Post civil war reconstruction and confederate immigration to Brazil.
With the Southern economy in ruins after the Civil war, it is little wonder that many families of Confederate veterans would succumb to the pleas of Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil for immigrants with expertise in farming and cotton planting. By some accounts the number of immigrants from the Confederacy to Brazil in the period from 1865 to 1885 was as high as 9000 people. They came from all over the South, but the largest groups were from Alabama, Texas and South Carolina. Other States represented in this post-Civil War wave of immigration were Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and Virginia. The majority of these immigrants settled in the São Paulo State in and around the small town of Vila Santa Bárbara (now known as Santa Bárbara D'Oeste) and founded the town of Americana a few miles away. The climate and soil of this region of Brazil was most like that of their native Southern states, and the pecans and peaches they introduced thrived, as did American varieties of corn and cotton they had brought with them.
One of the most prominent of these Confederate immigrants was Colonel William Hutchinson Norris. A native of Georgia, Colonel Norris was a veteran of the Mexican war, a lawyer and a U.S. Senator from Alabama before the Civil War began. Colonel Norris was in his sixties during the Civil War, but had four sons which served in the Alabama Infantry. Through his contacts in Brazil and in response to the urgings of Emperor Dom Pedro II, Colonel Norris organized the immigration of a large group of families from Alabama at the end of the war. The Emperor himself greeted Colonel Norris and his group on their arrival to Brazilian soil. Colonel Norris is considered the founder of the town of Americana, which today is a largely industrial (textiles) city of over 160,000 residents, mostly of Italian descent. In fact, it was under pressure from the majority Italian descendent population that the St. Andrew's cross of the Confederate battle flag was removed in 1999 from the crest of the city founded by Confederate immigrants.
In addition to the São Paulo State, Confederate families settled in the states of Pará, Bahia, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina. One group from Alabama settled in Santarem, a city on the Amazon River in the State of Pará, that today is home to over 240,000 people. But as in Americana, their numbers and influence are much diminished from the late 19th Century. Many families returned to the States after a few years, however others stayed in Brazil and have largely been assimilated into the Brazilian culture. Signs of their influence though can still be seen today. In addition to the crops and farming techniques brought by these families to their new homeland, these Confederate families also brought their culture. In the Amazon region, during the Junino Festival (a festival held throughout Brazil in the last half of June) celebrating the folklore of the region, people outfitted in period Southern dress square dance to a band which, though definitely Brazilian, includes accordions and banjos.
Today, the descendents of the Confederate immigrants have spread out throughout Brazil assimilating into the local culture. However, evidence of their heritage can still be found, especially in the area around Americana, which is home to a chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) who call themselves "Os Confederados". Formed in 1994 by descendents of the original immigrants wanting to retain ties to their heritage, "Os Confederados" hosts an annual party at the Campo Cemetery near Americana that would be the envy of any died-in-the-wool Southerner. Although only a few dozen families of confederados still live in Americana, descendents of the Confederate immigrants from throughout the São Paulo State converge on Campo Cemetery for the annual party. Southern-fried chicken, corn bread and blue grass music are some of the offerings at this April event. Rebel flags are very much in evidence as well, but members of "Os Confederados" claim the connotation of racism isn't attached to that symbol in Brazil as it is in the States. After all, many of them are dark skinned people that would be considered mulatto, or even black, in the States. They consider it a symbol of their heritage as Americans.
The site of the SCV party, Campo Cemetery, was founded in 1868 when one of their group who died was barred by local law, as a non-Catholic, from burial in the Catholic Cemetery in Vila Santa Bárbara. Today, Campo Cemetery has become a monument of spiritual, as well as historical significance, to the confederados. A sister organization to "Os Confederados", called Fraternidade Descendência Americana (FDA) and founded in 1954, maintains the Campo Cemetery. Each quarter on the second Sunday of the month, confederados gather at Campo Cemetery for a religious service followed by a traditional Southern-style church picnic lunch on the grounds. The FDA also maintains the Immigration Museum in Americana, which houses memorabilia from their Confederate ancestors.
Despite the entrenched traditions and homage paid to their heritage, many of the older confederados are worried that their heritage will be forgotten by the younger generations. There is already evidence of this, with many of the younger confederados not speaking English or taking an interest in the community's activities. However, as they themselves have assimilated into Brazilian culture, the Brazilian culture has assimilated some of their heritage and culture as well. This is a situation that most every immigrant population faces sooner or later, but as long as young Brazilian men "doh-si-doh" their partners, dressed in billowing Southern Belle dresses, the South will live in Brazil.
