During the wars for independence in Spanish South America (1808-1826); thousands of slaves enlisted under the promise of personal freedom and; in some cases; freedom for other family members. Blacks were recruited by opposing sides in these conflicts and their loyalties rested with whomever they believed would emerge victorious. The prospect of freedom was worth risking one's life for; and wars against Spain presented unprecedented opportunities to attain it.Much hedging over the slavery issue continued; however; even after the patriots came to power. The prospect of abolition threatened existing political; economic; and social structures; and the new leaders would not encroach upon what were still considered the property rights of powerful slave owners. The patriots attacked the institution of slavery in their rhetoric; yet maintained the status quo in the new nations. It was not until a generation later that slavery would be declared illegal in all of Spain's former mainland colonies.Through extensive archival research; Blanchard assembles an accessible; comprehensive; and broadly based study to investigate this issue from the perspectives of Royalists; patriots; and slaves. He examines the wartime political; ideological; and social dynamics that led to slave recruitment; and the subsequent repercussions in the immediate postindependence era. Under the Flags of Freedom sheds new light on the vital contribution of slaves to the wars for Latin American independence; which; up until now; has been largely ignored in the histories and collective memories of these nations.
#523984 in Books Duke University Press Books 2008-12-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.10 x 6.10l; 1.41 #File Name: 0822343053448 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great anthologyBy KarenThis is a fantastic anthology; covering a wide range of geographic areas. The articles are interesting and engaging; both for scholars and for upper-division undergraduates.3 of 5 people found the following review helpful. ExcellentBy Ellen C. DuboisAnd creative approach to international women's history. I foudn this a wonderful teaching book and now I have to write ten moire words to submit.6 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Great book; terrible editionBy LjosiThere's absolutely nothing wrong with this book; and I would highly recommend it in and of itself.But... this Kindle version is haphazard at best-- best example is; it's an anthology; and the table of contents is in an image format and clicking on a particular chapter will link to a slightly zoomed-in version of chapter title image. The index at the back is even worse off; and is completely unedited; linking to nothing; and -- unlike a lot of Kindle books -- equivalent page numbers are tagged; so you're out of luck if you want to jump to a particular page or make a citation. Also; pretty typical of non-fiction Kindle books; you see a lot of wor- ds cut half way through; just like that; where there would be a line break in the print edition.Basically; whoever threw this thing together didn't bother even checking if the index "works"; and overall this ebook shows a level of antipathy on part of the publisher and ; and if you're interested in reading this; I'd recommend going for a paper copy.
