The Cadiz Constitution of 1812 and its influence in Panama: 1808-1821

Abstract

The paper highlights the strong influence that the Spanish Constitution of 1812 had on Panama, and suggests that even on the verge of independence, Panamanian Liberals seemed more identified with the Constitution than with independence itself.
It contrasts the Panamanian case with those of neighboring countries, particularly because of the pronounced commercial prosperity it enjoyed between 1808 and 1818, based on the re-export of silver from Alto Perú and Nueva España and the commerce with Jamaica.
It also explains in detail the process of political maturation and even radicalization that begins in 1810, with the juntista movement (until now unknown to historians of the Panamanian case), the elections of assemblymen to the Constitutional Cortes as well as the ordinary Cortes, the autonomist sentiment of the City Council and the struggle between it and the Audiencia, a process that enters into a critical phase in 1820 when the Constitution is reinstated and Viceroy Samano and the Cataluña Batallion refuse to swear an oath of allegiance to it, and harass the population thus precipitating the break with Spain. Finally, it identifies the singularities of the Panamanian case to characterize its process of independence.