Latin America: Winning Independence

Describe how events in Europe affected the independence movements in three Latin American nations.

Each Latin American country’s searchfor independence occurred differently, without a common story. Each war and colony throughout Latin Americaexperienced different levels of violence and public support. In general, these searches for independence stemmed from the growth of revolutionary ideasaround the world, called the Enlightenment. The American Revolution in 1776 and French Revolution in 1789 both served as examples to Latin America. The slogan “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity!” embodied the revolutionary ideals.

Spanish Colonies / Non-Spanish Colonies
Causes of Revolutions:
In general terms, the Spanish colonies’ wars of independence take place between 1810 and 1825. The spark that started the fire of independence movements in the Spanish colonies was Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808. After defeating and controlling Spain, Napoleon removed the Spanish king from power and placed his own French brother, Joseph Bonaparte, on the Spanish throne.
This situation created several problems that led to Latin American wars for independence:
  1. Napoleon’s invasion weakened the Spanish empire and its control of the colonies.
  2. People living in Latin American colonies immediately had to ask, “Who is the legitimate king of Spain? The French usurper or the dethroned Spanish king?” The colonists rejected this new French authority. In essence, they declared independence by not recognizing their monarch.
  3. The isolation (thousands of miles away and across the Atlantic Ocean) of the colonies led to poor management.
  4. The rigid peninsular class excluded the public and rarely adapted to changing conditions. This led lower classes to resent and distrust the colonial authorities.
--see Simón Bolívar-- / Brazil:
Brazil largely gains its independence peacefully.
  • Brazil’s independence was ultimately caused by Napoleon’s invasion of Portugal.
  • The Portuguese prince led Brazil to break from colonial system in order to avoid full-scale social revolution.
Haiti:
Haiti gains its independence from Francethrough a slave rebellion.
  • Haiti’s revolution was sparked by the spirit of independence in the French Revolution.
--see Toussaint L’Ouverture--

Compare and contrast T. L’Ouverture and S. Bolívar

Simón Bolívar / Toussaint L’Ouverture
  • Born a Creole in 1783 in Venezuela {controlled by Spain at the time}
  • As a member of Latin America’s elite, was educated by tutors and traveledEurope extensively
  • Bolívar was slow to gain the respect of his countrymen as a leader
  • Bolívar’s initial attempt to win a war for South America’s independence was unsuccessful. He lost battles to the peninsulares while avoiding several assassination attempts and finally retreating to the Andes.
  • Forced to flee to Haiti, independent Haitian leaders gave Bolívar ships, guns, money, and a printing press. In return, Bolivar promised to free all slaves once Venezuela gained its independence.
  • With this international support, Bolívar became a respected leader and general of South America’s independence movement
  • By 1825, Bolívar was able to defeat the Spanish and win independence for Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
  • Bolívar’s victories earned him the nicknames: “The Liberator” and “George Washington of South America”
/
  • Born a slave in 1743 on a plantation in northern Haiti {controlled by France at the time}
  • Had an unusually liberal master who taught Toussaint to read and write
  • In 1789, the French Revolution rocked France
  • In 1791, Toussaint was granted his freedom by his master
  • The French Revolution, based on freedom and equality, quickly triggered a mass slave revolt in Haiti
  • Toussaint quickly emerged as a general and organizational leader of the slave rebellion
  • In a time when slave revolts typically ended in failure and executions, the slaves, led by Toussaint, won their independence from France because:
  • Yellow fever decimated French forces
  • The overwhelming ratio of slaves to French owners
  • The intelligence of Toussaint as a general and his use of guerilla warfare.
  • On Feb. 4, 1794, the slaves were emancipated, ending more than 250 years of bondage. This created the New World’s first independent black republic, Haiti.

Check your own understanding. Can you answer:

Why did the people of Latin America seek independence?

How did events in Europe influence the wars of independence in Latin America?

How are Toussaint L’Ouverture and Simón Bolívar similar and different?