The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the New World by Greg Grandin

The Empire of Necessity tells the true story of a remarkable man, Basilio Ustariz, and his struggle to survive, thrive, and achieve success in the treacherous world of the 19th-century trans-Atlantic slave trade. In examining this extraordinary journey, Greg Grandin’s captivating narrative reveals how the newly arrived “free” slaves of the Spanish empire in Latin America responded to their dire circumstances.

Basilio Ustariz was born a slave in Cartagena, Colombia in 1801. After several attempts at escape, he was able to purchase his freedom in 1820 and ultimately settled in Valparaiso, Chile. However, he chose freely, to become a successful merchant of slaves—an outrageous undertaking given international prohibitions, the risks entailed, and the personal morality of such an activity.

In comparing Basilio Ustariz’s accomplishments to those of Jean-Baptiste Labat, a renown French priest of Martinique’s less renowned, Grandin offers readers a unique vantage point from which to examine imperial dynamics in the Spanish world. Grandin provides evidence that the recently-formed independent Spanish nation-states, such as Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru, had long operated under the rule of both powerful elites and commercial empires, wherein a class of merchants and traders known as the “exiguos” had helped to shape commercial and legal structures.

Grandin demonstrates how individuals like Ustariz were able to use the provisions of these commercial structures to their advantage in order to lead successful careers, as well as to exploit them to gain greater freedom and power. Grandin argues that Ustariz was a case study in the determination of individuals to shape their own destinies, and that his story was only made possible by a complicated web of laws, beliefs, customs, and obligations that characterized the formation of the economies of the Spanish empire.

As such, Ustariz’s case illustrates the empire of necessity, which Grandin explains as “the broken-down, often unspoken systems of obligation forged by coercion and consent, largely freed from the guidance of states, that guided privateers and merchants on their voyage from foreign seas to internal waters.” Grandin argues that such systems functioned by employing deception, as a means to dress compliance in the clothes of freedom.

To examine the motivations of individuals like Ustariz, Grandin traces Ustariz’s voyage back to his hometown and his gradual transformation into the merchant of slaves, both of which connected individuals on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Ultimately, the tale of Ustariz’s fantastic voyage of necessity, deception, and freedom highlights a unique moment in the transition from the authoritarian structures of the Spanish empire to the decentralized economic and legal models of modern nation-states.

The Empire of Necessity is a well-researched and thought-provoking exploration into the remarkable life of Basilio Ustariz and the broader implications of his actions for the development of Latin American empires. With persuasive evidence and succinct case studies, Grandin elucidates the transition from an ancient form of imperial dominance to one ruled by international law, commercial networks, and the self-determination of individuals seeking greater freedoms. Through this analysis, Grandin provides readers with a fascinaiting account of a remarkable individual, and an illuminating lens through which to examine the complexity of the imperial dynamics of the 19th-century trans-Atlantic slave trade.