Latin American Independence:
Early 1800s
I. Review
SOCIAL HIERARCHY
Creoles:
Whites of
European background
born in the
New World
Mestizos:
Indian +
European
Peninsulares:
Native Spaniards
P
C
M&M
Mulattos:
African +
European or
Amerindian
I&A
CAUSES
Native Americans and Africans
II. Causes
Factors
1. Enlightenment, French & American Revs
• Simon Bolivar admired USA’s federal system of
states + central government. Desired an
independent South American state called “Gran
Columbia”
2. Resentment of Mercantilist Economy
3. Social Inequality in the Colonies
– Creoles (20% of population) and Mestizos
(25% of population) were resentful of
peninsulares
4. Crisis Back in Spain
– 1808 – Napoleon invaded Spain & Portugal;
put his brother on the throne
– Creoles chose this moment of Spanish &
Portuguese weakness attempted to get control
of colonies
– Brazil transitioned to independence easily –
Spain’s colonies did not
III. South America
Simón Bolívar
• Began the revolution in 1810
• Called “The Liberator”; Dreamed of a united Latin
America
• Led the Revolution against Spain in northern S.
America
– Columbia, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador
• Called on ALL classes to unite (said he’d free slaves
• Managed to establish a united South America(Gran
Colombia)
• Gran Columbia fell apart into different states
•José de San Martín led the
revolution in southern South
America (Argentina)
•Crossed Andes to help Chile
•Met with fellow
revolutionary, Bolivar, in
Ecuador
•South American liberated
from Spanish rule by 1825
The meeting of San Martín (right) and Simon Bolívar in Ecuador,
on 26 July 1822, signaled the successful conclusion of the
campaign to liberate South America from Spanish control.
IV. Mexico
Mexican Independence
• Began in 1810
• Marked by violence & lack of cooperation between social
classes
• Began when, Father Miguel Hidalgo
(a priest) led a lower-class-based movement to take
power
• Creoles & peninsulares feared his movement & used an
army to stop it, executing Hidalgo in 1811
• Another priest, Morelos, picked up the fight for social
justice
• So in Mexico, there were THREE groups fighting (Spain,
poor Mexicans, and upper-class Mexicans)
José Maria Morelos
• He demanded:
•Abolition of slavery
•Land reform (redistribution)
that would give land owned by the upper
classes to the peasants
[We demand]…”A new government, by which all inhabitants,
except peninsulares, would no longer be designated as Indians,
Mulattoes, or castas [people of mixed race], but all would be known
as Americans.”
•In 1815, Morelos was also captured and executed by
upper-class Mexicans
• The revolution then became Creole-led
Augustin de Iturbide
• Creole leader who eventually led Mexico to
independence from Spain in 1820.
• Declared himself emperor with the help of the
military.
• Ousted in favor of another general: Santa Anna
V. Common Issues for Latin
American Revolutions
ECONOMIC:
ONE-CROP ECONOMIES
A monocrop economies
continued…Latin America
mainly exported cash crops
(low value raw materials) while
importing (high value)
manufactured goods.
THE QUESTION OF LAND
•Landless peasants (mestizos & Amerindian) remained a
huge problem
•Desire for land redistribution will remain
EFFECTS
Power of the Catholic
Church
•Catholic Church retained control of
education & remained very wealthy
Caudillos
• Caudillo = often a military leader
with huge personal popularity
• monocrop economy + illiteracy +
lack of self gov’t experience =
dictatorships run by military
leaders
Slavery
Slavery remained, BUT
gradual emancipation
took place
In 1888, Brazil was the
last state to abolish
slavery.
Most former slaves
remained impoverished,
just like other members
of the lower class