Abstract

VERGARA, Ana. Arms in exchange for freedom: slaves in Venezuela's war of independence (1812-1835). Relac. Estud. hist. soc. [online]. 2011, vol.32, n.127, pp.47-85. ISSN 2448-7554.

Neither republicans nor the defenders of monarchical power foresaw the impact and importance of the participation of slaves in Venezuela's wars of independence. Their early mobilization to support the Justa Causa del Rey ("Just Cause of the King") was a key factor in the collapse of the first two Republics, while their participation led Bolívar and other republican leaders to reformulate the Creole's independence program, which up to then had never questioned the slavery system, because they were among the direct beneficiaries of that arrangement, which was also a cornerstone of the economic system in Venezuela's that had allowed them to prosper. The article examines the slave population's participation in the conflict through experiences narrated by nine slaves in their respective petitions for freedom.

Keywords : independence; slavery; conscription.

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