Simón Bolívar

Simón Bolívar was born in Caracas, Venezuela to wealthy parents. He was able to go to Europe for his schooling in the early 1800s. There he was exposed to revolutionary thinkers and new ideas (sprouted from the French Revolution) that would later shape his own revolutionary politics. In 1810, as Napoleon Bonaparte was slowly taking over Europe, Bolívar began to hear about turmoil rising up in Venezuela. Not wanting to miss out on the action, he returned home to join the rebellion. Due to his wealth and well-ranking familial ties, he was able to gain a position of authority within the new movement. And on July 5, 1811, after merely one year of fighting, a new congress of resistance leaders declared Venezuelan independence. Venezuela was the first independent nation in South America. They went on to establish a new constitution creating new precedents like the abolition of the indigenous tribute, the establishment of Catholicism as the official religion, and the limitation of citizenship to property owners.

However, by 1814 Ferdinand was back on the Spanish throne, and he was eager to regain control of Venezuela. In response, Bolívar fled to Jamaica to reassess his plans. There he penned his “Jamaica Letter” which would elaborate on his own ideals and principles for a liberated South America. In 1816 Bolívar returned to Venezuela and spent seven more years helping them attain lasting independence. Bolívar also aided Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (named after himself) achieve their own independence. This would earn him the nickname “The Liberator.” Bolivar’s success would be short-lived and unfulfilled though, as he died from tuberculosis in 1830.