Black men at arms. The other protagonists in the wars of independence
By Santiago Mosquera Mápura. Historian from the University of Antioquia.
Summary
During the independence of the American colonies in the 19th century, many enslaved and free blacks actively participated in the confrontations that took place throughout the continent. The hegemonic groups in dispute were defined between continuing under the aegis of the monarchy or moving towards republican forms of government.
Given this, it is not considered appropriate to start from the idea that many of these subordinate actors fought for love of the king or for the supposed freedom that the independentistas proclaimed.
Rather, and this is the purpose of this paper, it is based on the assumption that these groups fought on one side or the other for their own interests and, on some occasions, transcended this dichotomy and pursued their own freedom projects. Therefore, some cases that can account for the above will be analyzed in this paper.
Content
Introduction
1. Bibliographical count
1.2. The situation in the New Kingdom of Granada
1.1. The recruitment of enslaved and free Afro-descendants at the hemispheric level.
2. The role of blacks.
2.1. Free of color and slaves fighting for independence.
2.2. Descendants of Africans in important positions.
23. The “patriot” slaves.
2.4. Seek freedom fighting for the Crown.
2.5. Libertarian projects that transcended the patriot-realist dichotomy.
conclusions