Americanos

Independence for 'the other America' between 1808 and 1824 was one of history's key moments of decolonization. Napoleon's 1807-08 invasion of Spain and Portugal unleashed restless energies in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking America. A score of new American nations eventually emerged from these struggles, terribly encumbered by the legacy of colonialism, yet pointing unmistakably forward in world history. In this vivid account, a cast of leading characters plays on a stage spanning three continents. Here are the famous leaders - Father Hidalgo and Father Morelos, Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín, Bernardo O'Higgins and many, many others - along with lesser known patriot women and indigenous rebels.

John Charles Chasteen is Patterson Distinguished Term Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Both a writer and a translator, his books include Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America.

Preface; Discovering America, 1799-1805; Pillars of the Crown, 1806-1810; Not-so-Civil Wars, 1810-1812; A Lost Cause?, 1812-1815; Independence Won, 1816-1824; Nation-Building Begins, 1824-1850