They lost the Civil War and fled to Brazil.

[left-of-center2012]

It’s one of history’s lesser-known episodes. After the Civil War, thousands of defeated Southerners came to Brazil to self-exile in a country that still practiced slavery. For decades, their descendants have thrown a massive party that now attracts thousands of people to the twin cities of Americana and Santa Bárbara d’Oeste to celebrate all things Dixie. The Confederate flag? Everywhere.

The newspapers called it “Brazilian fever.” With the war lost, thousands of Southerners, fearful of living under Northern rule among freed slaves, were seeking other opportunities. Some pushed for Mexico. Others for Venezuela. But Brazil, which wouldn’t abolish slavery for another 23 years, until 1888, proved to be the most attractive of countries.

Emperor Dom Pedro II (the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years), a fierce advocate of the South during the war, tried to induce their immigration, offering free transport, cheap land and an easy path to citizenship. Before long, Southerners sailed out from New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., for Rio de Janeiro. Eventually up to 20,000 immigrated.

One of the central draws was a country where Southerners could freeze time and continue a lifestyle that had been put to a violent end in the United States. In journals, one bragged about how inexpensive Brazilian slaves were; another lamented that they couldn’t bring recently-freed American slaves to Brazil. “They came to continue having slaves,” said Luciana Brito, a historian at the Federal University of Bahia Reconcâvo.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/brazil-confederate-flag-civil-war-americana-santa-barbara/2020/07/11/1e8a7c84-bec4-11ea-b4f6-cb39cd8940fb_story.html

[hlthe2b]

1. So, too, did many Nazis... Birds of a feather

(between 1500 and 2000 Nazi war criminals were welcomed in Brazil. Additional Nazis fled to Chile and elsewhere in S. America)

https://www.history.com/news/how-south-america-became-a-nazi-haven

[LakeVermilion]

2. Well, I hope that we encourage a second migration in 2021.

Great place for Nazi's I read somewhere.

[mcar]

3. Nazis too

[malaise]

4. Many Nazis headed for Paraguay and Argentina as well

[world wide wally]

5. The boys from Brazil

[Mersky]

6. I had no idea this happened.

I knew of nazis escaping to Brazil... combining the two? Causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end.

[tulipsandroses]

7. Thanks for posting. Had no idea. It will make good reading for the rest of the weekend to read more

on this. Thanks.

[chowder66]

8. I didn't know about this either. Great article.

The article references a photographer I had never heard of who does phenomenal work.

Sebastião Salgado

[keithbvadu2]

9. Are they also American citizens like the dual citizenship Mormons in Mexico?

Are they also American citizens like the dual citizenship Mormons in Mexico?

[regnaD kciN]

10. From Brazil...where the nuts come from...

[octoberlib]

11. I did not know this. Thanks for posting.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. Book rec: The Lost Colony of the Confederacy By Eugene C. Harter

I read this in the first edition. Just ordered a related book from U. Oklahoma Press:

[moondust]

13. 4 million slaves were obtained by Brazil

which is 1.5 million more than any other country.

35.3% of all slaves involved in the Atlantic Slave trade went to Brazil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery#Brazil

Is Bolsonazi making Brazil great again?

[Midnight Writer]

14. The USA took in a lot of Nazis as well. Operation Paperclip.

[FM123]

15. Interesting article, I had no idea about this part of history.