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In the photograph, there are African Americans and white Americans in the same view. Since the two races of people were not often seen together, this is an antagonistic image. At this time, racial discrimination and violence were widespread. People of color have been discriminated against and were often than not used as slaves. Slavery is deep-rooted in the history of America. Slavery left a lasting impression on Latin American communities’ cultural, economic development, and social relations as it is in the picture. The African Americans were either being sold or transported to work in the farms of these White American’s. These enslaved children, men, and women of African descent were transported from tropical Caribbean islands and Brazil to the large farms in the United States. The picture gives a sample of around ten million Africans who were forced to cross to Atlantic to reside and work in the completely aliens’ lands in the United States. It is estimated that more Africans crossed the Atlantic Ocean compared to Europeans.  Many of these were forced to travel, with large numbers being used as slaves in European farms.

In the photograph, it is the Europeans who are well dressed in white gowns. On the other hand, the African Americans are half-dressed with no shirts on they have tattered clothes, and are barefooted. This is a clear indication of how less important they were during these times.  African Americans fought hard for their rights. They fought for a better life and the abolishment of slavery. This is because of the mistreatment and torture they were getting from their masters. They were doing a hard job and were hardly paid for their effort. They were deprived of many of their rights, human beings. 

Slavery in Latin America declined slowly and gradually compared to slavery in the United States, ended by the civil war (Wood & Alexander, 2019). The commercial trade of slaves was outlawed in the United Kingdom after dominating for about a century. Slave importers faced a lot of f challenges in their business when this law was passed.  They had to risk securing slave cargoes by using smuggling operations. Many of them left this business, reducing the number of laves in Latin America. Many Spanish America countries passed laws to abolish the slave trade. This led to the abolition era. What followed was an independence war where many slaves gained their freedom. However, in other parts of America, slavery was still being practiced. This includes Brazil, where slavery survived until 1888when the Golden law was passed. This law freed all slaves in this country unconditionally. 

The picture is a clear reflection of what happened in those days. The social status of African Americans and whites can be seen in the picture. African Americans are shown to be poor and less fortunate while their counterparts are wealthy and endorsed with resources. This was as a result of slavery. Although African Americans worked all day, they were not allowed to own property (Selbin, 2018). They lived in their master land. They were denied basic needs and rights. They were not allowed to own any piece of land. This made them poor and dependent on their masters. Some of the people in the image  look tense and uneasy, while the White Americans, who were considered their “masters” are comfortable and easy. This shows the power and command of the white master on their slaves. Their masters mistreated African Americans. Some were even killed with their body parts cut off when they did not follow the set rules. This clearly depicts the mood in the photograph.

Photo of a Church Dome

I chose this photo of a church dome to discuss the ongoing war between the liberals and conservatives in Latin America. At the time church and state were unified; the conservatives were in favor of this and worked very hard to keep things as they were. However, the liberals were in favor of democracy and believed it was morally wrong for these institutions to be unified.

The drastic difference in opinion amongst the two parties caused for much tension in Latin America during the nineteenth century. The Church played an important role in the lives of many, however, the Church was not accepting of all lifestyles and choices. According to John Lync, “In reaction the Church sought allies where it could … Conservatives believed that without the restraint of religion, people would be turbulent and anarchic, a defense of religion on the grounds not of its truth but of its social utility.” The Liberals longed for freedom, they believed they should be able to act and use their voices as they please. While Church and state were unified, these institutions wanted control over the Latin American people. In the eyes of the conservatives, the Church had the power to decide what’s best for the people, community, and country. As many devoted religious groups, the Church believed God is word, meaning that God rules over all. The liberals had a huge issue with this because they felt the conservatives were trying to convert everyone under God, which is unfair to those who don’t follow or believe his word. The liberals had no problem with those who believed in God but did not want these beliefs forced on them by not only the Church but the law.

During this time many political and societal views stemmed from Catholicism. One example of this is the oppression of women in society. The Church represents patriarchy and women were seen as less than men. When it came to education and reading, women were limited in options because they must maintain their “honor”. Liberals believed women should have equal access to education and should be able to read any text/books as men do. The conservatives and the Church saw this as radical because they did not believe women and lower class people should have access to the same education as them. Without equal education for all, it is nearly impossible for society as a whole to develop, progress, and modernize. “In the opinion of Liberals, the expansion of public education was but one aspect of the struggle against ignorance. If it was to be truly successful, the hold of the clergy on the masses also had to be reduced” (Problems 110).

As society progresses, liberalism is inevitable. People will learn to digress from the common opinion, especially when it begins to make no sense for the wellbeing of the people. When Latin America gained independence from Spain, the people saw what can result in fighting for what you believe in. Tradition can be valued but when there is no room for growth, this movement becomes irrelevant.

 

 

 

The picture displayed here shows devoted Christians kneeling outside of a church in Buenos Aries, Argentina. The crowd consists of men and women, but the majority of these worshipers seem to be of a lower social class. The men in the most visible row of the image do not have shoes on, as well as being clothed in attire fit for a farmer or merchant.

This group of individuals greatly resemble the psychology of the conservative church groups in Buenos Aries at that time. The people in most need of help turn to religion for answers and safety. They all kneel before a shrine of a christian deity on gravel and burnt dirt. However, this shows how the working force of this community thrives on the very word of the church. With this in mind, they will abide by whatever propaganda the church feeds to them. Thus, the church is strategically in control over an essential group of individuals during a time where liberals are attempting to gain support. In addition to this, the church creates a  standard of living when they adapt European styles of religion onto Latin American people. It is a smart tactic by the oppressor to create a standard to live by, however its opposes the perspective of the liberal movement occurring at the same time in Latin America.

The photo clearly shows the duality between the common people and the church. Though they pray and worship to great extent, they are still being used to play a larger game that they do not even understand. This comparison highlights how the working class is being used to gain popularity in a larger nomination to rule the community, similar to a presidential nomination.

Based upon a miniature circular piece in 1828, this portrait of Antonio Jose de Sucre was sold directly to the minister plenipotentiary of the United States, which was composed of Benjamin Grover Cleveland, Robert Adams Jr and Thomas Larkin Thompson in 1892, and responsible for many diplomatic functions for the United States . The 42 cm by 32 cm painting was created by Ecuadorian artist Jose R. Salas. Sucre was one of Simon Bolivar’s closest friends and general, as well as the president of both Peru and Bolivia. Salas illustrates Sucre in military uniform, an outfit he wore when generating most of his lifelong success.

At age fifteen, Antonio Jose de Sucre joined South America’s fight for independence against Spain in 1814. By 1820 he was promoted under Simon Bolivar as his chief lieutenant. Sucre was responsible for liberating both Ecuador and Peru, which later qualified him to be the first constitutionally elected leader of Bolivia. He did his best to restore the broken economy of Bolivia under Bolivar’s complex new constitutional regime and set forth to make progressive reforms both socially and economically. This included taking many of the Roman-Catholic church’s assets to sell in order to fund schools and education. This made him an unpopular figure among the Bolivian people, which eventually led him to resign and move back to Ecuador. Sucre was eventually assassinated by gunshot when returning home from the “Admirable Congress” in Bogota, where he made his last attempt to maintain the peaceful relationship between Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela.

Sucre’s signifies peace, unity and a prosperous agenda promoting education and the need for men to be free. Sending this portrait of Sucre to the minister plenipotentiary of the United States served as an influential character to many of the men who were shaping the values of the relatively newly founded United States of America.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Antonio José De Sucre.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 31 May 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Antonio-Jose-de-Sucre.

 

When I found this painting and saw the place it represented (Quito) I couldn’t help but relate it to the story of Angela Batallas since both took place in what is now known as the Republic of Ecuador. In this week’s readings, I was able to learn about the life of Angela Batallas, a slave whose goal was to be free. Her desire for freedom led her to have an illicit relationship with her master, Idelfonso Coronel, who promised to free her. Angela agreed to be Coronel’s mistress in order to gain freedom and be independent of the oppression she suffered all her life. However, after becoming pregnant and giving birth to Coronel’s son, the promise of freedom came to nothing. Angela Batallas was disappointed with Coronel’s forgotten promise and decided instead to find a way for Coronel to grant her freemdom. She managed to have an audience with Simon Bolivar El Libertador with the purpose of presenting her case. He wanted Bolivar to advocate for her and to convince Coronel to keep his promise of freedom. Meanwhile, she mobilized and found witnesses who testified in her favor and sought representation from a lawyer. All this was a example of the discontent that Angela Batallas suffered and the desire to live in free. Possibly Angela’s decision to appear before Bolivar was to expose the reality that many people like her lived at that time, oppressed and unable to speak up. In the story of Angela Batallas we can see the oppression suffered by slaves and mulattos in the colonies. The painting “Mulattoes of Quito” and story of Angela Batallas have something in common, both represent a part of the society that is marginalized. Just as in Phillips’s painting, mulattoes turn their backs on a society that has forgotten them.

Colonial Life in Saint Domingue

Bombardopolis ou Bombarde dans l’isle de St. Domingue is an ink on paper illustration that depicts the town structure and life in the northern part of what is now modern day Haiti. Bombardopolis, as stated by the image notes, was a colonial town run under the control of German settlers that were given power by the French after a “disastrous French expedition… to colonize Kourou in French Guiana” (JCB notes). This image appears to show a well established town of enslaved people performing daily activities that exist outside of plantation work, pointing toward a sense of self-sufficiency and ability to exercise personal freedoms.

It is speculated that this image was illustrated by Nicolas Perignon, a famous French painter who was best known for his depictions of various European cityscapes and rustic landscapes. If this painter was indeed the illustrator of this photo, the date of its illustration could be put somewhere between Bombardopolis’s settlement in 1765 to the date of Pérignon’s death in 1782 (Art Institute of Chicago). This information is crucial to the image as this would place the scene before the August 21st, 1791 Saint Domingue rebellion that swept the northern part of Haiti in a violent yet successful slave uprising. The image notes state that this illustration does in fact depict enslaved black people but the location appears to be calmer and more laid back than a plantation settlement. 

The image itself depicts a small colonial town in an impressively organized, grid-like structure that differs from a traditional plantation environment. Some clues point toward this community existing outside of plantation work and enslaved labor as the townspeople seem self sufficient in their daily activities. There are structurally sound and uniform houses placed on dirt roads with small plots of land resembling independently run farms, perhaps to sustain the townspeople rather than for agricultural economy purposes. This area of Saint Domingue was best known for sugar and coffee production, a crop that is usually tall and unruly, therefore the plots of land surrounding the houses do not point towards being a part of plantation labor. These settlements are also constructed in a way that makes a central plot of land resembling an orchard the focus of the town, just large enough to feed the town but not for export purposes. Outside of farm work, there appear to be multiple towns people holding sticks approximately 5 feet long, suggesting that this community is within walking distance of a water source that provides adequate fishing. The movements of the people in this image seem sporadic and free unlike the heavily uniform and controlled behavior of those enslaved on plantations.

The people in the image are dressed in clothing of various occasions, with some in full length dresses and casual suits and others in simple linen clothing. In the left foreground, there are a group of men and women in lightweight working clothes that contrast to those on the right who wear more formal attire. The group on the left appear to be walking into town with fishing poles and bags, only stopping to study the group of children on the right who are dancing and playing music. It is in this activity that you can see some semblance of secrecy in this society as this freeform activity takes place in the more remote, mountainous side of the town that is free from the eyes of elders and German settlers. The use of punishment on Bombardopolis may come less from corporal forms but more so from the presence of Christian doctrine and institutions. A church is located in the mid-ground just across from the orchard-like town square, its central location suggesting the significance of Christianity to the community. The children that are dancing appear to be dressed modestly, in line with Christian beliefs, and could be receiving religious teachings from the institution. 

 

  

 

Works Cited

Bombardopolis ou Bombarde dans l’isle de St. Domingue, John Carter Brown Library, Box 1894, Brown UNiversity, Providence, R.I. 02912 

“Nicolas Pérignon.” The Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/artists/100684/nicolas-perignon.