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To: Seeker of Truth who wrote (47874)	4/1/2004 12:08:21 AM
From: energyplay	Respond to of 74559

Hi Malcolm - While most of the Spanish & Portugese were more plunder oriented than many of the English and other northern European settlers, I think we could take a more nuanced view. The English story gets told to the exclusion of others. Harvard wasn't the first university in North America, both Saint Augustine Florida and Santa Fe had universities well before. The explorations conducted were a major contribution to civilization - also many new economic plants. The fanaticism you mention tends to inhibit rational thought in many societies, so it does not tend to last more than a generation. As for the prolonged retardation of Latin AMerica, there is an underestimated influence of geography. Many countires have too much jungle, mountains,etc. Only Argintina and Brazil have large flat fertile areas like the US Missippi Basin. Also occasionally underestimated is the influence of the United States on inhibiting the development of many Latin American counties. Let me also throw in that there was a colonial mentality that was not completely eliminated in the early 1800's, example would be Maximillian in Mexico.