These two self-contained units of study will help community college students learn about the history of Latin America. Each unit contains notes to the teachers and student readings. Students are expected to read and discuss the reading selections. In the first unit students are engaged in a comparative historical study of slavery in Brazil and in the United States. In the second unit students study the Texas secession and the Mexican-American War. The units will help students gain valuable insight into the reasons for the continuing friction between the United States and Mexico. Included in the appendices for this unit are profiles of important Mexican personalities and chronologies of the Texas revolution and the Mexican-American War. A bibliography is also included. (Author/RM)