The facts are the facts, and those related to the article are based on unbiased studies from sources that include very prestigious scholars. When you compare the success of the United States with the failures of the Ibero American republics, there is no doubt that the United States’ Founding Fathers are the main reason for the difference in the end results. Departing from a meager colonial heritage, the uniqueness of the American Revolution gave birth to American exceptionalism, an experiment so successful that it has no parallel in human history. On the other hand, the new Ibero American republics fall in the hands of corrupt politicians that dilapidated their rich colonial heritage. The irony is that the most advanced economic theories that brought unparallel prosperity to the world, and was spearheaded in the XX century by the Austrian School of Economics, and later by the Chicago School of Economy, have their base on the economic theories pursued by the Spanish Scholastics of the University of Salamanca in the XVI century.
I appreciate your trying to convey well sourced information, but it is all for not. I missed any mention in that of the Taino which some estimate over seven million were killed. The conquistadors were professional warriors, who went out to conquer, hence the name as already mentioned. Ultimately however, time is the ultimate proof. Latin American countries are “third world” or very close to it in most cases. The Spanish Catholic experiment was a failure in comparison.
I would argue that you are also very wrong in your assertion of cause and effect in America as regarding the founding fathers. You convey an idea that seems to be popular, if not horribly misguided and intellectually dishonest, that somehow the founding fathers suddenly were spawned out of a vacuum, or a sea of darkness, and just happened to be solely responsible for the greatness that is America. Hogwash!! The development of every idea in the founding documents of America is directly traceable to through previous historic documents in America and more importantly through America’s pulpits carrying on the ideas of the reformation. There are books that deal with this in detail. John Calvin may be more responsible for what America is than any other man.
Similarly trying to extract Latin America’s current situation away from its foundational history is equally a mistake. They didn’t just happen to fall into the hands of corrupt politicians. From the very start everything in Catholic Spanish America was different, and it still is today.
It is not facts that are presented that are the problem, but the facts that are omitted. It is also some of the conclusions that rightly attribute great works to totalitarian minds. Yes, even dictators, church or state can do some good.
While I have specific disagreements with the rosy picture the article paints, European civilization did more good than harm in the New World, both north and south. The New World was not paradise before the arrival of Columbus. Sacrificial murders, cannibalism, kidnappings, slavery, fighting over land and warfare were more commonplace than the anti-Columbus critics will admit. I think a number of tribes were grateful when the power of the Aztecs and Incas was broken and actually cooperated with Cortez and Pizarro.
I’m not trying to deride Spain’s contribution to civilizing the New World but on a comparative basis, it is pretty clear whose colonies fared better in the end.