In colonial Spanish America, Creoles were people of European descent born in the New World. Elsewhere in the Americas, all non-native peoples were referred to as Creoles. The fact that they were not natives was a cause of the unfair treatment they received from the people who had authority over them. The Creoles took part in the fight for Latin American independence due to political, economic and social issues.
The Peninsulares played a part in it as well. The Peninsular would keep Creoles from holding administrative positions, refusing to give them any sort of power. According to Latin American Independence: Why did the Creoles Fight?, “In 1809, officers of the militia…hatched a plot which sought to wrest power from the Peninsulares and establish a form of Creole home rule…” This was also seen in other Atlantic revolutions as they were fighting against unfair leadership. The Creoles were pushed to revolt due to the way they were treated on both social and political fronts.
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Encyclopedia Britannica notes, “They [the peninsulares] enjoyed the special favour of the Spanish crown and were appointed to most of the leading civil and ecclesiastical posts under the colonial regime. As a result, the Creoles, or persons of Spanish ancestry born in the Americas, were relegated to second-class status…” Creoles, as any people would be, were unhappy with their position in society. This motivated them to fight for better treatment and positions of greater standing.
The Creoles had their own agenda as to what they were fighting for. Their added reasons to fight included the fact that the native people would oppress them as well as the government. Spanish taxes and restrictions on commerce were unfair, inciting anger among the Creoles. These economic factors also fueled the need to rebel.The government forced them to sell their products at a cheap price, but the products they needed to buy were overly expensive.
Economic, social and most importantly, political issues caused the Creoles to lead the fight for Latin American independence. They were oppressed by the natives due to the fact that they themselves were not natives. Creoles also were forced to deal with unreasonable taxes and implications with trade and commerce. These different issues pushed them to revolt as they fought for complete independence.
