Latin American Revolution

Unit 7

Setting the Stage

• The French ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity inspired many Latin Americans to rise up against their French, Spanish, and Portuguese masters

• An important effect on Latin America as a result of the American and French revolutions were independence movements began against colonial rule

Revolution in Haiti• French colony of Saint

Domingue was the first Latin American territory to free itself from European ruler. Now known as Haiti

• Nearly 500,000 enslaved Africans made up the majority of the population– Most worked on

plantations

• An African priest, Boukman, called for a revolution

• Led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, an ex-slave, he rose to become a skilled general and diplomat

• He moved into Spanish territory of St. Domingo and freed the slaves.

• French troops landed and accused Toussaint of planning another uprising, seized him and put him in a French prison where he later died

• Toussiant’s general, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, took up the fight– Declared the colony an independent

country (the 1st black colony to free itself from European control), he called it Haiti

Latin America sweeps to freedom

• Society sharply divided into classes based on birth– Peninsulares: men who had been born in Spain, could

hold the high office in Spanish colonial gov.– Creoles: Spaniards born in Latin America, could no hold

high level political office, but could rise as officers in the army

– Mestizos: persons of mixed European and Indian ancestry

– Mulattos: Persons of mixed European and African ancestry

– Africans– Indians

Events in Europe Trigger Latin American Revolutions

• Napoleon’s conquest of Spain in 1808 finally triggered revolts in the Spanish colonies.

• After he had removed Spain’s King Ferdinand VII, Napoleon made his bother Joseph, King of Spain

• Creoles argued when the real king was removed, power shifted to the people

The Libertadores end Spanish Rule

• Simon Bolivar, a wealthy creole, was influenced by the American and French Revolutions: He adopted Enlightenment ideals and began revolutions against Spanish authority.

• Bolivar’s army suffered numerous defeats, but it took the Spanish by surprise in Bogota

• 1821, Bolivar had won Venezuela its independence

• Jose Francisco de San Martin’s Argentine had declared its independence in 1816

• However, Spanish armies in nearby Chile and Peru still posed a threat so San Martin led his army to Chile

• He helped free Chile• San Martin and Bolivar met up

and San Martin left Bolivar in command of his forces.

• With unified forces, Bolivar’s army went on to defeat the Spanish– He freed Ecuador, Peru, and a

country named Bolivia after him.

Mexico ends Spanish rule• 1810 Padre Miguel Hidalgo, a priest in

the small village of Dolores, took the first steps towards revolution

• He firmly believed in the Enlightenment ideals

• Indian and mestizo followers marched towards Mexico City– The Spanish army and creoles joined

forces and defeated Hidalgo on 1811– Rebels rallied behind Padre Jose Morelos

who led the revolution for 4 years• Defeated by creole officer, Agustin de

Iturbide• Declares independence from Spain in 1821

Brazil’s Royal Liberator• Brazil’s quest for independence was unique• As Napoleon’s troops approached Lisbon, the Portuguese capital,

Prince John (Later King John VI) and the royal family boarded ships to escape capture.

• They sailed to Portugal’s largest colony, Brazil• For 14 years, Brazil was the center of of the Portuguese empire• After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, the Portuguese government wanted

Brazil to go back to a colony• 1822, creoles demanded independence, signed a petition asking Dom

Pedro, King John’s son, to rule. He agreed. • Sept. 7 1822, Brazil officially declared independent through a

bloodless revolution

Independence brings disunity

• Throughout Latin America, independence actually brought an increase in poverty

• The wars had disrupted trade and devastated cities and countryside

• After all the destruction, the dream of a united Latin America quickly fell apart.