Townsmen revolt

When Charles III declared war on Britain in 1778, he levied taxes on the colonies to fund
the war. These fiscal decrees affected imports and exports, the sale of general items--
especially tobacco and alcohol--and the production of silver and gold. The crown
demanded tribute from Indians and the church and expected the general population to
fund the naval fleet that patrolled the Spanish American coast. Excessive and increasing
taxation in the late 1700s contributed to the discontent of the creoles with the Spanish
administration, which manifested itself in the Townsmen Revolt of 1781, the most
serious revolt against Spanish authority before the war for independence. The rebellion
was a spontaneous but diffuse movement involving many towns. The most important
uprising began among artisans and peasants in Socorro (in present day Santander
Department). The imposition of new taxes by the viceroy stimulated the revolt further.

Almost without exception, the rebels expressed their loyalty to the king and the church
while calling for a repeal of new taxes and a modification of government monopolies. The
rebels succeeded in getting government representatives to abolish the war tax, taxes for
the maintenance of the fleet, customhouse permits, and tobacco and playing-card
monopolies; to reduce the tribute paid by the Indians and the taxes on liquor, commercial
transactions, and salt; and to give preference to those born in the New World for
appointments to certain posts. Later, however, government negotiators declared that they
had acted under duress and that the viceroy would not honor the agreements. The leaders
of the rebellion were subjected to severe punishments, including death for the more
prominent among them. The rebels had not sought independence from Spain, but their
revolt against the king's administration and administrators, despite protestations of loyalty
to the king himself, was not far removed from a fight for independence. In this light, the
rebellion was a prelude to the struggle for freedom.

In the late 1700s, the Enlightenment served as a second major influence in the struggle
for independence. After the Townsmen Revolt, the outlook of the local upper-class and
middle-class creoles changed as the ideas of the Enlightenment strengthened their desire
to control their own destiny. This movement criticized the traditional patterns of political,
economic, and religious institutions and as such was a threat to both the central state and
the religious authorities. The North American and French revolutions also contributed
intellectual foundations for a new society, as well as examples of the possibilities for
change.

Activity

1. Find these words: viceroyalty, viceroy, cabildo, general captaincy, royal audience,

Indians council, hiring house, mita, encomienda, townsmen, taxes, Charles. What

do the remaining letters say?

I N D I A N S C O U N C I L T G

H E M O V A D N E I M O C N E E

M E N T E F O R I N D E P N E N

D O E N C C T O W N S M E N E D

E D V S N E S E X A T R L O P E

D L F O E Y R A N U A T I M E M

B I E R I L T O F L R E A S S O

O B N S D S R L C U C H A S U N

A A P O U L E A A O N I C W O A

R C S E A N P L H Y I G H T H E

N M E N L T T D E C O C L A G R

A T I O A N O F T H E R R I N G

H T S I Y O F M A N N E E W I T

A X N A O T I O N A N D T C R H

E C M E R M O R I Y O R E C I V

Y A L D E A G R A V I O S S H V