His study of the Enlightenment thinkers led him to challenge Spanish mercantilist policies in the Rio de la Plata region. In his Memorial of the Landowners, he argued for free trade in terms similar to those of Adam Smith. Although trade restrictions were eased, Moreno became the secretary of the first revolutionary governing junta in 1810, which deposed the Spanish viceroy. Dispatched to Europe to secure assistance for the independence movement, he died aboard ship.