The World Of The Atlantic Ocean - 1372 Words

Introduction Beginning in the 15th century, European explorers crossed the Atlantic Ocean and conquered almost all of the New World. Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and South America all became part of a vast area of European colonies known as Latin America. The British, French, Dutch, and Portuguese all had territory in this region, but the most notable conquistadors were the Spanish. New Spain included most of the Caribbean islands, Mexico, almost all of Central America, and the entire western coast of South America. Throughout all of these colonies, Spanish society was controlled by a strict social system. At the top of the social hierarchy were the peninsulares, European-born colonists who dominated the government. The peninsulares were†¦show more content†¦The Creoles led the revolutions in Latin America because of a desire for political power, nationalism, and economic conditions. Body Paragraph 1 Political power was a huge motivator for the Creoles. As the second highest class in the New World, The Creoles had growing economic and social influence, but the peninsulares monopolized all administrative positions (Doc B). Even though Creoles composed a much larger percentage of the population than did peninsulares, only 12 Creoles were judges, compared to 87 peninsulares. The Creoles possessed some power, but real authority remained tantalizingly out of reach, residing only in the hands of the peninsulares. The peninsulares power over all other Latin Americans was an important source of frustration for each social class, but it was especially infuriating to Creoles, since many of them were educated in Europe and well-versed in Enlightenment thinking. They believed in the democratic ideals of fair representation and equality, values that conflicted with the very foundation of the hierarchical Spanish colonial system. Just as those Enlightenment ideas had led the bourgeoisie to re volt in Europe during the French Revolution, they caused the Creoles to revolt in New Spain during the Latin American revolutions. However, at the same time, the Creoles were also motivated by power in a way that was much less reflective of Enlightenment