After the U.S. Civil War, thousands of people from the former Confederacy moved to a relatively poor corner of São Paulo, Brazil. A new study finds that this small group helped turn the region into one of Brazil’s wealthiest, driving industrialization and farm mechanization, while leaving no lasting mark on local politics or racial inequality.
The paper, “Southern roots abroad: The long-run impact of the Confederate migration to Brazil,” is by João Tampellini and appears in the Journal of Development Economics (published online July 8, 2026, in the January 2027 issue).
A small group with an outsized economic footprint
The study examines the long-term economic and cultural impact of the postbellum migration of white Southerners to Brazil. Though the migrants were few, Tampellini shows they played a significant role in regional industrialization.
Their influence was clearest in cotton and textile industries and in the mechanization of agriculture.
Churches and English survived, politics did not
Some of the migrants’ cultural traits persisted over time, including Protestantism and the use of English. According to the study, that persistence was largely due to the physical infrastructure the migrants established.
What did not carry over is just as striking. Unlike similar migrations within the United States, the study finds no evidence of persistent legacies in politics or racial inequality.
Tampellini argues that this contrast points to the role of local infrastructure in shaping what an immigrant group leaves behind, economically and culturally.
Study Details:
- Title: Southern roots abroad: The long-run impact of the Confederate migration to Brazil
- Authors: João Tampellini
- Journal: Journal of Development Economics (Vol. 184)
- Publication Date: July 8, 2026 (online; January 2027 issue)
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2026.103870