Latin American
Independence Movements
Name___________________________________
Touissaint L’Ouverture
Simon Bolivar
What Country? Haiti
What Country?
Year of Country’s Independence? 1802
Year of Country’s Independence?
1821-1824
Five Facts about this leader or
his country’s independence from
European mother country:
Brilliant visionary, called "George Washington of
South America"
Educated; inspired by Enlightenment
Surprised Spanish army in Bogota, Colombia and
won a decisive victory
Met Jose de San Martin in Ecuador to decide future of
Latin American revolutionary movements; took over
San Martin's army and defeated Spanish
Later said, "America is ungovernable. Those who have
served the revolution have ploughed the sea."
Five Facts about this leader
or his country’s independence
from European mother country:
Former Slave
Unfamiliar with military or diplomatic matters
but became a skilled general and diplomat
By 1801, freed all enslaved Africans in Haiti,
(about 500,000)
1802--L'Ouverture halted the revolution in return
for permanent freedom for Haitian slaves
Arrested and died in prison in French Alps
This was the only permanently successful
slave rebellion in history.
Venezuela; united Spanish colonies of S.
America into Gran Colombia
Father Miguel Hidalgo
Dom Pedro I
What Country?
Mexico
Year of Country’s Independence?
1821
Five Facts about this leader
or his country’s independence
from European mother country:
Poor but well-educated priest, inspired by
Enlightenment
Took FIRST STEP toward Mexican independence--"grito de Dolores"
Led Indians and mestizos in march toward
Mexico City; defeated by Spanish army
Hidalgo killed; revolution taken over by Jose
Maria Morelos, who was defeated by Agustin
Iturbide
Iturbide and creoles feared liberal reforms from
Spain and so declared independence to protect
what they had
BRAZIL
Year of Country’s independence?
1822
Five Facts about this leader or
his country’s independence from
European mother country:
Independence occurred without upheaval or
bloodshed
King John VI and royal family fled to Brazil to escape
capture by Napoleon's army, stayed for 14 years
King John returned to Portugal in 1815 after
Napoleon's defeat, but his son Dom Pedro stayed
behind in Brazil
Brazilians would not accept return to colonial status;
creoles demanded independence from Portugal and
signed petition asking Pedro to rule.
He declared independence on 9/7/1822
Over--
1. Read the chart at the bottom of p. 247.
A. Which two groups made up the vast majority of the population in Spanish America?
Indians and Europeans
B. Of the Europeans, which group--peninsulares or creoles--probably made up a larger percentage?
Creoles--(many more Europeans being born in America than continuing to come from Europe)
2. Read p 250.
A. How are Enlightenment thought and the successes of teh American and French Revolutions reflected in
Bolivar’s thinking?
Bolivar promoted the idea of government by consent of the governed, he believed in the ideal of democracy,
and he wanted to unite the people of Latin America
B. What recent events in today’s world are similar to Simon Bolivar’s movement for Latin American independence?
Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Tunisia (and those are only the ones from this semester!!)
3. Look at the map on p. 251.
A. What two European countries held the largest colonial empires in Latin America in 1800?
Spain and Portugal
B. Comparing the two maps, which independent countries had emerged by 1830 from Spanish territories in the
Americas?
Mexico, United Provinces of Central America, Gran Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay,
United Provinces of La Plata
4. How was the Hatian Revolution different from revolutions in the rest of Latin America?
This revolt was accomplished by slaves, not creoles.
5. How were events in Europe in the 1780s and 1790s related to the revolutions in Latin America?
The French Revolution was inspired by the American Revolution and the Enlightenment. So were the Latin
American revolutions, as well as by the ideals and success of the French Revolution itself.