The US in Latin America

Chapter 26 Section 4Chapter 37 Section 2

EQ: How did/does the US influence/control Latin American affairs?

The Early Influence of the US

• The new nations of Latin America modeled their constitutions on the US Constitution

• They hypothetically set up a government like ours• HOWEVER, Latin American countries still had

huge disputes between wealthy land owners (minority) and poor farmers (majority) HUGE THEME

• If you remember from US History…the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 stated that the Americas were no longer subject to new colonialism by Europeans

The US Intervenes

• The first time the US got directly involved in Latin America was the Mexican War (Texan War of Independence)…we gained great portions of territory from that war by 1848.

• The next time we got directly involved in Latin America was the Spanish American War (1898)…we helped the Cubans fight for independence– This event opened the door for Teddy Roosevelt to introduce his

Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (“Speak softly and carry a big stick”)

– This policy would open a new wave of investments in Latin America and would establish a clear presence of the United States in the region

Early 20th Century US Interventions in Latin America

• 1901- Platt Amendment to Cuba's new constitution gives the U.S. the unilateral right to intervene in the island's political affairs.

• 1903 - Theodore Roosevelt intervenes to assist Panamanian independence from Colombia. The resulting Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty makes the US sovereign "in perpetuity" in the ten-mile wide Panama Canal Zone.

• 1904 - (Theodore) Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine declares the U.S. to be the policeman of the Caribbean. US forces place the Dominican Republic under a customs receivership.

• 1905 - US Marines land in Honduras. • 1912 - United Fruit Company begins operations in Honduras and later

becomes a major force throughout Central America (Banana Republics).

• 1914 - US forces shell and then occupy Vera Cruz, Mexico. • 1915-1934 - US Marines intervene/occupy Haiti. • 1916-1917 - US Expeditionary Force under Gen. John J. "Black Jack"

Pershing unsuccessfully pursues Pancho Villa in northern Mexico. • 1916-1924 - US Marines occupy the Dominican Republic

Early 20th Century US Interventions in Latin America

• 1920-1921 - US troops support a coup in Guatemala. • 1926-1933 - US Marines occupy Nicaragua and fight against the

nationalistic forces led by Augusto César Sandino. • 1933 - US offers to intervene in El Salvador to put down a peasant

rebellion. The Salvadoran military dictator refuses, then murders thousands of peasants.

• 1936-1979 - US supports three different Somozas as dictators of Nicaragua.

• 1954 - CIA overthrows constitutional government of Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala.

• 1956 - US-supported dictator Anastasio Somoza assassinated in Nicaragua…US military intervenes

• 1957-1986 - Papa Doc and Baby Doc Duvalier rule Haiti as dictators, with US support.

• 1958 - Vice President Richard Nixon meets strong anti-American sentiment on his "good will" tour of Latin America.

• 1959 - Dictator Fulgencio Bastista, supported by the US until 1958, flees Castro's revolution in Cuba.

Communist Cuba• In 1959, Fidel Castro turned Cuba into a communist state.

Castro:- nationalized foreign-owned sugar plantations and other businesses- put most land under government control- distributed land to peasants

• Effects of communist rule:– Castro imposed harsh authoritarian rule.– Conditions for the poor improved, basic health care was provided for all, the

literacy rate increased, and equality for women was promoted.– Critics were jailed or silenced and hundreds of thousands fled to the United

States.

• The US reacted by trying to invade Cuba (Bay of Pigs in 1961) and by blocking Soviet aid (and their missiles) in October 1962.

• When the Cold War ended, Soviet aid disappeared, and Cuba’s economy collapsed…the US STILL has an embargo on Cuba as long as it remains a Communist nation

20th Century US Policies Towards Latin America

• “Good Neighbor” Policy of FDR (1934), under which military troops were withdrawn from occupying Latin American nations (Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba)

• Latin American nations and the United States worked together in the Organization of American States (OAS). The organization was formed in 1948 to promote democracy, economic cooperation, and human rights.

• JFK launched the Alliance for Progress in 1961 which promised financial aid to Latin American nations in exchange for a promise that nations would promote democracy (Kennedy died and this program died with him)

Other US/Latin American Themes

Poverty, civil war, and repressive governments caused Latin American immigration to the United States to increase rapidly after the 1970s.

Pressure increased in the United States to halt illegal immigration.

Developing nations insisted that they needed to exploit their land and other resources if they wanted economic growth. This came at the expense of the environment.

ie. Maquilladoras in Mexicoie. Destruction of the Amazon Rainforest

Drug cartels in Latin America began exporting ever-larger quantities of cocaine and other drugs.

In the 1980s, the United States declared a “war on drugs,” pressing Latin American governments to cooperate with these efforts.

Regional trading blocs gained importance in the 1990s. Such groups created larger markets by lowering trade barriers among neighboring countries. Examples: NAFTA, Mercosur

REGIONAL TIES THE DRUG WARS

MIGRATIONDEVELOPMENT VERSUS ENVIRONMENT

For remainder of time/Next class…

• For remainder of time/homework…

– Answer puzzle questions provided (based on timeline provided) and complete C37 sec 2 quiz (pg. 940-943)

• REMINDERS– Exam on Latin America Thursday (Review

TOMORROW)• Chapters include 7 sec 1&2, 16 sec 1&2, 21 sec 3, 29

sec 1, 26 sec 4, 37 all sections• Several power point lectures are also available at my

website