To what extent were everyday people in Latin America able to improve their lives

First Essay Option September 12, 2018 History 131 Bergen Community College

Answer one of the questions below in essay form, with a clear introduction, body and conclusion. Do not exceed four double-spaced pages using a 12-point font and one inch margins. The work must be based solely on textbooks, and readings posted on Moodle. No outside sources are permitted. Lastly, a Chicago style bibliography is required. Please consult the following link for assistance: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html The following rubric shall be employed in arriving at the final mark: 50% – Strength of argument (make your case using relevant examples from the readings and answer all parts of the question) 25% – Understanding of the readings (integrate evidence from all texts indicated by the question and avoid major factual errors) 25% – Grammar and bibliography (proofread, proofread, proofread) Essays are due promptly by 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26. Submit them via email to iehrlich@bergen.edu in Word, PDF, or Google Docs format. Work submitted after 1:45 p.m. will be penalized. No papers will be accepted after 3 p.m.

1. According to Liberals such as Melchor Ocampo and Domingo Sarmiento, what were the main problems facing Mexico and Argentina during the nineteenth century? In what ways did Conservative rivals such as Lucas Alamán and Juan Manuel de Rosas disagree? What solutions did they propose? Why did Liberals eventually prevail? Back your argument using evidence from Biography of Power, “Maximilian in Mexico,” “Mexico’s Colonial Heritage,” Facundo, “Progress,” “Education as a Means of Progress,” and “The Road to Dictatorship in the Platine Republic.”

2. Did caudillos and coronéis have a mostly positive or negative impact in nineteenth century Latin America? Explain the origin of caudillos using “Postcolonial Blues” and “Mexico’s Colonial Heritage.” Afterwards, citing relevant passages from Biography of Power, “The Magic of His Prestige,” “The Road to Dictatorship in the Platine Area,” “The Rise of the Brazilian Monarchy,” and “The Baron of Parnaíba,” describe the positives and negatives of the following men and rank them based on their merits: 1) Benito Juárez 2) Dom Pedro I 3) Juan Manuel de Rosas 4) Simón Bolívar and 5) the Barrão of Parnaíba.

3. To what extent were everyday people in Latin America able to improve their

lives? What was the secret for those who succeeded? Did everyone want to succeed? Address 1) women 2) slaves 3) indigenous people 4) poor people and 5) the success of Benito Juárez and Domingo Sarmiento. Support your argument using Biography of Power, “Brazilian Society in the Late Nineteenth Century,” “Creoles, Mestizos and Indians in Nineteenth Century Mexico,” “The Paraguayan War Victory Parade,” “Women and

Aspects of Everyday Life, 1820s-c.1870,” “My Education,” “Four Years Among the Ecuadorians,” “Slavery in Brazil, 1856,” and “Various Members of Nineteenth Century Brazilian Society.”