Latin American revolutions: The racial injustice

In class, the teacher assigns the students essential questions to answer throughout each lesson. The essential questions for this unit were, "Why is it essential to acknowledge human value regardless of race? How are the events in the Latin American Revolutions evidence of this social imperative?" An individual's value should be acknowledged no matter what race they are. Everyone is the same inside and out; their race should not be a barrier to the way they are suppose to be treated. Events that occurred throughout the revolutions in Latin America were a social impact on race. For a better understanding on the impact of race in the Latin American revolutions, the class read a document that provided information on the populations that made up Latin America.  

This pie chart shows the population of what made up Latin America 

These are descriptions of what each race was 

The class also made observations on a painting  called Casta Art which  trace the convoluted  racial mixing of the people in Mestizaje which is a process of race mixing. Below presents a painting of the Casta Art.

 The class then divided into three groups, each group being assigned 1 of the 3 locations that a Latin American  revolution took place. The options were Brazil, Mexico, and Gran Colombia. After groups picked their country, their task was to create a timeline based on the information that was provided in the documents they read from. Later, the class broke into smaller groups with each group having at least two representatives of their country and shared their timelines in the smaller group.

Below is the timeline of Mexico 

In the smaller groups, after representatives shared thier timelines, group members were to find similarities and differences between their revolutions. Some similarities that groups discovered was that all the revolutions resulted in the country gaining independence. Also, all the countries rebelled against European rulers. The differences were that each revolt took place in different locations and each ruler was different. Although each revolution were in different routes for independence race was a big issue. In Brazil, the elites,a group of people to be considered the best in thier society, with the leading of Minas Gerias rebelled against the imperial taxes, who were creole, and also rebelled against the peninsulares from Europe. In Mexico, under  Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide's rule, Mexican army and political leader, viewed Mexicans or mixed Indian with less rights. In Gran Colombia, Santísima Trinidad Bolívar , a military and political ruler, was raised by slaves. Being raised by slaves changed his view on the whole race conflict that occurred in Gran Colombia and he supported people that aversed the country.  

Unfortunately, race is still an issue people face in society today. Lately, there have been shootings of young Africain Americain males. For example, Treyvon Martin was a young Africian American boy who was unarmed and shot by George Zimmerman, a mixed race Hispanic man that was a neighborhood watch coordinator. Zimmerman was questioned but was never found guilty. Another similar event occurred in August were another young Africain Americain boy by the name of Mike Brown was fatally shot by Caucasian officer Darren Wilson. Akin to Martin, Brown was also unarmed but Wilson was trialed and later was found not guilty. Another recent shooting took place when a 12 year old Africain Americain boy, Ramirez rice, was shot by officer Timothy Loehman and later died. Information had not yet been realeased on weather officer Loehman is going to be charged or not. Ivins Rosier, an Africain Americain boy was sentenced 23 years in prison for shooting a police dog during a burglary. Many people may have different opinions which argue against the fact that the deaths and accusations of these young Africian Americains boys have nothing to do with thier race but I do. I believe that a person who is unarmed should not be shot to the point where they lose thier life.  Police officers are trained to shoot a suspect where they make the person weak enough to arrest them. Yes, there are background stories to Treyvon Martin, Mike Brown, Ramirez rice and Ivins Rosier that make them seem like a bad person and even may consider them a criminal but the outcomes of thier situation should have been different. History will always effect the way society works. Race will always be a problem in the world. The only way to decrease racial injustice is for people to work together as one.

 

There are many qualities that make a great leader. For example, great leaders must have self awareness. They must acknowledge their inner strengths and weaknesses.They must be able to direct themselves both powerfully and effectively. A leader must have a vision and have the ability of working towards a goal that is greater than themselves and benefits the people. An example of a great leader is Malcolm X who was an African American activist who fought for their natural rights. Malcolm X had engaging characteristics such as the previous that was listed which made it easy for people to follow him. Toussaint Louverture was an admirable leader in the 1800s. Like Malcolm X, Louverture also fought for the rights of  people, specifically the slaves that were in Saint Domingue.  As French ruled Saint Domingue, it became the European power’s richest colony. Toussaint Louverture was born into the world in 1740. As slave he was a herder, coachman, and later became an overseer for other slaves. In 1789 after many plantations were burned down by slaves because of the refusal to end slavery, Toussaint Louverture became a leader of the rebellion after encouraging slaves to rebel and fight for their freedom from the Caucasian planters. Louverture’s role in Saint Domingue’s fight for independence cannot be overstated. Louverture’s legacy should be that of a liberator of slaves, a military commander, and a ruler of Saint Domingue during and following their struggle for independence from France.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toussaint_Louverture

Despite asserting his leadership as a military commander and a ruler, Louverture’s leadership during the slave rebellion in Saint Domingue resulted in his remembrance in the modern day.  After becoming a freed slave, Louverture devoted his life to the liberation of all slaves on the island of Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti.  In the year of 1791, a revolt took place starting the Haitian Revolution caused by the slaves wanting to gain independence.  As the revolution began in the Northern part of Saint Domingue, Louverture served as a doctor and commander to the troops. He then trained the troops in guerrilla tactics where troops learned to use their surroundings to remain undercover. Another warfare tactic utilized by Louverture  was “European- style,” where troops learned how to fight shoulder to shoulder which was important because most of the battles were fought in this style. In the timeline of Abolition in Saint Domingue it stated that in 1794 "The revolutionary government in France under Robespierre abolishes slavery in France and all its colonies(Document. A).” Louverture and his troops ended their revolt against French colonialists as  the French government in Paris abolished slavery on the island. Later, in 1796, Louverture, General Dessalines and General Christophe, former slaves who helped lead the revolt, organized an army against the British who were concerned about slave abolishment extending to other colonies such as Jamaica. These events that took place not only show Toussaint Louverture as a military leader,  but as a liberator of slaves because he organized his army for the purpose of  fighting for their freedom. Also, he wavered in his siding  with French, depending on the French government’s views regarding the abolishment of slavery. Furthermore,  in 1797, Louverture  wrote a letter to the French government threatening action if they were to reinstate slavery. In the letter Louverture wrote, "I declare to you that this would be to attempt the impossible: we have known how to confront change to our liberty, and we will know how to confront death to preserve it (Document. B)." In Toussaint Louverture’s opinion, it was impossible to reinstate slavery in Saint Domingue because the slaves were already free and would be willing to fight to the death to preserve their freedom. Louverture assembled and headed the commission, forming Saint Domingue's constitution of 1801. Under the title II of the new constitution: "There cannot exists slaves in this territory, servitude is therein forever abolished. All men are born, live and die free( Document. C)." This furthers Louverture’s cause as a prime opponent to slavery because he was able to create a legally binding constitution that made all men born free. Toussaint Louverture should be remembered as a liberator of slaves based on the timeline of abolition in Saint Domingue, his leader to the French Directory and Saint Domingue's constitution of 1801.

In 1801, after Toussaint abolished slavery, he became ruler of Saint Domingue, presenting another justification for his remembrance.  As a ruler of Saint Domingue, Toussaint was able to make a proclamation establishing more laws with regards to the population that was refusing to work . The proclamation stated, "As soon as a child can walk, he should be employed on the plantation according to his strength in some useful work (Document D)." Louverture wanted to make sure the country's agriculture did the best it could. In fact, any individual who decided to break this law was arrested by the local police. Also, if a plantation supervisor failed to report runaway vagabonds, they would be sentenced to a week in jail. Although the punishments for breaking the law were harsh, as a ruler of Saint Domingue, Toussaint Louverture needed to make tough decisions to ensure the success of the nation’s economy. Another example of Toussaint Louverture’s leadership over Saint Domingue was his establishment of the commission that created the constitution of Saint Domingue in 1801. Under title VIII of the constitution,  it states, " The constitution nominate citizen Toussaint-Louverture, chief General of the army if Saint-Domingue and...he is entrusted the direction thereof for the remainder of his glorious life (Document C)." Toussaint is named leader of Saint Domingue in this constitution. This document shows that Louverture should be renamed as a ruler of Saint Domingue because he was in charge of writing the constitution from which the formation of the nation was based.

Finally, Toussaint Louverture was a superior military leader, another remarkable quality of his. Toussaint did not rule without resistance of his citizens.  In fact, after gaining their freedom, many former slaves objected the plantation system because they were essentially doing the same work that they had done as slaves, but were now earning money for it.  Also, the plantations were ruled by the same slavers of the former slaves which left the slaves feeling as if nothing changed for them. Hyacinthe Mayse, Louverture’s adopted nephew believed that Toussaint Louverture was wrong to support plantation farming. Mayse and other former slaves distrusted Louverture because he was very friendly with the Caucasian planter class and also, it was unfair of him to force former slaves to work under the same plantation owners they previously worked for. Mayse challenged Louverture’s policies in agriculture and organized a rebellion on October 29, 1801 on the Northern Plain.  Louverture was so angry that in response, to this rebellion, as it states in the document, “... he ordered the mutineer regiments on parade and summoned certain men to step out of the ranks and blow their brains out (Document E).” Louverture made the troops that participated in the rebellion to kill themselves. His nephew was later arrested and executed. Although the consequences were harsh, his reaction to the rebellion showed that him maintaining order as a military leader making sure things go as planned and not to the consent of the slaves. Toussaint Louverture had many character traits that made him a good leader such as generosity, humanity, and courage which helped posses him to gain his soldiers confidence and respect. In 1801, Napoleon desired to take over Saint Domingue again with a feasible goal of reinstating slavery. Napoleon sent troops to the port city of Samana, according to Louverture, to try to reinstate slavery. In reactant as said, in A Description of Toussaint Louverture, “Toussaint and his generals at once abandoned the towns and betook themselves to the mountains( Document F).” Louverture’s troops burned down the city and traveled to the Alps mountains before the French troops arrived. this left the troops at a disadvantage because there were no resources upon their arrival. Also, the Haitian  troops had more time to prepare and French were on accustomed to fighting in the city not in mountains. This document proves that Louverture should be remembered as a military leader because he trained his army to become great soldiers by training them how to use guerilla and European tactics.

Toussaint Louverture had a legacy that people should definitely remember because  he was able to make great changes in Haiti. He was able to free slaves which was a big achievement considering that he was a former slave. With the accomplishment of liberating all slaves he was able to rule Saint Domingue. He had harsh consequences that made him a leader to despise but also made him a leader to admire because his consequences showed that he was a strong leadership skills and did not put up with things that would hurt the country and things went as planned. His military skills were superior which made his troops win a lot of the battles that took place. Toussaint Louverture should be remembered mostly because liberating slaves but also for ruling Saint Domingue and being a great military leader.


The documents
Document A: Timeline of Abolition in Saint Domingue
Document B: Letter to the French Directory, November 1791
Document C: Constitution of 1801
Document D: Proclamation, 25 November 1801
Document E: 1801 Rebellion Against Toussaint
Document F: The Battle of Samana

Below is a link to a very interesting video about the Haitian Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A_o-nU5s2U

Revolutions between 1830 and 1848

The revolutions between 1830 and 1848 such as the Decembrist revolt, French Revolution of 1830, the French Revolution of 1848, the Frankfurt assembly and Hungarian revolution of 1848 were concluded as complete failures according to historians. In class to help students better classify the failures of each revolution students created a scale of failure. Then the teacher sorted the class into groups and assigned each group one of the revolutions listed previously. Each group was to read facts about thier revolution and create a survey monkey using primary sources. Creating the Scale of failures adviced each group an enhanced comprehension on what to consider a complete failure. Creating the survey monkeys helped students learn about other groups assigned revolutions

My group's assinged revolution was the Hungarian revolution of 1848. This revolution started in the Austrian empire when a revolt broke out in Vienna caused by students and workers protesting. This revolt caused Metternich to resign and flee. The revolution began to quickly expanse to other parts of the empire. In Budapest, a Hungarian hero, Louis kossuth led a Hungarian nationlist in favor of a independent government, the end of serfdom and a written constitution. In A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year, Volume 2 By Edwin Emerson, Maurice Magnus 1900 , it stated, "Kossuth declared in the Diet “From the charnel house of the Viennese system a poison laden atmosphere steals over us It would paralyze our nerves and pin us down when we might soar The future of Hungary..." This excerpt describes what kossuth wanted from the diet. In Prauge Czechz  requested the same demands. Austrian empire agreed to reform due to the overwhelmed of events that occurred at this time. Gains were only temporary because shortly Austrian troops recaptured their power of Praugue and Vienna with the assistance of the Russian troops.  From the National song of Hungarary written by Alexander Petofi it stated,"The time has come, say one and all: Shall we be slaves, shall we be free? This is the question, now agree! For by the Magyar's God above." This song provided a rebels perpective during the Hungarian revolution. They felt like they were slaves Rebels in Budapest were destroyed and many were also executed, imprisoned or exiled.

Below are screenshots of my groups survey monkey on the Hungarian revolution. The results showed that students in the class learned the survey.

Although the results of the revolutions listed above  were failures, success was achieved at some point during the revolution. For example, during the French Revolution of 1848 the congress of Vienna was able to restore Louis XVIII to the French throne were be was able to issue a monarchy. Also, the French revolution of 1848 the National Assembly was dominated by members who wanted to change order and issued a constitution. The only complete failure of a revolution was the Decembrist revolt where no success was made and any rebels were imprisoned and excuted. The French Revolution of 1848 and 1830 were just two examples of temporary  success but the Decembrist revolt was a complete failure.

Congress of Vienna: Holy Alliance

When one's power is being threatened, they should seek alliance from another country for help. In class, the teacher sorted students into groups and assigned the groups a problem that was needed to be fixed after the defeat of Napoleon. Groups then predicted how they would rectify  those problems. After each group came up with  ideas for solution, the teacher put the real solutions up on the board and students record notes. This helped students get an idea on what the Congress of Vienna was.  

Metternich was the Austrian ruler and a leading figure during the Congress of Vienna. After the battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon was defeated,  the Congress of Vienna established guiding principles which would shape the direction of Europe for the rest of the 19th century. The Congress of Vienna concerned the reapportionment of Europe after the fall of Napoleon and the demise of the French empire. The Holy Alliance consist of four European powers: Russia, Prussia, Austria,and France. Metternich used the Holy Alliance to threaten France, so if France tried to attack, the other three allies would be able to defend one another and retaliate with greater force than the French. The impact was that it prevented a weakened France from attacking the other members of the Holy Alliance. It also took away many of their colonial holdings and made them more reliant on other European powers for economic and military support.

 I do not think the powerful people of Vienna made the correct choice of creating the new guiding principles because they g made it possible for another revolution with France . I think the power between all five countries in the principle of legitimacy should have been equally distributed to avoid chaos and future revolutions. Although there was 40 years of peace between the five leading powers in Europe. If there were little adjustments made to Napoleon's conquest, there would have been less 

Video clip from Napoleon and Metternich: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJGW0jf-rmU&feature=youtu.be

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visual of the holy Alliance: http://westerncivguides.umwblogs.org/2012/02/28/the-holy-alliance/