Simon Boliver : The Revolutionary Leader

Most knew him as a leader. At the center of a revolution he made his mark. The start of a change began slowly. Those around the world learned of the controversy. His accomplishment led to the presidency of a certain college.

With other Latin American uprisings occurring Simon Bolivar led the South American independence. Bolivar was a wealthy Creole born in Venezuela but educated in Spain. Influenced by Enlightenment ideas, Bolivar called for independence for all South Americans. He gained firm control of his native Venezuela in 1819. His armies then turned toward Columbia and Ecuador. In the south Jose de San Martin rallied Argentinean forces against Spain. Bolivar and San Martin met in Peru, which became independent along with Upper Peru (Bolivia) in 1824. Although Bolivar was unsuccessful in uniting South Americans into a single nation, he is known as the continent's "liberator."

We all have heard of Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington but, what about Simon Bolivar, Jose De San Martin, and Agustin De Iturbide? They have had just as much as an impact on the modern world as the famous founding fathers of The United States. From 1809 to 1824 independence revolutions raged through Latin America changing the world today with the creoles leading the fight. Despite the racist ideas from the Creoles, they successfully lead the Latin American Revolution because of their motivations to challenge their law, and administrative positions.

Throughout Latin American History there have been several important leaders, but one leader in particular changed Latin American history forever. This particularly important early nineteenth-century leader was named Simón Bolívar. Simón Bolívar as a leader stood out from all the other leaders, because he played a crucial role in Latin American Independence. He was a revolutionary, an intellectual, and a visionary man that made Latin American independence successful during the nineteenth century.

Did you know that Venezuela was one of the first colonies to gain their independence from Spain? At the time Venezuela was a Spanish ruled colony and the people of Venezuela felt that their government was ruling their colony terribly (Adelblue). The people were led by Simon Bolivar, whose nickname was “The Liberator” since he liberated Venezuela and worked with San Martin to liberate most of Northern South America (Adelblue). Venezuela declared their independence in 1810 and finally gained their independence after the Battle of Carabobo in 1821 (Minster). Three symbolic elements of the Venezuelan revolution are used to portray Simon Bolivar, the speech Simon gave to the Second National Congress in 1819 to encourage the type of government he had in mind, and the high taxation that was the main cause of the revolution (Ellis and Esler 705).

Vicente Guerrero was of black heritage, which his Spanish enemies would mock him because of his cultural background. With the help of other Black Mexicans, Vicente Guerrero would win the war, become Mexico’s second President, and quickly abolish slavery. With this in mind, Peru’s culture would also have African influence.

“More than by force do they dominate us, by deception” were the words of Latin American revolution leader, Simon Bolivar. The Latin American revolution was a fight for independence from Spain, their mother country. In the colonies people were divided into different social groups. Beginning with the higher-classes the different classes were Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattos, Indians and lastly slaves. The Creoles, American-born Spaniards, led this revolution for three reasons: desire of political control, to provide protection for their economic interests, and their fear towards social unrest.

Toussaint Louverture, a slave, an encouraging voice, then a leader of many. He has done a lot for his country, recently Saint Domingue now Haiti. His military commanding was outstanding and very natural, his liberation with slavery was a mandatory act, and being a ruler was an added bonus. He really helped Saint Domingue to become their own country. He is truly a memorable person in history.

Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He conquered the Incan Empire in Peru. He was very successful in doing so. Another thing he did was help and accompany Vasco Núñez de Balboa discover the Pacific Ocean. His goal was to have fame and fortune. He was important because of his role in Peru.

Simon Bolivar, who had a reputation of being a liberator, took center stage. The common folk began to trust his words, as he talked about fighting for the resources that were theirs, ideals taken directly from the American Revolution itself. Also with the power struggle created by the Napoleonic wars, uprisings began. The most prominent of this movement was the uprising in Chuquisaca in 1809, which led to the formation of the Government Juntas. This group focused on taking the power from the Spanish and giving it to the people. Seeing the movement in Bolivia take shape, Latin Nations such as Peru began to provide military support to Bolivian liberators. Surprisingly, America didn’t live up to its reputation, having no negative impact on this revolution. Normally, America had been notorious for backing up the dictators or colonial powers and suppressing the Latin liberators. All in all, the combination of a power struggle brought upon by foreign wars, introduction of revolutionary independence ideals, proper leadership, and foreign aid, the Bolivian revolution was successful in liberating the nation from Spanish Colonial power after 16 years of conflict.

During Napoleon’s reign in France, Napoleon sought to control the entire island of Hispaniola through control of Spain and the reacquisition of Haiti. Harsh rule by the governors-general induced loyalists to form the movement La Reconquista to rise up in order to restore Spanish sovereignty. (Metibag 91)

Bolivar was exiled in Columbia and Jamaica. In 1816 he launched an invasion against Venezuela with help from Haiti. He captured Boyota, the capital of New Granada, to secure a base for attack on Venezuela. This tactic worked, as Bolivar and San Martin captured Carcas and he was named president by the summer of 1821. In July of 1822, armies of Bolivar and San Martin moved to liberate Quito. They disagreed about the political structure of Latin America. San Martin wanted monarchies, but Bolivar advocated republicanism. San Martin went into exile in Europe and retired from the public life. Bolivar allowed the political situation in Peru to be confused, and he sent troops to establish his control. In December of 1824, the Spanish royalist forces suffered a defeat at the Battle of Ayacoucho at the hands of liberating army. This battle marked the conclusion of the Spanish effort to retain the American Empire.

In addition to taking after his father’s example of a man in military power, he also took a strong liking and had a deep admiration for Napoleon Bonaparte and the empire that he created. He modeled the army’s uniforms after Napoleon’s army, and even had a crown that was a replica of Napoleon’s. He wanted to make Paraguay the most dominant force in Eastern South America, and he modeled his

The film the liberator portrays the reasons for the Latin America Wars throughout the film. In the beginning there are several scenes that foreshadow the wars. For instance the scene where Simon and his wife witness excessive beating of a slave. Both Simon and his wife were bothered by the act but Simon couldn’t do anything because they weren’t his slaves. The film also explains how Simon used America’s independence from England as a guide for the independence from Spain. Expect Simon wanted independence all of the people, including the slaves.

I decided to write this research paper because we were assigned to find an issue or subject within Latin America to write about. One of the most widely known and influential revolutionary figure in the history of Latin America is Ché Guevara. Ché knew how to use his intelligence and judgment in all the circumstances he encountered taking advantage of each moment as if it was a highly intensive chess game he was sincerely