Legacy #2: Economy
The Portuguese left another legacy in the form of the economy in Brazil, as elements of the single export-based economy are still clear to this day. The Portuguese came to Brazil with the purpose of extracting the bountiful resources and taking them for their own economic gain. The first major export was sugarcane in the Northeastern region of the country, where large tracts of land were controlled by Portuguese landowners and would be cultivated by African slaves (OECD). Brazil primarily focused on sugarcane, which ultimately failed around 1700 when other countries took over the sugarcane production industry (The Brazil Business). Gold and other precious stones and metals then replaced sugarcane as the primary export,
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The Portuguese sent Jesuit priests during the early colonial period to teach the indigenous peoples primarily the language and religion, to communicate with them so that they could control and enslave them (Brown University Library). After the Jesuits were expulsed from the Portuguese colonies due to political and economic interests, there were no teachers or locations to teach students. According to Maciel and Neto, the Portuguese government in the colonial period did all that was possible to exempt itself from “its responsibility through the use of ploys, projects, and taxes to finance education” which has translated into the education system today (Maciel, Neto). Another way in which the Portuguese have created a legacy in the education system in Brazil that can still be seen to this day is through the pervasive inequality in the education systems available to the poor and wealthy. The Portuguese nobles and upper middle class, starting in the colonial period, sent their children to private schools in Brazil and universities in Europe (Maciel, Neto). By comparison, the children of the people who were less wealthy in Brazil were granted poorly funded education, and many students dropped out to work and support their family instead (Maciel, Neto). These two different levels of quality in education are still very evident in Brazil today, as public schools have a less rigorous curriculum, less funding and are frequented by students of lower social strata, while private schools provide many more opportunities, an overall better education and are comprised primarily of students of higher social strata due to the high costs for attending (Otis). Also, the concept of universal public education has been absent in Brazil until very recently, and this contributed to the lack of a strong public school system
The transatlantic slave trade was a primary structuring force of brazilian society. When Brazil became independent in 1822 from portugal, the slave trade was perceived as a dominant activity in the country's economy because it involved so much formation and investments. Slavery played a significant role in the structure of Brazil considering that the system of involuntary labor was the biggest and most extended of all the slave societies in the Atlantic world. This molded Brazilian ways of life including jobs, transportation, economic concerns, political factors and culture in many ways.
Many of the Portuguese faced several problems as they were not fortunate to obtain an education, because it was not provided to them. The highest education level most Portuguese obtained was up
To begin with, England found an important cash crop in the Caribbean. Sugar cane was introduced to the tropical environment of the Caribbean after Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. Sugar is native to southeastern Asia. Later, the Portuguese brought sugar to Brazil. Today Brazil is the lead producer of sugar.
In doc. 1, a map is shown. This map shows all of the islands and larger land masses that are perfect for the growing of sugarcane in central America. Many countries decided to take advantage of this and made central America the capital of the sugar trade. Thousands of plantations took root and out of them came the flourishing sugar trade. Without the fertile land, the trade would never have started and because of the land, the sugar trade was driven forward to become an enormous industry. To continue, in document 2 it shows just how perfect the land was for growing sugar cane. The climates of two islands, Jamaica and Barbados are almost exactly alike to the ideal climate for growing. In that same region there were tens of more islands, all perfect for growing sugar. Without this perfect land and climate, the sugar trade would never have developed or driven forward and without the sugar trade, England would never have become the global empire that it
To start, in Brazil the Portuguese become convinced that full-scale exploitation of the land was imperative for the safety of their entire overseas empire. Sugar cultivation was the ideal crop to guarantee the existence of a profitable colony. As a result, the Portuguese dominated the Atlantic slave trade. Various slaves from different parts of Africa were brought to Brazil and experienced difficult working and in living
Both countries have transplanted cultures: Portugal for Brazil and Great Britain for USA, but the process of colonization that started in Brazil differs from the process of colonization of the USA, for example. Europeans didn’t go to Brazil to live and develop the territory for their own benefit. Actually, they went there to explore its rich natural recourses and came back home with lots of money.
In the early years of South America, natives relied on farming to provide an adequate amount of food for their population. While the use of plantations helped influx the trade industries due to the surplus in products produced by the plantations. Sugar was a major export in the South
The modern sugar industry began with Christopher Columbus, the misguided sailor who set sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, westward toward China on August 3, 1492. He got as far as Cuba. As planned, Columbus landed at the Canary Islands a short time after leaving Spain, to load up provisions, however Columbus fell in love with the land's ruler, the beautiful Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ossorio. They had a month-long affair before he finally sailed away. She gave as a gift some sugarcane cuttings, which he planted in what he thought was land near China, but which were really the islands of San Salvador, Cuba and Hispaniola.
2. Natives worked on the plantations. Slaves from Africa were brought over to Brazil when the native workers died. Eighty-two percent of the population in Brazil trace their ancestry back to the days of slavery.
Much like the U.S., Brazilian culture is extremely diverse. Brazil’s current population of 190 million represents various nationalities from European to African (Country Facts). Brazil has an extremely diverse culture with some common pervasive threads that grouped together give Brazil a national identity.
People had always loved to live in Brazil . Many people had thought that Cabral had accidently found South America . The portuguese king paid less attention to Brazil until he realized that the Europeans would take over . In 1580, politics have boosted Brazil’s development . Events in Europe set stage in Brazil’s independence . The perpetual defender lasted only 9 years . The rebellions , which means a group of organized and armed people , started up in northeast and south . Dom Pedro's 48 year role marked the most stable and progressive stretch in the world . The state started by some ships approaching the land in 1808. Brazil’s Amazon River empties more than 58 million gallons of water into the ocean every second. Brazilian cities all have
Brazilwood was a key product for Portuguese trade. But the focus on timber would soon change. Cash crops in the form of sugar cane production became the focus. Slavery was needed for the growing of sugar cane and replaced the unsuccessful usage of native people for labor. “Regular slave trade between Brazil and Africa was begun in the 1550s as a temporary measure to replace the Indians decimated by war and disease, but it lasted for over 300 years, and the institution of slavery persisted until 1889, Brazil being the last country of the American hemisphere to abolish it.” The agricultural focus of sugar cane changed to coffee bean production in the late 19th century. As coffee began to take off, slavery was abolished. With the influx of Africans halted, foreign immigration was promoted. This would have a profound effect on the societal make-up of the colony. Mass migrations were already occurring as the Portuguese had established their minute South American empire. Between 1884 and 1920 three million immigrants, mainly Italian, entered the country. Portuguese, Germans, Italians, Spanish, Britons, the descendants of African slaves and the products of racial mixtures of Brazilian Indians, Europeans, and Africans would be the kin of those who football would become entrenched within.
In the early sixteenth century, the Portuguese began to colonize in Brazil as part of an overseas expansion plan that began along the western coast of Africa. Brazilian settlements had begun to manage the cultivation, manufacture, and marketing of sugarcane and sugar. Native American slaves was initially the labor foundation of which
As the logging industry was in high demand, another agricultural boom was taking place. Sugarcane became the next major export within Brazil. In 1530, as the Portuguese continued their efforts to control
The primary question that Brazil faces as it moves into the 21st century is whether the Brazilian style of capitalism, which harnessed their economy towards growth as a developing economy, is sufficient to drive them as a developed country. Averaging 3.8% GDP growth over the last decade, this transition seems inevitable; Brazil has shifted from an agricultural giant to a country in which 90% of the population works in the industrial and service sectors. However, as they make this conversion, they must examine their economic policies to ensure that they are still applicable and advantageous. For example, Brazil must keep promoting their industrial policies. Brazil may fall back into a commodity-driven economy if raw