The document discusses the influences on Latin America from Europe, Spain, and Portugal including their governments, languages, religions, and customs. It also discusses how racial diversity developed from relations between European colonizers and the local populations. Latin America gained independence in the 1820s but European philosophies still shaped their new schools and universities. Later, powerful leaders known as caudillos rose to political dominance in some Latin American countries through military force and populism. Finally, the document examines how European settlement and trade introduced new plants, animals, and diseases to the Americas, which devastated the native populations.

1. American Intercontinental University
Tracey Percifield
Unit 4 DB
Michael Reed
November 26, 2011
Some of the philosophies that influenced and somewhat inspired Latin America were from
Europe, Spain, and Portugal. This influence that they had on Latin America help formed their
governments to win their independence and become their own country with their own rules, laws
and voting system, language, religion and customs; before they had their own independence they
were subjected to Colonial Power (Dosmanosnederland.com, 2011).
Religion was another influence both being Catholic and Christianity, although Catholic prevailed
the Christen movement had great influence on everyone they came into contact with and they
were eager to teach and spread the word. In Latin America there are both religions still present
till this day (Dosmanosnederland.com, 2011).
The conquering countries of Spain and Portugal also had contact due to they had many
involvements with their women and the slaves. Since they had many relations with the women
and the slavery also produced mixed race of each other. The diversity of racial ethnic groups has
contributed to the social and culture aspects of today’s society (Dosmanosnederland.com, 2011).
In 1822 Brazil established emancipation or independence under the Prince of Portugal of
Monarchy with the exception of Puerto Rico and Cuba and the rest of Latin America established
their own independence in 1825. This was merely breaking away from Europe, Spain and
Portugal mainly because silver and gold were discovered in America Europe and its city
countries put all their power, money and military into this (Dosmanosnederland.com, 2011).
In the 19th and 20th century Latin American became political liberalism and began
conservative economics foe establishing programs for the urban and lower class citizens and
began with philosophies that were directed on an in-between scale not that of the America or the
European States. The philosophies of both countries were an impact on Latin America creating
schools and universities with teaching of their principles (IEP, 2011).
Caudillo is Spanish and means leader, and referred to the Charismatic Populist Leaders or
military leader that politically changed the way they voted and how they changed society. This
was started because of the Spanish American Wars of Independence and through conquering
individual countries they were able to control not only their army but crowds of the people and
usually placed themselves as the leader. This Caudillo was not necessarily associated with

2. conservative or liberal politicians they could choose which they represented. The most probably
powerful one in all times was that of General Antonio López de Santa Annawhich served all
dimensions of the political reign throughout his political career which included; including
adhering to federalism, centralism, liberalism, conservatism, and even monarchism from 1794-
1872, which including losing half their country to Texas. This type of political reign still exists in
Latin America today (Science.jrank.org, 2011).
Europe shaped North America or the New World by three things; The Columbia Exchange,
trade and settlement patterns. The Columbia exchange had to do with plants, microbes and
animals that were brought from Europe and Africa and introduced and implanted into the world.
Trade, was impacted by Europe and affected the ecosystem and spread disease then natives of
North America began trading upon and amongst themselves, which they hadn’t done before.
Settlement brought many people to the New World including slaves that had been vanished for
crimes they committed in Europe and with groups cultivating and being crowed this cause crops
not to always survive but the biggest impact was that of the disease such as; riderpest (cattle) to
measles, tuberculosis (cattle) to humans, cowpox (cattle) to smallpox, influenza (pigs) to
humans, pertussis (pigs and dogs) to humans (whooping cough) and malaria (chickens) to
humans. This was the impact to the New World and what people had to deal with and many died
from all of these (People.umass.edu, n.d.).
REFERENCES
Dosmanosnederland.(2011). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
h t t p : / / w w w . d o s m a n o s n e d e r l a n d . c o m / e n / a b o u t l a t i n a m e r i c a / h i s t o r y/
IEP.(2011). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://www.iep.utm.edu/personal/
People.umass.edu. (n.d.).[Web log message]. Retriev ed from
http://people.umass.edu/hist383/class notes/european pathogens.htm
Science.jrank.org. (2011).[Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://science.jrank.org/pages/8417/Authoritarianism -Latin-America-
Caudillos.html