Poverty in Latin AmericaPoverty is connected to many of Latin America’s problems.

Many countries have a small social class of and a much larger class of people who are extremely .

The poverty problem is made worse by unstable , spending too much on the and not enough on services.

The population growth over the years has exceeded many country’s resources.

Answer the following questions using the chart on the right:

What country has the highest percent of families who are homeless or living in poor quality houses?

What country has the lowest percent of families who are homeless or living in poor quality houses?

What percent of people in Mexico are homeless or live in poor quality houses?

War on DrugsThe U.S. has struggled for many years to stop abuse by its of illegal . Eventually, the U.S. has started going after the suppliers of the drugs rather than the .

In the 1980s, most of the world’s cocaine was grown in , Bolivia, and . Many small farmers in those countries had started illegally growing coca plants (the source of cocaine) as a way out of poverty.

The U.S. and Latin American governments began sending planes to spray chemicals on the plants and going after the growers in other ways.

Abuse of cocaine in the U.S. . The policing efforts pushed coca farming into Colombia and Mexico. Meanwhile, the illegal drug trade was taken over by major cartels, which used brutal violence against growers, police, and each other.

Tens of thousands of people have been or disappeared due to drug related violence in Colombia and Mexico since the 1980s!

Poverty▪ Poverty is connected to many of Latin America’s

worst problems.

▪ Many countries have a small social class of rich people and a much larger class of people who are extremely poor.

▪ The poverty problem is made worse by unstable governments, spending too much on the military and not enough on human services.

▪ The population growth over the years has exceeded many country’s food resources.

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Answer the following questions based on the map:

1. What country has the highest percent of families who are homeless or living in poor quality houses?

2. What country has the lowest percent of families who are homeless or living in poor quality houses?

3. What percent of people in Mexico are homeless or live in poor quality houses?

The U.S. has struggled for many years to stop abuse by its of illegal drug abuse.

Eventually, the U.S. has started going after the suppliers of the drugs rather than the users.

The War on Drugs

In the 1980s, most of the world’s cocaine was grown in Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia. Many small farmers in those countries had started illegally growing coca plants (the source of cocaine) as a way out of poverty.

The U.S. and Latin American governments began sending planes to spray chemicals on the plants and going after the growers in other ways.

Abuse of cocaine in the U.S. did not stop. The policing efforts pushed coca farming into Colombia and Mexico. Meanwhile, the illegal drug trade was taken over by major cartels, which used brutal violence against growers, police, and each other.

Tens of thousands of people have been murdered or disappeared due to drug related violence in Colombia and Mexico since the 1980s!

**Cartel: a combination of people who want to drive away competition in their business.

Based on the chart above, does it seem that the War on Drugs is successful or not?

Between the war on drugs and the general lack of economic opportunities in the region, many Latinos have emigrated to the United States in search of safer living conditions and stabler work environments.

This pattern of mass migration to the U.S., particularly over the last two decades, has occurred both legally and illegally through the nearly 2,000-mile long U.S.-Mexico border.

Latinos at present make up the largest minority group in the United States.

Formative AssessmentUse your notes to answer the fill in the following questions:

1. What has made poverty worse in Latin America?

2. True or False: In the War on Drugs, US governments has gone after the users of the drugs rather than the suppliers.

3. True or False: Drug related violence against Latin peoples by the drug cartels has become a major problem. 4. What minority group makes up the largest group in the United States today?

Writing PromptIn a well constructed paragraph answer the following question:

Why would the U.S. government have decided to fight drug abuse by focusing of the producers of the drugs rather than the ones who have chosen to use the drugs?