De esclavos a soldados de la patria: el Ejército Libertador como garante de la libertad y la ciudadanía

The conscription of slaves and the so-called libertosin the militia units, guerrillas and armies formedduring the wars of independence was a growing phenomenon, both in the ranks of the royalist forces and those of the patriots. While both forces promised the conscripted ex-slave soldiers to free them in return for their military service, the Liberation Army additionally promised to grant their citi-zenship. The liberto soldiers, then, took advantage of the con-text generated by the war to fight and strengthen freedom, citi-zenship and other rights through memorials and representations in which they used a revolutionary language that, sometimes, went beyond the proposals of the liberators.