| Abstract |
Presented to the faculty of the Department of History. |
| Summary |
The thrust of this thesis is to examine the history of the first year of the Cortes of C̀diz with particular attention being paid to the role of the Latin American deputies. The Cortes has a two-fold interest for historians. Its sessions presented the first opportunity for a Spanish congress to legislate reforms without heavy-handed royal control. Also, the attendance of Spanish American deputies for the first time in any Cortes coincided with the beginnings of the independence movements in America. The demands of the overseas delegates and the Spaniards' reaction to them should indicate the prospects of effective reform within the imperial frameO work. "The Ancien Regime in Spain," considers the background of the Cortes. The structure and strengths of the empire were great. During the eighteenth century, the Spanish world felt the influence of the Enlightenment, but the movement did not imply the dissolution of Spanish America's ties with Spain. The events of the years immediately preceeding the Cortes, both in Spain and Spanish America, emphasize the innovations of the Spanish Bourbons. Finally, the events from 1808 to 1810 necessitated the calling of the congress. The Cortes' debates centered on reforms to guarantee civil liberties for both Spain and her colonies. Spaniards throughout the empire were profoundly affected by the progressive mentality of the eighteenth century. In this thesis, particular emphasis is placed on the support which the Spanish American deputies gave to civil liberties inspired by Enlightened thought. In fact, although some Spanish deputies opposed liberties such as freedom of the press, no American voted against it. The debates, also, were concerned with a series of measures which were designed specifically to benefit America by reforming the colonial system. Although many innovations which Americans had long sought were passed, the failure of the equal representation decree brought about a serious estrangement between Spaniards and colonials. The crucial issue for the Creoles at C̀diz was therefore political power. An examination of the personal relations between Americans and peninsulars reveals a growing conflict between the two blocs. Although all groups in the Cortes demonstrated remarkable harmony in the opening months of the congress, debate on the reforms for America produced a profound chasm between the peninsular and overseas delegates. The colonials felt alienated from their Spanish colleagues and remained unsatisfied with the reforms achieved by the Cortes. Such a situation indicated that Spanish America could not be conciliated. Consequently, only force remained as a means of restoring imperial unity. |
| Local note | Joyner-"Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| Local note | Joyner-"Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| Local note | Joyner-"Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| General note | Advisor: Wilkins B. Winn |
| Dissertation note | M.A. East Carolina University 1974. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaf 88). |
| Genre/form | doctoral dissertations. |
| Genre/form | theses. |
| Genre/form | dissertations. |
| Genre/form | masters theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | History. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
