Americans in Uruguay are mostly persons born in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and living in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. There are as well some Uruguayan-born persons of American descent.

History

What is now known as Uruguay has maintained intense relations with the United States since colonial times. In 1811, a Spanish translation of

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

's most important works circulated in Montevideo, including the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, and the constitutions of five U.S. states,John Street, ''Artigas and the Emancipation of Uruguay'' (London: Cambridge University Press, 1959), 178-186. and this was inspirational to

an national hero

José Gervasio Artigas José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a political leader, military general, statesman and national hero of Uruguay and the broader Río de la Plata region. He fought in the Latin American wars of in ...

, who embraced Paine's ideas. Many of Artigas's writings drew directly from Paine's, including the '' Instructions of 1813'', which Uruguayans consider to be one of their country's most important constitutional documents. Americans in Uruguay, although usually only a few as compared with the more numerous local Britons, made significant contributions to the country, notably the naval commander Jonas Coe, who took part in the combats which ultimately led to independence.''Historia y Arqueologia Marítima''
-''Garibaldi: Combate de Costa Brava'' American presence on Uruguayan soil increased with the establishment of diplomatic relationships in the late 19th century. In 1970, American agent

Dan Mitrione Daniel Anthony Mitrione (August 4, 1920 – August 10, 1970) was a U.S. government official in Latin America who trained local police in the use of torture. He was kidnapped and murdered by the Tupamaros guerrilla group fighting against the autho ...

was assassinated in Uruguay.

Present

The 2011 Uruguayan census revealed 2,800 people who declared the United States as their country of birth; as of 2013, there were more than 300 American citizens registered in the Uruguayan social security. There is also another migration-related issue: during the 1960s, several Uruguayans migrated to the United States and had their children on North American soil. Lately, there are many of those people returning to Uruguay, so there are American-born children and young people who are now living in Uruguay. Among schoolchildren born abroad, Americans are the fifth-biggest group, among 62 countries that are represented in Uruguayan schools. An educational institution, the Uruguayan American School (established 1960) serves both Uruguayan and American children.Uruguayan American School
/ref> The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Uruguay has been present since 1947, with many American missionaries active in Uruguay.

Education

The Uruguayan American School serves American families in the Montevideo area.

Notable people

* Jonas Halstead Coe (1805-1864), naval commander *

Fay Crocker Fay Crocker (2 August 1914 – 16 September 1983) was a Uruguayan professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. In her career, she won 11 LPGA tournaments, including two major championships, the 1955 U.S. Women's Open and 1960 Titleholde ...

(Montevideo, 1914-1983), golfer * Frederick Crocker (1821-1911), American naval commander and US consul * James Louis Barker (1880–1958), historian and missionary, organizer of the first

LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...

in Uruguay in 1944 *

Jayson Granger Jayson Antonie Granger Amodio (born September 15, 1989) is a Uruguayan professional basketball player who last played for Reyer Venezia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Listed at a height of 6'2" (1.89 m) tall without shoes, and 200&nbs ...

(born 1989 in Montevideo), professional basketball player

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Americans In Uruguay

Ethnic groups in Uruguay Immigration to Uruguay

History

Present

Education

Notable people

See also

References