Immediately after the Civil War, many supporters of Confederation were extremely dissatisfied with the fact that they had to live under the rule of their opponents. They were searching for a way out - and Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil seized his opportunity.
Dom Pedro was looking for men who were already experienced cotton farmers and offered them significant tax breaks as long as they settled in a small colony in Brazil!
General Robert E. Lee pleaded with the southerners to remain in the United States, but around 10,000 Confederates relocated to Brazil and became known as the Confederados.
In Brazil, the southerns were given a large pieces of land and formed a small community they called Americana. In this community, the confederates lived the same sort of lifestyle that they were in Alabama and Texas.
Although, many Confederate farmers didn't use slave labor [which was still legal in Brazil until 1888], instead the farmers used people that worked for very little money!
As generations passed, the community became more and more integrated with the Brazilian culture. The city is now home to 120,000 Portuguese speaking people, and around one tenth of the population are descendants of the Confederados! Every year, the city throws Festa Confederada to honor their history.