Olá, amigo! How's life treating you today? Bet you're primed for a refreshingly delicious mug of coffee and a virtual treat, huh? I thought so. Sip and munch away while I review a little history with you...
The Americana municipality, in São Paulo, Brazil, is home
to a very unique subculture – the Confederados. The members of this
culture are the descendants of 10,000 Confederate refugees who chose to
leave the United States after they lost the American Civil War.
Today,
the Confederados make up 10 percent of Americana’s population; they’ve
managed to preserve the unique culture and traditions belonging to the
Confederate South of the 19th century.
When the war ended in 1865, many former Confederates were
unwilling to live under the rule of the Union. They were unhappy with
the destruction of their pre-war lifestyle that included slavery. So
when Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil sent recruiters to the Southern
States of Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas to pick
up experienced cotton farmers, many disgruntled Southerners jumped at
the opportunity.
Slavery was still in existence in Brazil at the time, which
greatly attracted the Southerners. Combined with their humiliating
defeat at the hands of the Union, many felt that moving out of America
was the only option available to them. Dom Pedro, who wanted to
encourage the cultivation of cotton, made an offer they could not refuse
– he offered them a package of tax breaks and grants, as well as a
section of the Brazilian forest that they could call home.
It was more
than they could ever ask for – a chance to start over and create a new
community with Southern values.
The South shall rise again y'all. Want a taco and chitlins, senhor?
See ya, eh!
Bob
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