Latin America VS. The British Colonies

The British colonies were better prepared for independence than their neighbors to the south for many reasons. One reason is because of the racial tensions and violence. Another reason was the literacy or lack there of in the new colonies.

 

 

The first reason the British colonies were better prepared is because of the racial tensions in violence that were present in Latin America but not in the British colonies.

 

In Latin America, slaves were the heavy majority of the population.  Therefore, they didn't need much of a reason to revolt because they outnumbered whites and saw a chance for freedom. Tension was also extremely high.  Another reason slaves were an issue in Latin America is because both sides treated the other with extreme brutality. However, in the British colonies, racial tension was not an issue because the whites outnumbered the blacks.  Even if the slaves wanted to rebel, the chance that they would succeed was very low.  Also, this was not an issue because nobody ever brought it up as an issue.  Whites in the British colonies were more focused on a social and political reform at the time rather than a slavery reform.

 

 

Another reason the British colonies were better prepared is because of literacy.  In Latin America, only about 10% of the population was literate during the beginning of independence.  Also, the language barrier was much greater in Latin America as many people spoke many different languages.  This was not a problem in the British colonies because nearly 100% of the population was literate and spoke English.  This made it much easier for people to communicate easier for a government to be established.

 

 

 

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Haitian Revolution Post

The new republic of Haiti did not receive much attention from other powerful nations around the world.  It was mainly ignored because this new republic was the first glimpse the rest of the world had seen of blacks in some positions of power.  France even made Haiti pay an independence fee which greatly hurt their young economy.  Thomas Jefferson, who was president of the United States at this time, didn't want to trade with Haiti because he was scared that the ideas of revolution would spread to slaves in the United States.  For this reason, the United States didn't help Haiti very much.  It even took the US 6 decades to recognize Haiti as a country.

 

 

The failure of the rest of the world to recognize Haiti as a country effected them greatly.  When they first became independent, France charged an independence tax, which greatly hurt their economy. Also, the US refused to help them because they were scared of their own revolution stirring up.  This left Haiti, a brand new country, virtually on their own with nobody to help them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture Link: http://cdn.hiphopwired.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/thomas_jefferson11.jpg

 

Napoleon Blog Post

Napoleon had many effects on Europe.  One effect he had was socially.  In Europe, Napoleon established a "meritocracy" in which people were rewarded based on their skills, rather than their social class. This caused people from higher social classes to lose their social status unless they worked hard to retain it. This caused people from higher social classes to despise Napoleon while people in lower social classes loved him. Also, all across Europe, French armies got rid of titles of nobility and ended church privileges.

Another effect Napoleon had on Europe was economically.  To restore economic prosperity, Napoleon controlled prices, and built new roads and canals.  This expanded trade and helped control the economy. Also, under Napoleon, more citizens had rights to property and access to education than had been the case before this rule. This made France more equal and educated.

Lastly, another effect Napoleon had on Europe was politically. Like stated before, Napoleon abolished old social classes and had people rewarded on how hard they worked, rather than what they were born into. Napoleon changed the way that Europe had always thought was right way to run things, and made a lasting impact that you can even see today.



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GB/US Comparison Post

During the Industrial Revolution, Industrialists were more likely to succeed in Great Britain.  In Great Britain, factories were open longer and the workers were paid less.  Therefore, Industrialism would be able to happen faster because of all the factory work that could happen. The passage stated that girls were locked up from morning until night, almost always doing work. The reason workers were able to be paid so low is because of the abundance of people that were looking for work.  If one person complained or refused to work because of the low wages, plenty of others were more than willing to take their place.  Another reason Industrialists would succeed in Great Britain is because the Industrial Revolution came to Britain before it went and spread to the United States. Industrialists would succeed much more in Great Britain rather than the United States.

 

 

During the Industrial Revolution, workers had a much more positive experience in the United States. In the passage about Great Britain, it states that girls were locked up from morning until night and working hard all that time.  These workers had minimal time to eat and had to do work as hard as they could or else risk being fired.  These workers were also paid very poorly, and they couldn't do a thing about it because if the did they could be easily replaced.

However, in the United States, conditions were much better for workers.  They were paid a decent salary, and the conditions were much cleaner compared to the factories in Great Britain. The workers in the United States were given more time to eat and also didn't have to work as many hours throughout the day.  They were given shelter to sleep in if they were younger as well. Working conditions were much better in the United States rather than Great Britain.

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Mary Paul Response

During the time where Mary Paul sent letters home from Lowell, her mood and writing tone became worse and worse.  She went from being optimistic and hopeful to being sick and out of a job. In the first letter, she states that she thinks she will have more opportunity in Lowell then she will ever have back home. In her next letter, she states that she has arrived in Lowell and things are going well.  She is making good wages and the boarding place is very nice. However, in the next couple letters, she talks about how she is feeling homesick and wishes her family would come down to see her. She also talks about how her pay is decreasing and the factory overseers are promising wages will return. Finally, in her last two letters, Mary talks about how she was sick for six months and even lost her job. She tried to return but her job was no longer there when she returned.  Mary's experiences show the difficulties encountered at the Lowell mills.

 

Mary's experience represents the success of the "Lowell Experiment" because it did to Mary exactly what is was designed to.  The Lowell Experiment was designed to bring teenage girls to Lowell to work in factories for generally low wages and then after a few years, when the girls became older, the factories would replace the old girls with new younger ones. This describes Mary's experience pretty well because she went to Lowell as a teenage girl and worked very hard in the mills. She started out making good wages but this soon declined. She then became very ill and the factory had no problem firing her and replacing her with another eager young girl.