http://www.history.umd.edu/Faculty/DWilliams/Spring07/HIST251/paper1.html
In March 1823 in Guayaquil, Gran Colombia, Angela Batallas, a young enslaved woman sought out Simón Bolívar. Batallas came to the war-weary patriot general after a protracted freedom suit with her owner, a local merchant named Idelfonso Coronel.
The conversation between the afroguayaquileña and the Liberator has been lost to history, but we know that Batallas must been persuasive, as Bolívar later recommended to the local judge that justice be done for "this unhappy slave," even if it meant a loss of property for a member of quayaquileño creole elite and the public rebuke of the honor of a loyal patriot.
Part I [50% of grade]
In a four-page paper, describe why Batallas and Bolívar come to meet face-to-face in Guayaquil in March 1823, and critically situate this meeting in its proper historical context.
This part should draw heavily on arguments made by Townsend, Collier, and Chasteen about the mindset, political language, and historical experiences of a creole patriot and a slave woman in the age of independence.
Part II [50% of grade]
In a two-to-three page dialogue, reconstruct a historically plausible conversation between Batallas and Bolívar. Imagine the two in the military encampment outside Guayaquil, speaking to one another in their own words.
Pointers:
In Part I, your thesis paragraph should briefly introduce the circumstances in which Bolivar and Batallas met and then assert a hypothesis about the historical meaning of the meeting between our two protagonists. Tell your reader the main points that you intend to argue in the paper. The body of the paper should analyze the long-, medium-, and short-term factors that precipitated the wars of independence, and relate them to the lives of Batallas and Bolivar as we know them in 1823. Consider carefully how enslavement—a fundamental component of colonial domination and hegemony—was a shared concern for Batallas and Bolívar as the wars of independence began to draw to a close and the residents of Spanish America began to imagine themselves to be "free."
In Part II, start from the premise that we cannot know precisely what Batallas and Bolívar said to one another. But, we can speculate based upon what we know of the language used by Bolivar and by Batallas in the early 1820s, and, in the case of Bolivar, in the preceding decade. Your dialogue should try to capture how these two individuals, who came from very different social backgrounds, would engage one another.
In parts I and II, a strong paper will suggest how the legacy of the colonial past and the experience of the thirteen years of warfare shaped the conversation about slave status, liberty, rights, and unity.
Do not simply summarize or repeat the words of Bolivar or Batallas.
You may quote freely from the excerpted texts in the Townsend article as well as the Bolivar texts distributed in class, but quotes should be used to illustrate, develop, and substantiate your argument.
Example of summary:
Both Bolivar and Batallas talked about Spanish colonialism and slavery. In the Jamaica Letter (1815), Bolívar, a former slave owner, described the wars of independence from Spain in the following term: "our chains have been broken and we have been freed; yet our enemies seek to enslave us again." In her legal case against Idelfonso, seven years later, the enslaved Batallas questioned how she could remain in servitude as the Republic struggled to "liberate us from the Spanish Yoke."
Example of analysis:
Both Bolivar and Batallas saw a relationship between Spanish colonialism and slavery. In the Jamaica Letter (1815), for example, Bolívar argued that in the independence movement "our chains have been broken and we have been freed," fearing "yet our enemies seek to enslave us again." In her legal case against Idelfonso, seven years later, the enslaved Batallas questioned how she could remain in servitude as the Republic struggled to "liberate us from the Spanish Yoke." Although Bolívar was free man born into the privileged slaveholding class of colonial Venezuela and Batallas was a slave woman bought and sold among the slaveholding class of colonial Guayaquil, they shared a common language of freedom and anti-colonialism.
The first writing assignment is due at the beginning of lecture on Monday, February 26, 2007 [New Due Date]. Follow conventional formatting guidelines (i.e. typed; double-spaced; reasonable margins and fonts; stapled; numbered pages).
Feel free to seek out Prof. Williams or Ted for guidance in writing a well-organized and engaging paper. Outlines and/or rough drafts are always welcome. Or, consider making a visit to the Writing Center, 0125 Taliaferro Hall, Tel: (301) 405-3785.