Political Narratives of Spanish American Intellectuals in the Mid-Nineteenth Century: The American Future, the Latin Race, and Perpetual Peace

Abstract

The resurgence of confederation initiatives in 1856, prompted by the Central American conflict and U.S. expansionist policy, established a political horizon within which the convening of a new Spanish American congress was debated. Within this context, the texts produced by intellectuals on the confederation of the Spanish American republics reveal the circulation of concepts, specific meanings, as well as continuities and ruptures. Drawing on a selection of writings centered on reflections concerning the future of the Americas, the Latin race, and the perpetual peace of America, this article examines the political narratives advanced by these intellectuals, the continuities and discontinuities in the use of key terms, and the semantic repertoire through which these narratives were constructed.