Socio-Economic Hemorrhage

Essay # 26738

History > U.S. After 1865
Latin-American Studies

An analysis of the economic and political structural differences between settlement in North America and Mexico caused by the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.

1,687 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2000 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the furtherance of economic political and social structural inequities between Mexico and the U.S., a process which culminated into the establishment and juncture of the Transcontinental Railroad and various railroads in central Mexico. It examines how from the very beginning, Mexico's economy and government were at a disadvantage while the United States benefited from the growing economic independence that was able to tap the non utilized labor resources of Mexico. It analyzes how this railroad mobilization vented a surplus labor supply which was never and has never been sustained in Mexico, by improvements in its own economy. It evaluates how, if these structural inequities continue to grow unilaterally as they have been to the present day, Mexico will continue to experience an irrecoverable population hemorrhage to the north and a damaged economy.

From the Paper:

"The very beginnings of a diverted relationship in the development of nation-building between the U.S. and Mexico goes as far back to initial colonization efforts by both Great Britain and Spain leading to opposing economic footholds. It is quite surprising to note that by the 1607 establishment of Jamestown, the first American colony in North America, Spanish colonialism had been in effect since 1536 (Saragoza 2). With a time differential of 71 years, it would be logical to believe Spanish settlements would thrive sooner than those of American origin. However, in order to understand why that was exactly what did not happen, we must observe the circumstances under which each government saw their new territory's raw economic potential. In Latin America, Spain found what they called the "El Dorado," an abundant source of gold and silver."