Primary Sources

• Alexander von Humboldt, "Problems and Progress in Mexico," c. 1800 Who was Humboldt, and what type of picture does he paint of Mexico just prior to independence?
• Cádiz Constitution of 1812 (The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy, Promulgated the Nineteenth Day of March, 1812)
  • What provisions did the members of the Cádiz cortés place up front in this constitution? How do you think the deposed monarch, Fernando VII, would react to the constitution's checks on his power?
• Sentimientos de la Nación (Sentiments of the Nation, presented by José María Morelos y Pavón to the National Constituent Congress in Chilpancingo, September 14, 1813). English Translation at Wikipedia
  • What type of independent Mexico did Morelos propose (once independence was actually achieved)? In what ways is his background as a Catholic priest apparent in the twenty-three points he raises?
• Simón de Bolívar, "Message to the Congress of Angostura," 1819
  • What terms and arguments does Bolívar use to justify the idea that Latin Americans share a common, "americano," identity? Why was that point crucial to his campaign for the independence of South America and the creation of his imagined nation of Gran Colombia?
• Monroe Doctrine, 2 December 1823
  • What is the central message of the Monroe Doctrine? What implications did it have for U.S. foreign policy in Latin America?

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