Brazil The Red Wood Of South America - 1624 Words

Brazil; the Red Wood of South America Envisage a country named after a wood product. Such a country exists in Eastern South America. Brazil has been tremendously influenced by European life and evidence of that can be perceived through their culture. Made up of various types of resources, Brazil has continued to flourish. However, problems have arose along with the growth of the population. Deforestation, an outcome of human action has affected the millions of exotic species that live in one of the treasures of Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest. The arrival of the Europeans on Brazilian soil affected Brazil’s history. The Line of Demarcation, a demonstration of the Pope’s power had opened the path of Portuguese influence among Brazilians.†¦show more content†¦In 1500, the Portuguese led by Pedro à lvares Cabral, a diplomat from Portugal were encountered by the Tupinamba Indians on their arrival to Brazil. Their objectives were to control the profitable trade of red wood, pau brasil and settle permanently. Besides being cherished for producing dye, pau brasil gave Brazil its name. The Portuguese planned to make plantations out of the accessible land and that required workers. At first the Indians became their slaves, but the foreign diseases brought by the Europeans and the long hours of labor resulted in the casualties and the abandonment of the Indians. That led to the initiation of African slave trade (Fonseca). Originally, a strong government could not be made in Brazil. Brazil depended on the power of nobles and merchants to control sections of land. It became obvious by 1549, that this was unsuccessful so the monarchy of Portugal sent a governor-general to supervise them and build a capital. The colony began to flourish and the discovery of diamonds and gold reached to Europe. Three thousand pounds of gold were being exported to Portugal each year and European sculptors and carpenters initiated the construction of cities (Fonseca). In 1763, Rio de Janeiro became the new capital and new exports like cotton and tobacco joined sugar, diamonds, and gold. The royal family landed on Rio de Janeiro after Napoleon Bonaparte’s armies threw them out of Portugal. Dom Joà £o VI improved