Las Cortes de Cádiz, la demografía y la representación americana

Abstract

With an intelligent use of the Cadiz Cortes’ proceedings, the Author shows how intolerance towards the American population — sometimes verging on racism — was well spread even within the most advanced and liberal of the representatives. It is well shown how the fear of the great American demographic potential expansion, which would have produced a numerical majority of non Spanish- born representatives, brought the choice of an electoral legislation heavily biased in favour of the Peninsular citizens.