Throughline (NPR): "The Confederates Who Left the USA"

Date: March 17, 2026
Hosts: Rund Abdelfattah & Ramtin Arablouei
Guests: Luciana Brito (Historian, Federal University of Reconcavo de Bahia), Sunny Dossey (Retired Professor, Auburn University, Director of Institute for Latin American Studies)

Episode Overview

This episode of Throughline explores the lesser-known story of the "Confederados," white Southerners who, after the Civil War, refused to reintegrate into the restructured United States and instead migrated to Brazil in hopes of preserving their antebellum way of life—including slavery and white supremacy. Hosts Rund Abdelfattah and Ramtin Arablouei trace the origins, motivations, and enduring legacy of these Americans abroad, examining how their transplantation shaped both themselves and Brazil.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Aftermath of the Civil War and White Exodus

• Context: The American South was left devastated—economically and socially—after the Union’s victory and the abolition of slavery (02:52–03:17).
• Desperation & Fear: Many Confederates felt lost and fearful, both economically ruined and anxious about a possible “wave of violence” from newly freed African Americans (03:08–03:48, Luciana Brito).
  • Quote (Luciana Brito, 03:48): “They were really afraid of a wave of violence from the African American population.”

2. Searching for a New Slave Society: Why Brazil?

• Limited Options: By the mid-1860s, slavery was illegal in most of the Western hemisphere except Brazil, which still had the world’s largest enslaved population (04:20).
• Brazil’s Appeal:
  • The Brazilian empire actively recruited white settlers with incentives: cheap land, travel, lodging—motivated by a state policy of “whitening” the population (05:05, Luciana Brito).
  • The hope: attract Americans with advanced agricultural know-how, especially for cotton (05:53, Ramtin Arablouei).
    • Quote (Sunny Dossey, 05:33): “He paid for travel tickets for them to get to Brazil... He thought it would be very beneficial to his country to receive these people from North America.”

3. Selling the Brazilian Dream

• Books & Reports: Early “explorers” and migrants, such as James McFadden Gaston, wrote glowing reports (“Hunting a Home in Brazil”) describing Brazil as a promised land (06:24–07:07, 07:21, Sunny Dossey and Ramtin Arablouei).
  • Quote (Ramtin Arablouei, 07:07): “The climate, the dark reddish or brown color of the earth is found to be especially well adapted... The cotton plant promises also an abundant yield.”
  • Quote (Sunny Dossey, 07:21): “Painted it almost as a Garden of Eden.”

4. Who Were the Confederados?

• Not the Planter Elite:
  • Most migrants were ordinary farmers, not wealthy aristocrats (08:20–08:30).
  • Many harbored the aspiration to become slave owners abroad (08:42, Luciana Brito).

5. Harsh Realities on Arrival

• Initial Disillusionment:
  • The idyllic expectations quickly crumbled due to poor soil, tropical diseases, and an unfamiliar, complex racial order (09:30–10:05).
  • Quote (Luciana Brito, 09:30): “Oh, definitely. They were really surprised, really frustrated too.”
• Racial Complexity in Brazil:
  • The meaning and social construction of race in Brazil differed markedly from the US, with more fluid (mestizo) classifications and a history of assimilation and mixing (10:05–11:35).

6. The Confederado Community: Isolation and Adaptation

• Cultural Preservation:
  • Language, religion, and customs were fiercely maintained: English at home, Protestantism, homeschooling (12:25, Sunny Dossey).
  • Quote (Sunny Dossey, 12:25): “They spoke English at home. The kids grew up speaking English..."
• Disconnection:
  • They remained insular, interacting little with surrounding Brazilian society (13:46, Sunny Dossey).
• Gradual Assimilation:
  • Over generations, assimilation increased through intermarriage, language shift, and civic engagement (15:02–15:37).
  • Quote (Sunny Dossey, 15:15): “Initially, of course, they were immigrants from the South... But as time passed, they became known as Americans.”

7. Americana: A Confederate Exile’s Legacy

• Founding of Americana:
  • The town, "Americana," became a symbolic Plymouth Rock for the Confederados (14:33–14:51, Sunny Dossey).
• End of Slavery in Brazil:
  • The abolition of Brazilian slavery in 1888 eliminated the initial rationale for migration (14:51).
• Present-Day Memory:
  • Today, some descendants embrace a romanticized Confederate identity, flying Confederate flags—not as pro-slavery activists but as a marker of heritage (15:37–16:02).
  • Quote (Luciana Brito, 15:45): “So it's a romanticize, it's a fantasy about this Confederated life of this Confederate ancestry.”
  • Quote (Sunny Dossey, 15:57): “They celebrate it, but at the same time they are fully Brazilian.”

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the Brazilian Dream:
  • “Painted it almost as a Garden of Eden.” — Sunny Dossey, 07:21
• On Racial Dynamics:
  • “They talk about this a lot about, oh, in Brazil, the same family have several shades of color, which was shocking for them.” — Luciana Brito, 10:30
• On Cultural Preservation:
  • “They spoke English at home. The kids grew up speaking English. They provided education, homeschooling...” — Sunny Dossey, 12:25
• On Present-Day Identity:
  • “So it's a romanticize, it's a fantasy about this Confederated life of this Confederate ancestry.” — Luciana Brito, 15:45
  • “They celebrate it, but at the same time they are fully Brazilian.” — Sunny Dossey, 15:57

Notable Segments (Timestamps)

• 00:58 – 02:00: Contextualizing the Civil War’s aftermath and initial motivations.
• 03:08 – 04:28: Letters, fears, and Brazil’s remaining slave society.
• 06:24 – 07:21: First-person accounts selling the "Brazilian dream."
• 09:17 – 10:01: Arrival in Brazil—disillusionment and environmental/racial shocks.
• 12:25 – 13:39: Cultural preservation and the historian’s personal connection.
• 14:33 – 15:37: Formation of Americana, legacy, and present-day memory.

Episode Takeaways

This episode sheds light on the Confederados—a largely forgotten chapter in American and Brazilian history—raising provocative questions about migration, race, and memory. The story complicates simplistic narratives of the post-Civil War South and reveals the transnational dimensions of white supremacy, as well as the unpredictable realities faced by those who sought to rebuild a lost world abroad.

The hosts and experts balance clear-eyed historical discussion with personal insight, ensuring listeners grasp not just the facts, but the enduring legacies and complex emotions surrounding this American diaspora.