The Confederados : Old South Immigrants in Brazil

During the late 1860s, Southerners dissatisfied with the outcome of the Civil War and fearful of the extent of Union reprisals migrated to Brazil to build a new life. This collection of essays examines the experiences of southern Confederate exiles in Brazil and their continuing legacy.

of All The Colonies Founded By Former Confederates In Latin America, The Most Important Was Established By William Norris At Americana In Southeastern Brazil. For 125 Years The People In Americana Have Held On To Their Language And Customs, While Prospering Within And Contributing To The Larger Brazilian Economy And Society. The Original Settlers Came From Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, And South Carolina, And Some Of Them Returned Home For Visits From Time To Time. Much Has Been Written About These People, But There Has Been Relatively Little Scholarly Inquiry Into The Historical Context And The Events Of The Migration Itself, The Cultural Impact That These Confederados Exerted On Their Host Country, And The Ways In Which The Original Settlers And Their Descendants Fit Into The Larger Brazilian Society. Most Immigrant Nationalities Arriving In Brazil Were Quickly Absorbed By The Surrounding Culture. Although The Confederates Numbered But A Few Thousand And Appeared Earlier Than Most Of The Groups From Other Nations, They Maintained Distinctive Traits, And Many Of Their Descendants Still Speak English As A First Language. The Editors Provide An Excellent Scholarly Examination Of The Confederados That Is Unique In Its Approach. This Volume Focuses On The Norris Settlement, Near Present-day Americana, And Makes Clear The Ways In Which The Americans Influenced Brazilian Culture Beginning In The 1860s And Continuing To The Present.

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contains Eleven Scholarly Essays Concerning A Group Of Southerners Dissatisfied With The Outcome Of The American Civil War Who Immigrated To Brazil. The Community They Formed, Near What Has Today Become The City Of Americana, Prospered In The Late 19th And Early 20th Centuries And, For Many Years, The English Language, The Religious Beliefs, And The Educational Values Of The Immigrants Were Preserved. Annotation C. Book News, Inc., Portland, Or (booknews.com)

Contents Foreword (Michael L. Conniff) Introduction: The Confederados (Cyrus B. Dawsey and James M. Dawsey) One. Leaving The Context of the Southern Emigration to Brazil (Cyrus B. Dawsey and James M. Dawsey) Two. The Journey The Sarah Bellona Smith Ferguson Narrative (Edited by Cyrus B. Dawsey and James M. Dawsey) Three. Settling: Migration of the McMullan Colonists and Evolution of the Colonies in Brazil (William C. Griggs) Four. Fitting In: Relocating Family and Capital within the Nineteenth-Century Atlantic World Economy: The Brazilian Connection (Laura Jarnagin) Five. The Heritage: The Confederados' Contributions to Brazilian Agriculture, Religion, and Education (Cyrus B. Dawsey and James M. Dawsey) Six. The Baptists: Southern Religion and Émigrés to Brazil, 1865–1885 (Wayne Flynt) Seven. The Methodists: The Southern Migrants and the Methodist Mission (James M. Dawsey) Eight. A Community Center: Evolution and Significance of the Campo Site in the Santa Bárbara Settlement Area (Cyrus B. Dawsey) Nine. Constructing Identity: Defining the American Descendants in Brazil (John C. Dawsey) Ten. The Language: The Preservation of Southern Speech among the Colonists (Michael B. Montgomery and Cecil Ataide Melo) Eleven. Conclusions: Currents in Confederado Research (Cyrus B. Dawsey and James M. Dawsey) Postscript: Reflections of a Confederado (Eugene C. Harter) Notes Annotated Bibliography (James M. Gravois and Elizabeth J. Weisbrod) Contributors Index This collection of essays--which also includes a previously unpublished narrative by an original settler-- examines the fascinating experiences of southern Confederate exiles in Brazil and their continuing legacy. During the late 1860s Southerners dissatisfied with the outcome of the Civil War and fearful of the extent of Union reprisals migrated to Brazil to build a new life for themselves. The Confederados--the great majority from Alabama and Texas--began a century-long adventure to establish a new homeland and to preserve important elements of their Old South heritage. For more than a hundred years, descendants of the original settlers have largely maintained their language and customs while contributing to Brazil's economy and society. Here, scholars from many fields examine every aspect of this unique mingling of cultures within the larger historical and cultural context.