Assignment 1.
[23] Write your Alphabetical Number as I just did. Tell us about yourself. Are you an ADP student, a Seton Hill undergraduate, or other? What is your major? Where is your home? Why are you taking this course? Have you been to Latin America? If so, where and for how long? Do you speak Spanish? Who is your favorite historical figure?
Then.
Read the Lars Schoultz article, “Two Centuries Later” from Problems in Modern Latin American History, pages, 274-280. You’ll also find the article separated into four jpeg files (Schoultz 1-4) in the Handout section of our GriffinGate course page.
The Lars Schoultz article points out that John Quincy Adams and the founding fathers simply believed that Protestants were superior to Catholics, that Anglos were superior to Hispanics, and that white people were superior to dark skinned people. This is a set of prejudices that North Americans have held for over 200 years. Too many US citizens still hold these prejudices. Moreover, as the Schoultz article argues, US policies toward Latin America are still based upon them. 200 years ago North Americans openly thought Protestants to be superior to Catholics, Anglos superior to Hispanics, and light-skinned people superior to dark-skinned people. Today these opinions are officially repudiated, yet they remain central to debates about illegal immigrants, for instance. Look at the bigger picture on the blog and describe aspects in it that might reinforce the biases described in the Schoultz article.
Please post your answer between noon and 5 pm on Saturday, March 5. I would like to avoid one person reading what another says and then repeating that with a minor alteration.
