The Peninsular War and the American Question

REVOLUTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA HIST 1301 | History The Peninsular War and the American Question Napoleon unintentionally sparked a crisis in Spain's American empire when he invaded Spain in 1807 and took the country's ruling aristocracy prisoner. Creole elites created regional juntas, or governing and deliberative bodies, in response to the crisis, just as rebels had done in Spain. Key political and economic hubs including Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Caracas, Mexico City, and Santiago were all turned over to these regional juntas by the Spanish government. Local government bodies gained self-rule for the first time in Spanish America, and each junta thought about how it might use this momentous change of events to its own benefit. In other words, the resolution of Spain's political crisis rekindled the yearning for independence throughout the four main colonial divisions. The concept of self-government inspired both the patriots and the royalists, who desired complete independence and were waiting for the return of the Spanish king. The patriots saw the creation of juntas as a step towards achieving total independence, while the royalists rationalised their actions by citing the precedent of the regional juntas in Spain. They arranged public protests and questioned the allegiance of royal authorities. The battle between royalists and patriots intensified rapidly after this. In Spain, the national parliament, the Cortes, which convened in the city of Cadiz, took over from the central revolutionary junta. The Cádiz Constitution, also known as the Constitution of 1812, was a liberal charter that was ratified by the Cádiz Cortes in 1812. It ended the Inquisition, guaranteed freedom of speech and assembly, and established a limited monarchy. Writing the text also sparked contentious discussions over the autonomy of Spanish Americans. males of African descent were not allowed to participate in politics, but American Indian and mestizo males were granted the right to vote. Regarding political rights, the paper classified all Spanish Americans of African descent as legally depriving individuals of their right to self-government, along with creditors, domestic workers, and convicts. This kind of classification strengthened the connection between African descent and enslavement. The Spanish representatives to the Cortes made sure they kept control of the body even though members who spoke Creole participated in the component discussions. Men born in the Americas were not automatically granted Spanish citizenship or the ability to vote, and their refusal to be counted for deciding how many delegates to the Cortes was a guarantee that power stayed with European Spaniards rather than Spanish American colonists. Furthermore, because the money obtained from these actions was required to combat the French, the European Spaniards who controlled the Cortes declined to accede to colonial requests to do away with monopolies and the Spanish sales tax. As a result, white European Spaniards continued to rule the colonies politically and commercially. But the colonists' allegiance to Spain had been shattered by the experience of forming juntas and sending representatives to the Cortes, thus it was impossible to enforce their refusal to comply with colonial demands. The colonists had already come to the realisation that they could rule themselves to the fullest extent at that point. Spain's militarised reaction was ineffectual, and its political and economic hold over its colonies continued to erode. The Spanish crown was ultimately returned to Fernando VII following Napoleon's downfall in 1814. But when he came back to power, he clearly signalled the end of the six-year period of American self-rule rather than engaging in negotiations. In order to impose his absolutist ideals, Fernando disbanded the Cortes, rejected the 1812 Constitution, punished liberals, and sent Spanish soldiers to the colonies. Royalists were relieved to see colonial order return, but patriots were infuriated. The enormous expenses of going back to the former colonial government were just too much for the Spanish American creole juntas to bear. They demanded approval of the current free trade policy and an equal voice in the government more than ever. All colonial grievances had been brought to light by the breakdown of Spanish rule, which had prompted quick responses throughout the colonies. The independence movement began because of the elite creole's discontent with the restoration of pre-Napoleonic policies.