LATIN AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS
The Spaniards attack
the Aztecs
The Spaniards
capture the Inca King
SOCIAL HIERARCHY
Creoles:
People of pure
European blood
But born in the
New World
Mestizos:
Indian +
European
blood
CAUSES
P
Peninsulares:
Native Spaniards
C
M
M
I&A
Indians and Africans
Mulattos:
African +
European blood
The Haitian Revolution: 1791-1804
Modern Map of Haiti
Situation by 1789
•Events in Europe would
shape the history of
America
•The French Revolution
began in 1789 &
overthrown the monarchy
by 1793.
Haitians were inspired by the French
Declaration of the Rights of Man, and
hoped they too would gain freedom. Blacks
were especially hopeful.
Haitian Revolution, 1791-1804
• Haiti is the “jewel” of the French Empire due to
its coffee & sugar production; coffee produced by
slave labor
• Pre-rev. Haiti had a distinct, stratified social
hierarchy
• What is unique about Haiti’s revolution is that it
was a massive slave revolt, & slaves ran the
country after they won
• Extreme brutality between white French & slaves,
thousands massacred during war
Toussaint Louverture
“I was born a slave, but nature gave me the soul
of a free man.”
•Born a slave, but educated early in
life
•Freed around 1776
•“George Washington” of Haiti
•Owned a small plantation with
slaves by 1791
•Devout Catholic
•Extremely able general who turned
“common” slaves into effective
fighting force
•Named himself governor for life in
1801, proclaimed Catholicism as
official religion of Haiti
Aftermath
• 1st Independent Nation in L. America
• 1st post-colonial black-led nation in the
world
• 1st successful slave rebellion
• Economy in ruins
• Class structure (though different, less
strict) still in place
The "Bolivian" Revolutions
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia: All freed by Simon Bolivar
Simon Bolivar
• Born in Caracas to wealthy family
• Friend & mentor Don Simon taught
Bolivar about the Enlightenment,
liberty, & freedom
• Entered military academy in Panama
at age of 14
• Greatly admired American & French
Revolutions, and George Washington
& Thomas Jefferson
• Very anti-slavery, but nervous about
mixed-race people
• Did not believe U.S.-style government
would work well in Latin America
• No children, only wife died of yellow
fever
The Napoleonic Wars (again!)
• Spanish Americans formed juntas to rule in the
absence of the “true” king
• Junta: Spanish word meaning council
• The juntas led to confusion and struggles for power
between competing juntas
• Royalists and liberals fought for control of the juntas
• By 1815 (end of P. War), Spanish America divided
between royalists and pro-independence forces
• The Mask of Ferdinand: did Spanish Americans invoke
Ferdinand VII’s name only to achieve their goals?
Bolivar’s Military Campaigns
• Bolivar returns to
Venezuela in 1807,
given a command by
the junta in 1813
• As the Peninsular
War drew to a close,
Spain began focusing
on their American
empire again
• Bolivar fought
against royalists and
forces that did not
recognize authority
of the United
Provinces
First Campaign
• After political & military disputes in 1815, Bolivar
fled to Jamaica & Haiti
• Returned in 1816, defeated royalists and
proclaimed independence of Gran Columbia on
Sept 7, 1821
• Gran Columbia = modern day Columbia,
Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, & northern Peru
• Bolivar named 1st president of Gran Columbia
• Battle of Ayacucho in 1824: Bolivar’s forces
captured last Spanish viceroy; considered the end
of the Spanish American wars of independence
Aftermath
• Bolivar dreamed of uniting South America into one
nation (like the United States)
• This never happened due to competing interests
among the new states
• Not wanting Gran Columbia to start breaking apart,
Bolivar took measures to strengthen central power;
named lifetime president then dictator in 1828
• Bolivar’s moves angered liberals, who tried to
assassinate the leader in the same year
• Slightly disillusioned, Bolivar resigned in April 1830 to
move to Europe; died in September before he could set
sail