The Generation of 1837: Attitudes, Policies, and Actions Toward Indian Populations of Argentina

By the year 1880 the Indians of the vast plains region known as the Pampas in Argentina had been almost completely exterminated. The defeat over the Indians by the Argentine government was a long process largely influenced by the works of a group of elite intellectuals called the Generation of 1837. This essay evaluates the literary works of the Generation of 1837 and links those works to the actions taken against the Pampas Indians throughout the nineteenth century. The justification for the conquering and extinguishment of the Pampas Indians was influenced through the racist attitude of the Generation of 1837 disclosed in their literary works.