Gabriel Paquette Chapter Summary

The overarching argument that Gabriel Paquette makes is that the dissolution of the Spanish empire was caused primarily by: proto-nationalism, Spanish misrule, and the Napoleonic occupation of Spain. Paquette breaks down his thesis by first providing background information and then introduces two competing historical perspectives. The first perspective relies on more immediate causes of the dissolution such as Bourbon reforms, new demographic pressures, and Enlightenment ideals that inspired revolution. Paquette refutes these arguments by stating that the Bourbon reforms more likely empowered the local elite and that the Enlightenment was not only liberal but also had a monarchist variant. The second perspective, the more recent scholarship, reflects on the impact on free trade, lack of inclusion of the colonies at the Cortes in Cadiz, and the emerging national identity as major catalysts in the dissolution Spanish America. The author then explores areas that have not yet been studied in reference to the fall of the empire and thoroughly rejects the idea of nation states as being a premeditated outcome. The most convincing argument that Paquette provides is creole patriotism overpowering any sense of
united empire identity. Paquette cites this emergence of patriotism from “the dissolution of the Spanish monarchy involves incipient nationalism...as a precondition off revolution.”1 A significant weakness in the essay is the lack of explanation of why the Enlightenment had a lesser impact than previously thought. The author uses generalizing quotes such as: “Spanish American societies were deeply resistant to change, government became the indispensable patron of creoles who sought…reform.”1 Because the Spanish Americans didn’t like change, Enlightenment philosophies had absolutely no effect on the independence movements. While the effects of the Enlightenment may have been lesser than previously considered, a sweeping generalization is not evidence enough to dismiss the possibility. The Slave Voyage Database enjoys an extensive amount of information to draw upon and it is an easy to use website.
The database allows for detailed research and attempts to cite multiple sources to confirm each voyage. However, the website does not have an intuitive direction towards introductory information on the slave trade. This weakness can deter younger students from further research because the vast amount of information from thousands of sources. The database further develops Paquette’s argument of how the demographics of Spanish America changed over the colonization period; the maps demonstrate the massive amount of Africans that were brought to the continent. This change of demographics exacerbates the class differences and empowers the local elites
further. The Caracas Council reading is originally from a report from the City Council of Caracas in 1796 directed to the king of Spain. It was then sent to the king, most likely archived at the court, later translated into English and published in Problems in Modern Latin American History, edited by John Charles Chasteen and James A. Wood. Then a professor at the University of Texas at Austin made a scan of the translation and posted it on the Canvas website as a part of a reading assignment. This text reflects the demographic change in Caracas, where pardos have achieved higher social status due to the grace of the crown. There is obvious racial pressure between the local elites and over reaching, from their perspective pardos. Additionally, there is a mention of the peninsulares that have taken over the local government offices, only by the benefit of being from the Peninsula instead of the colonies, which is a point of contention. These examples espouse the lack of imperial identity that inadvertently promotes nationalism in its place.