Peter N. Herndon
A
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Lesson One “Early Revolts Against Spanish Rule”
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Objectives
After completing the lesson students should be able
1.
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To describe two early revolts against Spanish rule;
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2.
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To be able to describe at least three underlying causes of discontent in Spanish America;
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3.
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To locate areas on a map.
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Lesson Procedures
1.
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Distribute maps of South and Central America along with Map Worksheet. (Any textbook map of Latin America ca. 1790Ð1800).
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2.
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Students are instructed to label maps: (boundaries are already defined)
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New Spain
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Hispaniola
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Cuba
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Caracas
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Caribbean Sea
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Bahamas
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New Grenada
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La Plata
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Bogotá
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Buenos Aires
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Atlantic Ocean
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Gulf of Mexico
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the Guianas
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Brazil
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Peru
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Lima
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Pacific Ocean
3.
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Review with students which areas were held by Spain, Britain, France, Portugal and Holland. Which countr(ies) have the largest landholdings?
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4.
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Have students read the paragraph on “Early Revolts” on the Map Worksheet. Why did the Indians in Peru and around Bogota protest against Spanish rule? What was the result of these protests? Why did Francisco Miranda lead a revolt near Caracas? How successful was he?
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5.
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End the class with a discussion of how poor social or economic conditions can turn into underlying causes for protests or revolt. Also discuss the concept of leadership: how important is good leadership to the success of a revolt or protest? What other factors are needed?
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Relate discussion to twentiethcentury leaders such as Gandi or Martin Luther King. If time allows list “Qualities of Good Leaders” on the chalkboard.
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Homework assignments could include quotations from people of various classes of Spanish America, voicing their discontent with Spanish rule.
B.
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Lesson Two “Class Structure and Revolt in Spanish America”
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Objectives
After completing the Lesson students should be able
1.
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To describe the three main social classes of Spanish colonial society;
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2.
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To describe conditions of the Indians and slaves in Spanish America;
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3.
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To participate successfully in a Role Play.
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Lesson Procedures
1
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Students have been assigned background information on reasons for discontent among the creoles and the mestizos, and the conditions for slaves in Spanish America.
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2.
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Teacher hands out “ROLE CARDS” to several of the more verbal students in the class. Each role card contains information about an imaginary but historically accurate person in one of the following six groups: Viceroy,
Peninsulare
, Creole, Mestizo, Indian, Slave, Former Slave. More than one card for each group can be printed up.
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3.
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Teacher hands out “COUNCIL MEMBER” Cards to students who will serve as representatives from the Council of the Indies who will hear testimony from the Role Card holders.
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4.
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After giving each group time to read over the information on the cards and to ask questions, the Role Card holders begin to give their “testimony” before the Council. Council members may choose to ask follow-up questions of the “witnesses” and are expected to keep record of testimony.
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5.
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After the Role Play is over, students are expected to write out recommendations to keep order in the colonies: either by giving in to reform demands or by increasing military aid. Other options (changing Viceroy leadership) could also be considered.
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Sample Role Card:
CREOLE MERCHANT
Instructions
: Your name is Jose Pendilla. Your Grandfather and Grandmother came over directly from Spain and your Grandfather was a high government official and became very influential and wealthy. Since you were born in the colony you cannot hold important government jobs, since these jobs go only to the Peninsulares (Spanish-born). You think that Creoles like yourself are better able to know what’s best for the colonies and should be allowed to serve in high government posts. You are becoming more and more upset at the decisions made by the Peninsulares and feel that Creoles need more privileges. Church positions are taken only by Spanishborn. You feel this is unfair too. Slaves should be treated better, also, or they will begin to rebel against the Spanish authority.
Sample Role Card:
FORMER SLAVE
Instructions
: Your name is Abu. You and a small group of former slaves live in the mountains in a “maroon” community. Some of the slaves have been set free by their masters because they have earned their freedom; others have run away from their masters; others were allowed to wander off the plantations because the persons in charge did not keep good security. You feel that the laws which affect the slaves are basically pretty good, but very few masters live by them. The masters violate the law by severely whipping slaves for almost any excuse. Some days slaves are allowed to do very little work; other days they are whipped and beaten if they slack off for a few moments to rest. And there is really no “place” in Spanish society for the former slave—no one wants him around. There are very few ways a former slave can “make good” in this place. And the government better face factsin some places the blacks outnumber the whites by more than eighttoone! And blacks outnumber the whites by more than eighttoone! And they are getting fed up! Something’s got to be done about these masters who do not respect the laws, and ignore the human rights of their slaves ... or there is going to be real trouble!
Sample Council Member Card:
As a member of the Council of the Indies, it is your job to hear testimony from the different residents of SpanishAmerican colonies. You want to keep order in the colonies, and keep any rebellion from spreading. You are becoming more and more aware of the Creole demands for more political and social freedoms; and the Mestizos aren’t too happy either. But you realized the importance of a strong social order that has been built up over the last two hundred years. You don’t want to do anything that would upset the social structure of the colonies too much.
The Slaves are protected by law from harsh treatment. The Catholic Church believes that all men are equal in the sight of God. You are aware that Slaves that have escaped to places like Cuba could not be sold again or returned to their Masters because they wished to become converts to Catholicism.
Does the Council want to make it easier or more difficult for Slaves to become Freedmen by purchasing themselves through earning the money and paying their way out of slavery?
What should the Council do for the Slaves, without upsetting the Landowners too much?
Follow-up:
After class discussion and sharing ideas about various conditions and what should or could be done, the teacher should hand out a list of Slave Codes from the
Siete Partidas
, which contains many of the regulations governing legal rights of slaves and masters. Students should see a discrepancy between some of these laws and the “testimony” of former slaves given in class.
Homework assignment: Reading from
The Autobiography of a Runawav Slave
, by Esteban Montejo.
C.
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Lesson Three “Should the Haitian Slaves Revolt in 1791?”
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Objectives
After completing the lesson students should be able
1.
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To describe the issues facing the leaders of the San Domingo revolution in 1790;
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2.
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To empathize to a certain extent with those facing the decision to lead a violent revolt;
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3.
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To evaluate key factors in the decisionmaking process.
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Lesson Procedures
1.
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Teacher hands out a “Fact Sheet” to the students, which includes necessary information about the coming revolution (see below);
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2
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Teacher divides the class into two groups. One group is instructed to use the “Fact Sheet” information to support the coming revolution; the other group is told to oppose the revolution using the same facts.
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3
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After giving students adequate time to sift out appropriate “facts”, the teacher moderates the debate between the two groups of San Domingo citizens and residents. Some are Landowners, some are Mulattoes, some are Freedmen, some are Slaves.
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4
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After the debate, the teacher informs the class how in fact the Haitian revolution did come into being, and particularly the role of Toussaint L’Ouverture.
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Samples from the Fact Sheet
1
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The plantation slave: “The Manager patrols us with several foremen armed with long whips. If we dare take a rest we are whipped—women and old folks, too. We work all year planting and harvesting sugar cane. Our huts have no windows, only a door, with a floor of packed earth, and straw for beds.”
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2.
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The escaped slave: “There are over three thousand of us. Maroons we call ourselves. We live in the mountains and live in bands. We cannot live as slaves and never will return to the plantation alive. Meanwhile, we wait. Our time will come.”
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The French thinker, Diderot: “Let the colonies such as San Domingo be destroyed rather than be the cause of so much evil, that is slavery.”
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The French priest and writer Abbe Raynal: “Natural liberty is the right which nature has given to every one to dispose of himself according to his will.”
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5.
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The white master: “The French home government can pass what laws it want to. We will not allow any interfering with the ways we choose to treat and keep our slaves. If we treat our dogs better than our slaves, that is our business.”
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6.
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Geography factors: San Domingo (Haiti) has several mountain ranges, with rivers and valleys and plains between the hills. There is burning sun and a humid atmosphere. Plantations are miles apart from each others. Towns are small. There are only two cities: PortauPrince and Cap Francois (called Le Cap).
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7.
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Mulatto laws: “Free Mulattoes must serve three years in a police organization hunting down runaways. Also Mulattoes must join the local militia, but cannot receive high rank or enter into the government military department. Also Mulattoes may not become professional workers or serve in public government offices.”
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8.
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Race laws: “Persons with mixed white and black parentage are assumed to be black, with appropriate restrictions on behavior. A person with 127 white parts and 1 black part is called a sangmFle, and full citizenship is denied to him.”
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Other Mulatto laws: (17581791)—“Mulattoes are not to own swords or other weapons; cannot dress in the European style; are not allowed to plan meetings; are not allowed passports for long stays in Europe; and no official documents are to be drawn up for them by priests or other officials.”
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10.
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An observer’s report of San Domingo: “Planters are born to own slaves. Slaves are born to be slaves. In this country everyone is in his place. And that’s it.”
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11.
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Wealth of the colony (1767): Exports to France
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Raw sugar 72,000,000 pounds
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White dye 51,000,000 pounds
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Indigo dye 1,000,000 pounds
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Cotton 2,000,000 pounds
Also: Coffee, tobacco, hides, molasses, cocoa, and rum of high quality is produced.
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Constituent Assembly in Paris (May, 1791): “All Mulattoes who are children of free parents should have the vote.”
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San Domingo plantation owner (March 1791): “I have cut off the heads of my rebel slaves and placed them on spikes as an example to any others with similar ideas.”
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14.
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Words of a voodoo African cult song kept alive in San Domingo: “We swear to destroy the whites and all that they possess; let us die rather than fail to keep this vow.
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15.
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Toussaint L’Ouverture, rebel leader: “We will defend our liberty or perish. Brave soldiers, generals, officers, and rank and file, do not listen to the wicked ... I am a soldier, I am afraid of no man and I fear only God. If I must die, it shall be as a soldier of honor with no fear of reproach.”
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16.
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Battle song of the black soldier:
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“To the attack, grenadier,
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Who gets killed, that’s his affair.
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Forget your ma,
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Forget your pa,
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To the attack grenadier,
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Who gets killed, that’s his affair.”
Follow-up
: After the debate and an explanation by the teacher as to the decision by Toussaint to enter the rebellion, students could be given copies of some of Toussaint’s speeches, found in Tyson’s book,
Toussaint L’Ouverture.