Independence Narratives: Past and Present (Dawson Intro, Ch. 1)

I am not at all familiar with the history of Latin America, so the readings provided me with a lot of new information.  One thing that is true across all boards, no matter who you ask, is that, as Dawson explains, you cannot take one characteristic, one well-known figure, or even one particular mentality to tell the history of the becoming of Latin America, and, as a consequence, the identity of Latin America and what it comprises of. This is something we discussed in the first couple of classes.
I was interested to read how the rebellion of slaves played a major role in the general uprisings in the colonies  in the early 1800’s. People fought for the independence of their respective country and the oppression of colonial rule, as well as freedom for the slaves who were “employed” by these colonials.
What was also really intriguing was that, in Brazil, slavery pretty much carried the economy, and thusly, revolution was not as prevalent in its inhabitants’ minds as in other places of Latin America, such as Venezuela and Bolivia.

The “history” itself and the history of the events we study in text books revolve around the caudillos and  the triumphants, with smaller accounts from the defeated. We prefer to hear stories of success rather than of failure, although we can learn a lot from failures in history, so as to avoid them in future (to some extent). As well, we get the sense, from reading history books, that either as an indigenous resident, a colonist, or somewhere in between, you had to choose a side. Either be a liberal or not. What about those who were on the fence? Who wanted to abolish slavery but maintain colonial rule? We don’t hear those accounts as much.