John Charles Chasteen’s Americanos: Latin America’s Struggle for Independence is a critical retelling of an important epoch in Latin American history. In 1799, Alexander Von Humboldt reached Latin America, a place that through struggle and bloodshed would transform over the next forty years. In Americanos, Chasteen brilliantly shows every step that gradually transformed Latin America from the colonies Humboldt saw in 1799 to the drastically different Latin America of 1840. Americanos is well-organized and separated into six sections that help to make sense of all of the narratives and characters that are important to the overarching story. In the first section titled “Discovering América”, Chasteen starts with Humboldt’s arrival
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After failed attempts by Francisco Miranda and Admiral Home Popham to cut off the Spanish Crown’s control of Coro and Buenos Aires, Napoleon began his invasions. (42) Chasteen importantly notes that the revolution attempts by Francisco De Miranda and Home Popham were unsuccessful because they lacked popular support, which is ironic considering the revolutions that would soon spring up all over Latin America. In the years 1807 and 1808, Napolean orchestrated a large-scale invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, which changed the course of Latin American history. This invasion led to Prince Regent João VI fleeing for Brazil, and Napoleon taking control of both Portugal and Spain. (42-44) With Brazil firmly in now King João VI’s control, the rest of Latin America was still loyal to King Fernando VII, and this tension caused the “not-so-civil wars” that Chasteen illustrates in the third …show more content…
One of the best qualities of the book is its accessible prose. Chasteen’s writing is like no other historical writing I have read before. While other authors would make this thrilling story uninteresting, Chasteen found a way to make it a page-turner. Part of what made the book more interesting than other historical readings is that Chasteen gave context and background for some of the most important characters. For example, Simón Bolívar was introduced in the first section of the book even though he would not become relevant to the overarching story until much later. This allows the reader to know more than the character’s actions; it gives us a chance to see into the personal lives of the characters and adds
After failed attempts by Francisco Miranda and Admiral Home Popham to cut off the Spanish Crown’s control of Coro and Buenos Aires, Napoleon began his invasions. (42) Chasteen importantly notes that the revolution attempts by Francisco De Miranda and Home Popham were unsuccessful because they lacked popular support, which is ironic considering the revolutions that would soon spring up all over Latin America. In the years 1807 and 1808, Napolean orchestrated a large-scale invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, which changed the course of Latin American history. This invasion led to Prince Regent João VI fleeing for Brazil, and Napoleon taking control of both Portugal and Spain. (42-44) With Brazil firmly in now King João VI’s control, the rest of Latin America was still loyal to King Fernando VII, and this tension caused the “not-so-civil wars” that Chasteen illustrates in the third …show more content…
One of the best qualities of the book is its accessible prose. Chasteen’s writing is like no other historical writing I have read before. While other authors would make this thrilling story uninteresting, Chasteen found a way to make it a page-turner. Part of what made the book more interesting than other historical readings is that Chasteen gave context and background for some of the most important characters. For example, Simón Bolívar was introduced in the first section of the book even though he would not become relevant to the overarching story until much later. This allows the reader to know more than the character’s actions; it gives us a chance to see into the personal lives of the characters and adds