanded agrarian reform.
3. He led the peasants against the wealthy.
F. A new constitution enacted in Mexico in 1917 set up a government led by
a president, created land reform, established limits on foreign investment,
and set out to help workers.
IV. ECONOMIC CHANGE IN LATIN AMERICA
A. Latin America had a period of economic prosperity after 1870.
1. This was due to the exportation of a few major items.
 a. Wheat and beef from Argentina.
b. Coffee from Brazil,
c. Bananas from Central America.
B. After 1900 Latin America began doing more of its own manufacturing.
C. Due to the prosperity, the middle sectors of Latin American society
grew.
1. The middle sectors were only 5 to 10 percent of the population.
D. Members of the Latin America middle sectors had shared
characteristics;

1. They lived in cities.

2. Sought education and decent incomes.

3. Saw the U.S. as a model for industrialization.

 REFERENCES:

Hauck, J. (2012). Retrieved from. https://www.slideshare.net/jasonhauck/chapter-14-

section-4?next_slideshow=1

Minter, B.(2019). Retrieved from. https://www.thoughtco.com/introduction-to-the-

colonial-era-2136329

Scaruffi, P. (2008). Retrieved from. https://www.scaruffi.com/politics/latin.html