What did Spain and Portugal do to Latin America?

What did Spain and Portugal do to Latin America?

Spain and Portugal divided the New World by drawing a north-to-south line of demarcation in the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 leagues (555 kilometers or 345 miles) west of the Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of northwestern Africa and then controlled by Portugal.

What impact did Portugal have on Latin America?

Portugal claimed the land from the Atlantic Ocean across South America to the Andes Mountains. It covered most of the vast Amazon River region, in what is now present-day Brazil.

What was an outcome of the wars for independence in Latin America?

The Latin American Wars of Independence, which took place during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, were deeply influenced by the American and French Revolutions and resulted in the creation of a number of independent countries in Latin America.

Why did Latin America want independence from Spain?

But it is true that the creoles wanted to their independence from Spain and form their own nation. They wanted more political and economical power. They believed the colonial system was unfair, as they were excluded from the political decision making process.

How did Spain and Portugal resolve the Moluccas Sovereignty?

The Moluccas dispute was finally resolved by the Treaty of Saragossa (April 22, 1529), signed by John III of Portugal and Charles V. It provided for the determination of a demarcation line passing 297.5 leagues east of the Moluccas, which were recognized as being Portuguese.

Why did the Spanish and Portuguese come to America?

The Spanish established the first European settlements in the Americas, beginning in the Caribbean and, by 1600, extending throughout Central and South America. Thousands of Spaniards flocked to the Americas seeking wealth and status. During the fifteenth century, Spain hoped to gain advantage over its rival, Portugal.

How did the Spanish Change Latin America?

The Spanish conquest of Latin America brought many important changes to Latin American society. Spain sent royal governors or viceroys to rule the colonies in the king’s name. In areas where many Native Americans had died, captured African slaves were used to replace a dying Native American Indian population.

Why did the Portuguese settle in America?

Portuguese from the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands manned New England’s whaling ships. They signed on as low-paid laborers in order to avoid military service and to escape the poverty in which they lived at home. Many of them settled in New England, especially around New Bedford, Massachusetts.

What happened in the Spanish American wars of independence?

The Spanish-American War was an 1898 conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America.

How did the Latin American wars start?

The Spanish American wars of independence were numerous wars in Spanish America with the aim of political independence against Spanish rule during the early 19th century. These began shortly after the start of the French invasion of Spain during the Napoleonic Wars.

What countries gained independence from Spain?

Map of countries which have gained independence from Spain.

• NETHERLANDS (1579)
• PORTUGAL (1640)
• SARDINIA (1659)
• HAITI (1697)
• LOUXENBOURG (1714)
• BELGIUM (1714)
• NAPLES (1714)
• LOUISIANA (1800)

How did the Latin Americas gain its independence?

Independence from Spain came suddenly for most of Latin America. Between 1810 and 1825, most of Spain’s former colonies declared and won independence and had divided up into republics. Napoleon’s invasion of Spain (1807-1808) provided the spark the rebels needed.

When did Latin America gain independence from Spain?

By the early 1820s, many Latin American countries had won their independence from Spain or Portugal, with the U.S. government recognizing the new republics of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico in 1822.

What happened to Latin America between 1808 and 1826?

Between 1808 and 1826 all of Latin America except the Spanish colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico slipped out of the hands of the Iberian powers who had ruled the region since the conquest. The rapidity and timing of that dramatic change were the result of a combination of long-building tensions in colonial rule and a series of external events.

How did foreign ideas lead to Latin American independence movements?

At most, foreign ideas helped foster a more questioning attitude toward traditional institutions and authority. European diplomatic and military events provided the final catalyst that turned Creole discontent into full-fledged movements for Latin American independence.

What caused the political divide between Spain and its American colonies?

Occurrences in Europe in the early 19th century created a deep political divide between Spain and its American colonies. In 1807 the Spanish king, Charles IV, granted passage through Spanish territory to Napoleon ’s forces on their way to invade Portugal.