Revolutions In Latin America

The Mexican revolution was started to end Spanish rule in Mexico, give back land to provide racial equality.  Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla started the Mexican rebellion with his army of peasants but was quickly defeated by Napoleon and his army in 1811. Many peasant leaders after him lead armies to fight the Spanish. However in 1820, Spanish liberals made reforms to please the Mexicans.  Later the Plan of Iguala deemed Mexico's independence. In 1821, Juan de O'Donoju of Spain signed the Treaty of Cordoba establishing Mexico as its own constitutional monarchy.  Race was a factor in the Mexican revolution because the Spanish gave less rights to the Mexicans or people with Mexican or Indian blood.  This was part of the reason that the revolution even happened among other things.


Today race still influences politics in the U.S.  Some people are prejudiced against the president because he is black.  Ed Pilkington's article on racial fear in politics says that to people who are uncomfortable with the changing demographics of the United States, Barack Obama is like a symbol for what is happening and because he is black, some people associate his skin color with what is happening in the country that they're uncomfortable with.  This event is important because it seems like many people dislike or disagree with Barack Obama and his actions because of the color of his skin.  Pilkingtons article does a good job of explaining why this may be and why it may affect the way people view other politicians with dark skin.  In some ways race still does have a lot of effect on politics because many people in our country are biased against people of different races and although some people do not see color in these situations it is still an issue that can not be ignored.  I think that race should not affect the way anyone acts toward another person and for people who are deciding what decisions we make as a country it disgusts me to think that someone would simply disregard another's input or idea just because they are of a different race.  This country was built on the basis that all men are created equal and that no man should be treated differently because of the color of his skin.

Pilkington, Ed. "Racial Fear Has Infected US Politics, Former Obama Adviser Axelrod Says." HomeUS. The Guardian, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/10/obama-axelrod-racial-fear-american-politics>.

Russian & Ukrainian Conflicts

There is a conflict in the Crimea peninsula of Ukraine between The Russian and Ukrainian governments as the Russians are attempting to take over the land as it sits between the two countries and is rich in oil. But where does the United States fit in to all of this?  The U.S. congress is debating weather or not they should send arms into Ukraine to help fight the Russian army.  The U.S. is also attempting to stop the exporting of military equipment from Russia to other countries.

If the U.S. were following the principles of the Monroe Doctrine, they would leave the matters alone and let Russia and Ukraine settle their own battles. The conflict does not directly involve the United States so if following the Monroe doctrine, they should have no part in the battle. Since the battles are taking place nowhere near the united states, they should not even have arms in Ukraine if following the Monroe Doctrine.  Although the U.S. is simply helping Ukraine stand their ground from Russia, and trying to provide justice, the Monroe Doctrine would stand against everything the U.S. is doing in the conflict.

Articles Used:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28969784
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/12/15/ukra-d15.html