Latin American Rebels and the United States, 1806-1822

by Gordon S. Brown

Overview

When separatist revolts erupted in Spain's American colonies in the early 1800s, opinion in the United States was undecided as to what position to take. Proximity and America's own anti-colonial ethos favored sympathy with the rebel cause, yet U.S. strategic interests during the tumultuous Napoleonic Wars dictated a policy of neutrality.

When representatives of the rebel provinces came to the U.S. seeking support, arms or recognition, and even launched armed assaults on Spanish territory and shipping from U.S. soil, American opinion split sharply. Should the untested rebel regimes be officially recognized or should the U.S. protect its crucial neutrality? As rebel agents and Spanish diplomat-spies vied behind the scenes for U.S. political and military assets, it became clear that the U.S. had inadvertently become involved in Spanish America's revolutionary struggle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786498994
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	04/21/2015
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Retired ambassador and diplomat Gordon S. Brown lives in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Preface 1

Timeline 5

Introduction 11

1 Uneasy Neighbors 17

2 Contested Loyalties 32

3 The First Rebel Agents Show Up 45

4 Filibusters, American and Émigré 58

5 Bringing American Privateers into the Fight 74

6 More Rebel Schemes for Armed Intervention 89

7 The Rise and Fall of the Republic of the Floridas 103

8 Hindering the Privateers 115

9 Recognition or Neutrality? 130

10 Agreement with Spain 143

11 Success Is a Matter of Fact 159

12 The End of the Beginning 172

Chapter Notes 183

Bibliography 193

Index 201

Editorial Reviews

This is a lively study of a unique juncture in American history that is not often addressed by modern historians”—The Foreign Service Journal

From the Publisher