Enlightenment Period effect on Latin America
Enlightenment period effect on the future of Latin America
Two political revolutions arose from the Enlightenment philosophy: the French Revolution and the American Revolution. The motto of the French Revolution, “liberté, egalité, fraternité,” captures of the ideas they were fighting for: liberty, equality, and rights.1 News of this overthrowing of the government reached many places, one of those being Latin America. During the colonial period, a great social gap developed between the peninsulares (Spanish people born in
Spain) and criollos (Spanish people born in New Spain). Resentment was so great that indians, criollos, and mestizos (a mix between Spanish and Indians) went past their ethnic differences and united against peninsulares. Indians long begrudged the power and self-righteousness of the
Spanish settlers, hence their enthusiastic participation in the uprising. Criollos had both social and political resentment, having been denied political power and been considered crude and unsophisticated by the peninsulares. Mestizos too were tired of Spanish domination and wished for important civil and religious positions. They thought that removal of Spanish authority may lead to male suffrage, separation of church and state, and an economic revolution that would dissolve larger states and distribute them among the poor. Unlike Indians, mestizos viewed criollos as part
1
Scollon, Ronald, and Suzanne B. K. Scollon. Intercultural Communication: A Discourse Ap-
proach. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 1995. Print.
Research Paper
Martinez 2
of the Spanish authority, but they still joined forces against Spain.2 The Enlightenment would bring conflicting ideals to the Latin America between the people and ruling elites.
Revolution started in Mexico with El Grito de Dolores by the criollo priest Miguel Hidalgo on September 16, 1810.3 Indians, mestizos, and criollos joined to fight Spain and by September
27, 1821, Mexico ended the Independence
Two political revolutions arose from the Enlightenment philosophy: the French Revolution and the American Revolution. The motto of the French Revolution, “liberté, egalité, fraternité,” captures of the ideas they were fighting for: liberty, equality, and rights.1 News of this overthrowing of the government reached many places, one of those being Latin America. During the colonial period, a great social gap developed between the peninsulares (Spanish people born in
Spain) and criollos (Spanish people born in New Spain). Resentment was so great that indians, criollos, and mestizos (a mix between Spanish and Indians) went past their ethnic differences and united against peninsulares. Indians long begrudged the power and self-righteousness of the
Spanish settlers, hence their enthusiastic participation in the uprising. Criollos had both social and political resentment, having been denied political power and been considered crude and unsophisticated by the peninsulares. Mestizos too were tired of Spanish domination and wished for important civil and religious positions. They thought that removal of Spanish authority may lead to male suffrage, separation of church and state, and an economic revolution that would dissolve larger states and distribute them among the poor. Unlike Indians, mestizos viewed criollos as part
1
Scollon, Ronald, and Suzanne B. K. Scollon. Intercultural Communication: A Discourse Ap-
proach. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 1995. Print.
Research Paper
Martinez 2
of the Spanish authority, but they still joined forces against Spain.2 The Enlightenment would bring conflicting ideals to the Latin America between the people and ruling elites.
Revolution started in Mexico with El Grito de Dolores by the criollo priest Miguel Hidalgo on September 16, 1810.3 Indians, mestizos, and criollos joined to fight Spain and by September
27, 1821, Mexico ended the Independence
Cited: "Agustin De Iturbide (emperor of Mexico)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. Consular, Gaceta. ""El Grito" (the Cry)." : Mexico Culture & Arts. Feb.-Mar. 2007. Web. 08 Mar. De Iturbide. John Murray. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. "Jose De San Marti-n (1778-1850)." José De San MartÃ-n. University of Notre Dame. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. Olson, James Stuart. The Ethnic Dimension in American History. New York: St. Martin 's, 1979. Scollon, Ronald, and Suzanne B. K. Scollon. Intercultural Communication: A Discourse Approach. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 1995. Print. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. iberalismo-en-mexico.htm. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. Amazon.com: Books. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. Ardao, Arturo. "Assimilation and Transformation of Positivism in Latin America."JSTOR. University of Pennsylvania Press. Web. 15 Mar. 2012.