Latin American Identity

From its war of independence with Spain to a number of civil wars and other social upheavals, Latin Americans struggled to forge a viable national identity in the wake of imperialism and warfare during the last part of the 19th century. In the early 20th century, a majority of Latin Americans viewed the U.S. as an energetic, wealthy, and democratic neighbor. However, the foreign policy of President Theodore Roosevelt, including support for the Panamanian revolution and what was known as the Monroe Doctrine Corollary, soon turned such admiration to fears of imperialism. Many Latin Americans viewed the Corollary as merely ôjustification for U.S. intervention in Latin Americaö (Theodore 1). The Monr

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he U.S. that it thinks that ôlife is fire,/progress is eruption,/that wherever you shoot/you hit the futureö (1). DarioÆs answer is simple and of conviction: ôNoö (1). DarioÆs poem shows the tenacity and pride of Latin Americans in challenging the mightier U.S. He maintains to overcome the ôthousand cubs loosed from the Spanish lionö, Roosevelt would have to be through God a ôfearful Rifleman and strong Hunterö to capture Latin America in his ôiron clawsö (Dario 2). However, Dario insists that such a reality cannot materialize since, despite being able to ôcount on everything,ö there is one thing that the U.S. lacks: ôGod!ö (2). In this manner, we see the love, perseverance, determination, heritage, and Christianity of the Latin American identity reinforced through DarioÆs popular poem. As with DarioÆs poem, the dance and music movement known as tango also conveys elements of the Latin American national identity. After a number of civil wars and independence from Spain, Buenos Aires because the ôindisputable center of the Argentinean economy and cultural developmentö (Fernandez 1). Inhabitants of Buenos Aires were joined by Italian, Spanish, and European immigrants that forged a new culture known as portenos, ôthe man and w
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Approximate Word count = 1251
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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