El Salvador: A Small But Beautiful Country

Over the course of history, the United States has a reputation of getting involved with other nations to sort out disputes, arguments, conflicts, wars, etc. One specific example of U.S. Military Involvement is the 1980 El Salvador Civil War. The El Salvador Civil War was a civil war that lasted from 1980 to about 1992. The war slowly arose due to little uprisings in society, promises to improve economy and lifestyles that were never fulfilled, and the push of communism beliefs onto the people who didn’t believe in them. The U.S. Military would not get involved unless their is a violation of human rights, or if mankind is being put into harm's way. The U.S. involved themselves in the Civil War of El Salvador because they had enough evidence and support for specific claims, had the appropriate authority, and fought for an outcome that suited the needs of humanity.

El Salvador has one of the strictest and most archaic anti-abortion laws in the world with a total ban on abortion, even in in cases of rape or incest, if the mother’s life is in danger, or if the fetus is not viable outside the uterus. Since 1998, the adopted legislation has increasingly made it more dangerous for women to seek medical attention when in reference to their reproductive health. These laws allow prosecutors to convert many abortion charges to aggravated homicide, which carries a sentence of 30-50 years.

One of the longest war began in the 1980’s, the Civil war in El Salvador, it was one of the bloodiest wars ever as well. “This war caused the death of 75,000 people, Innocent mothers and their children would be killed.”(Web) The problem began when El salvador brought in most of it’s profit with coffee.

I am Garnet Gyaase and I am going to talk about the flag of El Salvador, and the meaning behind it. The name of my country is El Salvador. It is located under Guatemala and Honduras, in Central America. The flag of El Salvador was officially adopted May 17, 1912. The blue and white are the original colors used by the Provinces of Central America. The United provinces are now known as, Yucantan, Maya, Campeche, Belize, Izabal, Los Altos, Soconusco, Miskita, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. All of the provinces convened in Guatemala, and on July 1,1823, it declared the independence of the former kingdom under the name of” The United Provinces of Central America.” Above the volcanoes is a red Phrygian capon, and a staff before the golden sun, and the date of September 15th, 1821, independence was declared to be on that day.

I’ve always thought of myself as a person who has a interesting background and childhood. My childhood would consist of fails, near death experiences, and anything crazy or out of the ordinary from other people’s childhoods. Most of my days would consist of going to school, seeing something amazing or crazy, go home, and do homework. Occasionally, I would go to the park where i would explore new places or just walk around and try to make new friends. Most of the time, I would just explore my surroundings and enjoy nature as much as I can. Whenever I would go to El Salvador, I would walk around in big forest and enjoy how fresh the air is. The air over in the countryside is pure and makes you feel at peace due how low the co2 levels are in

The mountainous country bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, and Honduras in Central America. Known as the land of the Volcanoes, El Salvador, the only country in Central America that does not have a coastline on the Caribbean Sea. Having beautiful beaches on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and warm summers that make it impossible to withstand the heat. Most of the population is made up of the poor who do not have electricity or running water in their homes. My grandfather was is this social class and stayed for most of his life. El Salvador the land of dictatorship, volcanoes, and tortillas.

Another obstacle is the food. I miss my mom’s cook, she always cooked me my favorite food; eggs, beans, chicken, whatever she cooked I love her too much. Here I found many differences between the food of the United States and the El Salvador’s, I think it is by the culture of American people who are used to eat that kind of food. The first time to eat here I just ate one thing during a whole week: Pizza. Maybe I was afraid of the food because I knew it tasted different and some other factors such as I was really hungry. I tried to overcome this obstacle imagining that the food is made by my mom and I guess I will taste very delicious the food. The results were a little better but it is still an obstacle because I don’t feel too much delicious

After conquering its independence from Spain on September 15th 1821, along with the other Central American countries, it wasn’t a walk in the park for El Salvador. When the Central American States Union dissolved in 1838, the country was subject to various wars and revolutions with other countries in the region, namely Honduras. From 1931 to 1979, the military and an economic elite governed the nation, and the decreased in coffee prices increased the number of the lower class civilians.

My dad was born in the small Central American nation of El Salvador, more specifically in Anamoros located on the east side of the country. He lived in the countryside so he often played with their animals, spent most of his childhood swimming in the rivers or playing soccer with his friends, and would frequently hang out with his grandparents in the afternoons. In 1980, when he was about 12 years old that all began to change, he and all those around him needed to be more cautious about their surroundings.

There are plenty of good things to be said about El Salvador, the Latin American country that sits in the heart of Central America, surrounded by volcanic mountains, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and a Pacific coast of startlingly beautiful beaches and rustic fishing villages.

Honduras is a poor country in the middle of Central America. The nation has an area of 43,266 miles ("Honduras", Every Culture). Honduras is the 2nd largest country in Central America (Shields 9). As of 2013, 8-10 million people live in Honduras (Gottlieb 792). Different ethnic backgrounds live in specific environments throughout Honduras ("Honduras", Every Culture). Honduras is a country rich in culture and historic events.

The history of El Salvador begins with the time period in which indigenous peoples resided in the country. According to Roy Poland, in Culture and Customs of El Salvador, El Salvador was conquered by the Spanish in 1524; the spanish found the country was divided into three states (13). The spaniards hegemonic influence finally converted El Salvador into a Spanish colony after twenty six years of indigenous resistance(Poland 14). Such conquest brought violence, diseases, and poverty to the indigenous people. The invasion of El Salvador by the Spanish also resulted in mestizaje, racial mixing. The colonial period lasted until 1821(Poland 14). El Salvador finally became independent from Spain in 1821 and joined the United Provinces of Central America in 1823; however, in 1840 El Salvador gained full independence (Eileen Garron Batres 6), One of the most important crops in El Salvador during the 1800’s and 1900’s was coffee; during the 1900’s El Salvador was the third largest coffee producer internationally (Susan B. Hecht).

Throughout 1939-1971, El Salvador was run by a military-style dictatorship, causing those who had land and wealth to be stripped from them just because they could. According to Encyclopedia Britannica the persistence of this dictatorship can be partly credited to Augustin Farabundo Marti, who forced the Salvadorian Communist Party (2017). Proving to be a catalyst for conflicts for years to come.

The poverty and inequality that has plagued El Salvador since the early twentieth century stems from their rule by the Oligarchy, which dates back to colonial times. The Oligarchy's lack of consistency in implementing and following through with reforms has prevented progress from occurring in the country. Furthermore, the many wars and political revolts in El Salvador impeded its economic and social growth. The main focus of the Oligarchy was to turn a profit. And because they essentially ran the economy, they assumed that their actions were best for both their profits and the country's economy as a whole. Their selfish single-minded focus led to a growing economic inequalities, which was subsequently accommodated by ethnic and class

Every Sunday, it is one of my duties to call my grandparents and aunts who reside in my country of origin (El Salvador). I also text my aunts throughout the weekend, and video chat them if the opportunity presents itself. Whenever my mother goes to the store, she prioritizes buying products (imported from El Salvador) to make a good Salvadoran meal. I miss my country’s traditions and culture, I also miss my family from El Salvador, but thanks to the new innovations in technology I get the opportunity to communicate with them in a daily basis. Globalization provides individuals with opportunities like this; without it, many people would encounter themselves in the tough situation of forgetting their personal origins. Globalization benefits worldwide