History 10

Preparation for Independence

The British Colonies were better prepared for independence than the Latin American Colonies in the south for multiple reasons. For starters the British North American colonies were only focusing on gaining independence from Britain unlike the Latin American colonies. In Latin America the colonies along with gaining independence they were also striving to make slavery illegal. The mother countries governing Latin American colonies were more hesitant to resist the push for independence since the colonies wanted slavery abolished as part of the package. British colonies also had the support of other European countries unlike Haiti did since Haiti's views on slavery after their independence. The British colonies and Britain government had a better relationship unlike where France charged Haiti an "independence debt" that left that Haiti in debt just as it was developing. The U.S. economy was not based on slavery like in Latin America where once slavery was abolished no blacks wanted to work since they thought of it as slavery. The majority of people in U.S. worked so not much changed when they gained independence; unlike in Haiti where everyone was forced to return to working at the plantations so the economy didn't collapse. The education in the U.S. also helped the colony better prepared. In the book, Literacy in Colonial New England, Kenneth Lockridge says “in cities such as Boston, the rate had come close to 100 percent by century’s end.” Unlike the United States the Latin America colonies had a much lower literacy rate since the majority of their population were uneducated slaves. In the source, Empire to Nation: Historical Perspectives on the Making of the Modern World by Joseph Esherick, Hasan Kayalı, and Eric Van Young; they say “the literacy rate in New Spain in 1810 could not have been much higher than 10 percent overall, with much of the literate population compressed spatially into the cities.” With the literacy rate this low it would affect the communication In America where the majority where literate it was much easier for them to spread ideas and information.. The British were much more prepared for independence since they were much more literate and had the backing to help them succeed.