Of "Gente Sin Razon" in an Age of Reason

America 250 celebrates the ringing statement "that all men are created equal" and "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights ... Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Yet, that same Declaration of Independence concludes with a 27th grievance of colonists against Britain: "merciless Indian savages" as imperial agents. This presentation looks at the many roles played by Native Americans in the Spanish and British frontiers during the American Revolution. Spaniards legally categorized "gente de razon" within republicas de espanoles, republicas de indios, but distinguished Christian converts from unbaptized "gente sin razon" likened to minors. Many Indians initially sought neutrality when, in the words of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy/ Six Nations, a great "Quarrel" arose within the English settlements. By war's end, a great many had sided with the British in bids to pursue their own interests. The American Revolution had profound repercussions for Native Americans, including in the colonial Spanish frontier province of Texas.