Visions of Thomas Jefferson Page, U.S. Navy Commander, through South America: maritime culture and the imperial discourse in the narrative of exploration, “La Plata, The Argentine Confederation and Paraguay (1853 - 1860)”

Abstract

The objective of this article is to observe the visions, images and judgments made by the southerner U.S. Navy Commander, Thomas Jefferson Page, through the expedition made in countries of South America, according to his narrative of exploration, “La Plata, The Argentine Confederation and Paraguay (1853-1860)”. Predominantly, it analyses the author’s constructed visions over the Paraguayan President, Carlos Antonio López, besides those of the Argentinean President, Justo José de Urquiza. While Page, in one hand, indicted López’s “protectionist” policy on the river navigation in Paraguay, in the other, he intended to flatter the Argentinean Urquiza, as far as he maintained the “international” river navigation liberated under his dominium.

Keywords

• Estados Unidos. América do Sul. Viagens e viajantes. Cultura e política.