American Civil War commemorated way down south of Dixie

[Judi Lynn]

American Civil War commemorated way down south of Dixie
By JENNY BARCHFIELD, Associated Press | April 27, 2015 | Updated: April 27, 2015 4:09pm



SANTA BARBARA D'OESTE, Brazil (AP) — It had all the trappings of a down-home country fair somewhere well below the Mason-Dixon line: Lynyrd Skynyrd medleys, mile-long lines for fried chicken, barbeque and draft beer, and a plethora of Confederate flags emblazoning everything from belt buckles to motorcycle vests to trucker caps.

But Sunday's party marking the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War took place about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) south of the South, in a rural Brazilian town colonized by families fleeing Reconstruction.

For many of the residents of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and neighboring Americana in Brazil's southeastern Sao Paulo state, having Confederate ancestry is a point of pride that's celebrated in high style at the annual "Festa dos Confederados," or "Confederates Party" in Portuguese.

Thousands turn out every year, including many who trace their ancestry back to the dozens of families who, enticed by the Brazilian government's offers of land grants, settled here from 1865 to around 1875. They're joined by country music enthusiasts, history buffs and locals with a hankering for buttermilk biscuits or a fondness for "The Dukes of Hazzard."

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/American-Civil-War-commemorated-way-down-south-of-6226096.php

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Confederate officers. [/center]

[AuntPatsy]

1. Interesting, was not aware of that bit of history.....

[Judi Lynn]

2. Got curious thinking maybe they went to a place where slavery was still legal....

Found this in Wikipendia:

Brazil was the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery. By the time it was abolished, in 1888, an estimated four million slaves had been imported from Africa to Brazil, 40% of the total number of slaves brought to the Americas.

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Brazil

Creepy, isn't it?

They got 23 more legal years of slavery.

[procon]

3. This stuff is what makes DU so interesting

I knew about the Nazis who went to So America, but never heard a thing about Confederates immigrating to Brazil.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Just saw in Wikipedia, an image of the punishment they used for slaves in Brazil:

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They imagined it was their right to do this to slaves.

During the right-wing military dictatorship in Brazil, supported by the US
they used a peculiar, and painful form of punishments for their political
prisoners. It was called the "Parrot's Perch" or "Pau de Arara."





Pau de Arara device developed during the Brazilian military
dictatorship. It can also refer to a physical torture technique
designed to cause severe joint and muscle pain, as well as
headaches and psychological trauma. (Photo: Indigenous
Truth and Justice Commission of Brazil)



This torture was used against
Brazil's current President,
Dilma Rousseff, who was a
political prisoner during that
time, shown here before a
military court. [/center]

[Judi Lynn]

5. Meet Brazil's 'Confederados': They've forgotten how to speak English but the South American descenda

Meet Brazil's 'Confederados': They've forgotten how to speak English but the South American descendants of rebels who fled US after the Civil War still turn out by the thousands to celebrate their Dixie roots

Sunday's party marked the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War and was held in a rural Brazilian town colonized by families fleeing Reconstruction

Thousands turn out every year, including many who trace their ancestry back to the dozens of families who, enticed by the Brazilian government's offers of land grants, settled here from 1865 to around 1875

Amid food and beer stands bedecked with red-white-and-blue ribbons, extended families tucked into diet-busting barbecue and hamburger lunches as 'Dixie' played on a loop

By Associated Press
Published: 10:28 EST, 27 April 2015 | Updated: 17:02 EST, 27 April 2015

~ snip ~

The American South became an unfamiliar place, in some respects, to many Sons of Dixie during Reconstruction.

In those years following the Civil War, many northerners flowed south of the Mason-Dixon in search of economic gain.

These so-called 'carpetbaggers' were seen as opportunistic by many poor southerners who believed they were being used and their land stolen with the help of northern capital.

Also seen as the enemy to some Confederate loyalists in the postbellum South were the scalawags.

These were the Southerners who saw more of an advantage in backing the Yankee policies governing the reconstruction than in opposing them in favor of the throwback policies of the old gaurd.

Many of them supported giving rights to African Americans and supported the influx of northern investors.

As they watched Dixie change during the federal occupation--and watched the emancipation of black slaves--some Southerners chose to leave. . . . . .

- video -





More:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3057602/American-Civil-War-commemorated-way-south-Dixie.html#ixzz3YgKf9lR0

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Apologies to Brazilian people![/center]