By Mary Lu Tyndall
A few years ago, I discovered a piece of history about the United States that I had never heard of before. So often today we hear about immigrants, legal and illegal, desperately trying to get into America, wanting to become citizens of this great nation! But did you know that in 1866, tens of thousands of Americans fled the United States, desperate to get away? These were Southerners who had just been defeated in the Civil War. Some went to Mexico, but records indicate that close to 20,000 sailed to Brazil, hoping for a better life.
This is the history behind my new series, Escape to Paradise. Book 1 Forsaken Dreams was just released in March.
But what would make people leave the country of their birth and sail to an unknown land? It wasn’t to keep their slaves, as some would think. Brazil had outlawed the importation of slaves in 1850 and then finally put an end to slavery by 1888.
Here are ten reasons they were willing to pack up everything and leave forever:
- After the war, Union officers flooded the South, burning and plundering towns
- The Southern landscape was in shambles: Nearly every family had lost a loved one in the war, railroads were torn up, churches and schools closed, homes destroyed
- The economy had collapsed. Confederate currency was useless. Banks were insolvent. There was no work, and families, both black and white, roamed the streets homeless
- Northern tax collectors descended on the South, determined to make them pay for the war
- Congress declared 150,000 of the South’s leading citizens guilty without a trial and denied them rights of citizenship
- The temperate climate of Brazil was familiar to most Southerners and its year round summer afforded more crops to be grown
- The Emperor of Brazil offered land at 22cents an acre on a 4 year credit program and made his government available to help the Confederates with anything they needed
- Brazil offered an abundance of cheap labor to help out on farms
- Brazil offered religious and political freedom, which many Southerners felt they had lost in the war
- Brazil was far away from the guilt and memories of a horrific war, a place where they could find peace again and maintain their Southern culture and values.
What about you? What would make you leave the country of your birth?
I am giving away three books in The Men of the Texas Rangers Series. The winners can pick from Saving Hope, Shattered Silence or Scorned Justice. I have one more book in this series, coming out in October 2014 called Severed Trust. Please leave an answer to which of the three books you would like a copy of and why as well as your email address (for me to contact you, if you win). You will get an extra entry for each of the following: signing up for my Facebook page, connecting with me on Twitter and signing up for newsletter (go down the page halfway on the right hand sidebar to fill out subscription form). Blurbs of the three books are below.
Saving Hope: #1 in the series
When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt’s daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.
Now it’s personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.
Shattered Silence: #2 in the series
A serial killer is targeting illegal aliens in southern Texas. Texas Ranger Cody Jackson is paired with a local police officer, Liliana Rodriguez, to investigate the murders. While the case brings Cody and Liliana ever closer, the tension between Americans and Mexican Americans heightens. As Cody and Liliana race to discover who is behind the murders and bring peace to the area, what they uncover isn’t what they expected. Will Cody and Liliana’s faith and love be strong enough to survive the storm of violence?
Scorned Justice: #3 in the series (I understand this book in ebook format) is $3.99 through May 17th at most online stores)
Amazon’s link to Scorned Justice
Barnes and Noble’s link to Scorned Justice
Christianbook’s link to Scorned Justice
Texas Ranger Brody Calhoun is with his parents in west Texas when an unexpected attack injures the brother of Rebecca Morgan, Brody’s high school sweetheart. The local sheriff, a good friend, asks for Brody’s help. At first, it seems like an open-and-shut case.
As Brody digs deeper, he realizes the attack may be related to an organized crime trial Rebecca will be overseeing. With Rebecca’s help, he compiles evidence involving cattle rustling, bribery, and dirty payoffs that shatter the entire community and put Rebecca directly in the line of fire.
Brody expects to protect her. What he never expects is to fall for Rebecca all over again, or for a murder to throw the case wide open. Is Brody’s faith strong enough to withstand not only deep-rooted corruption and cattle rustling, but also love?
