The American Revolution
gave rise to a new age, one that encompassed the years
1776 through 1830 and came to be known as the Age of
Revolutions. Morales’s book examines this historical
period, especially as it relates to Cartagena and its
bid to gain independence from Spain during the second
decade of the 19th century. Although few documents from
Cartagena de Indias (modern-day Colombia) exist today,
there are other contemporary documents from various
archives that permit us to glimpse this often-mentioned,
but little-studied, period of Latin American history
and, in particular, the privateers who participated in
this colony’s bid to break from Spain. One such man, his
crew, and their ship helps Morales achieve this goal.
The privateer’s name is Louis-Michel Aury.
No Limits to Their Sway opens with a list of key
figures who appear within the narrative itself, as well
as an introduction to set the stage and ground readers
in the historical background that led to this facet of
the Age of Revolutions. Divided into nine chapters and
an epilogue, this book also includes a list of primary
sources on “Cartagena-Flagged Privateers, 1812-1816,”
end notes, and an index. (There is no separate
bibliography; all source material is cited within the
notes section.) To further assist readers are some maps,
a graph, and images of documents and other
privateer-related materials.
The first two chapters –
“Slavery, Seamanship, Freedom” and “Heralds of Liberty
and Disobedience” focus on slavery, seamanship, freedom,
and revolution and how they interconnect. It is here
that Morales explores the intricate intertwining of the
wars for independence in the United States, France, and
Haiti, as well as the privateers who aided in these
bids. The inclusion of all this background material
grounds the reader for what is to come and brings to
light some interesting details about these men and where
they came from.
“Cartagena de Indias and
the Age of Revolutions” and “The American Connection”
(chapters three and four) examine Cartagena’s bid for
independence. Here, Morales specifically examines
changes, social and political, that led to this
country’s people rising up against Spain. Chapter five
(“Detachment from the Land and Irreverence at Sea”), on
the other hand, explores the privateers and how these
men of the sea differed from people who remained on
land, particularly those in authority.
Two outside influences that
played differing roles in Cartagena’s struggle were
Cuba, which remained loyal to Spain, and Haiti, a former
French colony that had already gained its freedom from
the motherland. This study, which unfolds in chapters
six and seven (“Under the Walls of Havana” and “Haiti:
The Beacon Republic”), compare and contrast how each
impacted the privateering policies that Cartagena
enacted.
The final two chapters and
the epilogue – “‘Horrors of Carthagena’;” Robbery,
Mutiny, Fire;” and “From Amelia Island to the Republic
of Colombia,” respectively – highlight the devastating
effects of failed bids for independence and the
determination to continue the struggle until objectives
were achieved. In discussing these topics, Morales also
analyzes the discrimination Afro-Caribbean people faced
after independence and why histories on Latin American
autonomy have ignored Cartagena’s story and that of the
privateers who participated in it.
No Limits to Their Sway is an enlightening and
marvelous study that provides readers with a valuable
and much-needed resource. Morales skillfully and
logically presents the material and his conclusions,
while reinforcing key points with archival data in
different languages provide a well-rounded and unbiased
examination of both the Age of Revolutions in general
and the conflicts in the Spanish Main in particular.
That he accomplishes this in a manner that allows
laypersons and students of history alike to grasp the
subject matter without falling asleep or skipping over
text is a testament to the depth of his research and his
thorough understanding of it.
Review Copyrighted ©2018 Cindy
Vallar
Pirates
and Privateers
