The U.S. got its independence in the late 18th century, and I know that many South and Central American countries became independent in the first half of the 19th century, not long after the U.S. My impression of the U.S. is that it's had a relatively stable and prosperous history, and it's still functioning under more or less the same political system it started with. There hasn't been many political upheavals other than the civil war. On the other hand, my impression of many Latin American countries is that their histories since independence have been marked by civil war, coups, and poverty. Maybe my impressions are inaccurate or overly simplistic, but I was wondering if anyone could shed any light on what I've noticed.