Power and Protest: Latin America in the Long Twentieth Century

This four-week course forms Part II of our Latin American history and culture sequence, picking up the story in the late 19th century and examining what happened in this vast region after independence from European colonial powers and the abolition of slavery. The course opens with an introduction to the political and cultural landscape of this period, then addresses four main topics: “banana republics” and the rise of U.S. neo-imperialism (1875-1934); revolution and reaction in the Cold War (1950s-1970s); violence in Central America and its after-effects, and millennial transitions: free trade, resistance, and emigration. There are three core themes of this course: US intervention and interference in Latin America, Latin American resistance and revolution, and the region's cultural diversity. These themes come together in important topics like nationalist movements, populism, literature, art and musical expression, Catholic peace movements and Liberation Theology, Indigenous rights, or emigration. Above all, the history of this period invites reflection on how deeply entwined U.S. and Latin American histories and cultures have been for 150+ years. Looking at examples from over 11 countries in South and Central America as well as the Caribbean, we will investigate those connections and how they shape our world in the present-day. The content of this course relates most directly to World History, US History, ELA, Spanish Language, and the Arts. Educators do not need to take Part I of our Latin America sequence to enroll in this course.

Course Logistics

Dates Winter 2027: Wednesday, January 13 to Tuesday, February 9, 2027 Grade Levels Supported: FILL Course Format: Online, asynchronous Professional Development Points (PDPs): 22.5 PDPs Graduate Credit: 1 optional graduate credit available ($180) with credit accreditation through Southern New Hampshire University Fee: $750 (contact us at [email protected] to enroll in the course using a Purchase Order)

Frances Peace Sullivan

Frances Peace Sullivan is an Associate Professor of History at Berklee College of Music, specializing in Latin America and the Caribbean. Her work addresses transnational solidarity movements in the twentieth-century, with an emphasis on ant-imperialism and race-based mobilizations. Her book, Cuba’s Cosmopolitan Enclaves: Imperialism and Internationalism in Eastern Sugar Towns (University Press of Florida, 2025), tells the story of how sugar company towns along Cuba’s northeastern coast became major hubs of internationalist organizing in the 1920s and 1930s. Her work has also appeared in The New West Indian Guide, the Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and in edited volumes on Global Garveyism and Transnational Communism across the Americas. Professor Sullivan is an award-winning educator who has experience teaching courses on Latin American, Caribbean, and African Diasporic history, as well as on global solidarity movements, commodities in world history, insurgency and revolution in the Americas, and the Cold War in Latin America.

Massachusetts Standards & Professional Alignment

WHII: [T1.7f,g] The growing power of the U.S. and its economic and political impact on Central America & Caribbean; persistence of slavery in Cuba, Puerto Rico, & Brazil until the end of the 19th century; [T3.3] Impact of Western imperialism in Latin America; [T5.3d,f] the United States backing for the overthrow Arbenz in Guatemala (1954), Cuban Revolution and the Cuban Missile Crisis; [T5.5] The development and goals of nationalist movements in Central and South America & how one of these movements and its leader brought about decolonization and independence in the second half of the 20th century.

Course Overview

What our Educators are Saying

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About Primary Source

Primary Source educates global citizens by working with teachers to foster students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions for thoughtful and engaged citizenship. With our guidance and resources, teachers cultivate students’ civic-mindedness, cultural awareness, and global competence, preparing them for our increasingly diverse and interconnected world. We collaborate with teachers, schools, and educational organizations to offer professional development programs and resources that help make global, civics, and cultural education an integral part of every student’s classroom experience. Our engaging face-to-face and online programs, curriculum resources, and international study tours enhance global understanding, civic engagement, and cultural understanding, and help thousands of teachers every year bring the wider world to their students. To learn more, visit our homepage at primarysource.org!