Race In Latin America

1. The way you'll be treated by others is dependent on the color of your skin.

1.1. This is seen in most of this weeks reading, if you were of African descent you were definitely treated differently. Whether it was through exile or segregation or you were treated just as equally as everyone else.

1.2. Doesn’t even matter if you see yourself one way, because in the eyes of those who are the most powerful is how you are going to be seen and treated as.

1.3. Laws were put into place that exiled any foreigners, which were usually aimed towards Africans. Like Argentina’s Law of Social Defense. They began with a residency law that kicked any foreigners out, right at the time when they were getting a flood of immigrants into the country.

1.3.1. Also there were laws that segregated any foreigners from public places, making it impossible for them to go anywhere without being segregated.

1.4. There were also countries that were a bit more lenient with foreigners. For example Brazil, they didn’t believe in racial inferiority. They assumed that if they adopted a “white” society then they would all eventually become “white” and “upgrade” all as one. Brazilians still had their issues with race but they were not as extreme as other countries were.

2. It is unfortunate that even though you don’t pick what race you are, you are either going to be accepted or rejected by those in power. It doesn’t matter if a war happens so that everyone can be treated equally, after time xenophobia creeps its way back into minds. Unless there is a complete change of heart and attitude, this will always happen.

3. War was a result of not being happy with they way people was being treated.

3.1. In the US, French, and Haitian war was a result of the people’s discontent. All were similar because they used the power of the masses to gain control of what they believed was rightfully theirs.

3.2. Even though the wars were meant to gain equality, most Africans were allowed to fight but not allowed to hold authority. Go figure.

3.3. The Haitian Revolution was the only successful one because they had succeeded in ending not just slavery but French control over the colony

4. Xenophobia is a recurring theme in all of these countries. As soon as someone from another race comes into their land, those in power will do whatever they can to get rid of the immigrants.