In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, independence movements arose across Latin America inspired by the American and French Revolutions. In Haiti, Toussaint L'Ouverture led a successful slave rebellion against France in the 1790s, temporarily gaining independence for Haiti. In Spanish colonies, Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín led military campaigns that established independent republics across much of South America in the 1810s-1820s. In Mexico, Miguel Hidalgo initiated an uprising for independence in 1810 that led to the establishment of a Mexican republic in 1821 after victories by other rebel leaders. By the 1840s, most Latin American nations had achieved formal independence, though

1. 1750-1914:
An Age of
Revolutions
Latin American
Independence
Movements

2. Background
Indigenous peoples and civilizations
◦ Maya, Aztec, Inca
European Colonization, 1500s
◦ Spain, Portugal, France
American Revolution, 1776
French Revolution and Enlightenment,
1789
Napoleon’s conquests within Europe,
1800s

3. Latin American Independence
Movements, 18th & 19th C.

4. François Toussaint-
Simón Louverture-
Miguel Hidalgo Bolívar
Pedro I José de San
Martín

5. French colonies: Revolution in Haiti
Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti
Western third of island of Hispanola
in Caribbean Sea.
Plantation slavery, sugar

6. Toussaint L’Ouverture
Former slave, self-educated.
Untrained in military and political
matters, but became a skilled
general and diplomat.
Allegedly got name (“opening” in
French) from being able to find
openings in enemy lines.
Took leadership of a slave revolt
that broke out in 1791.
100,000 slaves in revolt.

7.  By 1801, L’Ouverture moved
into Spanish Santo Domingo
(the eastern two-thirds of the island of
Hispanola), took control of
territory and freed slaves.
 In January 1802, French
troops landed.
 Toussaint agreed to an end of
fighting if the French would
end slavery
 French accused him of
planning another uprising.
 Sent him to a prison in the
French Alps.
 He died 10 months later, April
1803.

8. Spanish Colonies
Revolutions against
Spanish Rule

9. Latin American social classes
Peninsulares - men born in Spain
◦ held highest offices
Creoles - Spaniards born in Latin America
◦ officers in army, but not in government
◦ often resented power of the peninsulares
Mestizos - mixed European and Indian
Mulattos - mixed European and African
Indians/Africans

10. European Background:
Napoleon
Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808.
Removed Spain’s King Ferdinand VII and
made Joseph (Nap’s brother) king of
Spain.
Creoles used it as a reason for revolution.
1810 rebellion across Latin America.
1814, Napoleon defeated and Ferdinand
returned to power, but creoles cont’d their
movement.

11. Francisco Goya, Executions of May 3, 1808

12. Simon Bolivar
Wealthy Venezuelan creole.
“The Liberator”

13. Venezuelan Independence,
1821
Venezuela declared independence,
1811.
Bolivar’s armies unsuccessful at
first.
1819: Bolivar marched armies over
Andes into today’s Colombia,
defeated Spanish army.
1821: Venezuelan independence.
Marched north to Ecuador to meet
Jose de San Martin.

14. Jose de San Martin
Simple,
modest man.
Born in
Argentina,
spent time in
Spain as
military
officer.

15. Lima, Peru

16. Argentinean Independence
Argentinadeclared
independence in 1816.
San Martin led army across
Andes to Chile, joined by
Bernardo O’Higgins, and freed
Chile.
Ecuador, 1822: San Martin met
with Bolivar to decide how to
remove remaining Spanish
forces in Lima, Peru.

17. San Martin sailed for Europe and
died on French soil in 1850.
Dec9, 1824, Bolivar defeated
Spanish at Battle of Ayacucho.

18. Bolivar
San
Martin

19. Gran Colombia, 1820-1830
Bolivar’s vision of a united South America.
Present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and
Panama.
Short-lived due to dissension amongst various
factions.
Bolivar resigned in 1828.
In1830, Bolivar’s Gran Colombia divided into
Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
Panama later split from Colombia with US
assistance, 1903.

20. Mexico
Indians and mestizos, not creoles,
played the key role in
independence movements.
Creoles sided with Spain to avoid
violence of lower-class rebellions
(until 1820).

21. Miguel Hidalgo
A village priest, believed
in Enlightenment ideals.
1810, called for revolution.
◦ Grito de Dolores (call for revolution)
Hidalgo’sIndian and mestizo followers
marched to Mexico City.
Spanish army and creoles acted against
Hidalgo and defeated him in 1811.

22. Mexican Independence, 1821
1820 revolution in Spain put a liberal
government in power.
Mexican creoles feared loss of
influence, so they united against
Spain.
Agustin Iturbide declared himself
emperor, but was overthrown.
1824: Establishment of the Mexican
Republic.

23. French Rule
Conservative rebels plotted with France to
reconquer Mexico.
Napoleon III sent armies to Mexico.
Cinco de Mayo, 1862:
◦ Zaragoza won the Battle of Puebla against the French,
but the French won the war.
Napoleon III appointed a relative, Austrian
archduke Maximilian, as emperor of Mexico.
Juarez resisted, US sent troops to Mexico - French
gave up in 1867.
Juarez continued reforms.

24. United Provinces of Central
America
Several other Central American states
declared their independence from both
Spain and Mexico to create the United
Provinces of Central America.

25. Independence in South America
3
In South America, Native Americans
had rebelled against Spanish rule as
early as the 1700s, with limited results.
It was not until the 1800s that
discontent sparked a widespread drive
for independence.
Simon Bolívar, called “The Liberator,” :the
George Washington of South America,”
led an uprising that established a republic
in Venezuela. He then captured Bogotá,
Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
 In 1816, José de San Martín helped
Argentina win freedom from Spain. He
then joined forces with Bolívar.
 Bolívar tried to unite the liberated
lands into a single nation called Gran
Columbia. However, bitter rivalries made
that dream impossible. Before long, Gran
Columbia split into three independent
countries: Venezuela, Columbia, and
Ecuador. (Panama)

26. By 1841, United Provinces of
Central America had split into
republics of El Salvador,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala
and Honduras.
Conservative clergy and wealthy
landowners resisted liberal,
democratic reforms.
Inability to agree to terms of a
canal cost it much-needed revenue.

27. Period of Consolidation, 1825-1850
 Breakdown of original nations and groups:
◦ Gran Colombia
◦ an original union between Bolivia and Peru
◦ United Provinces of Central America
 Instability of internal politics
◦ Bolivia experienced 60 revolts and coups.
◦ Venezuela experienced 52 revolts and coups
 Liberals - free trade, representative govt, federal government
system
 Conservatives - protect church and upper classes
◦ controlled most regimes between 1830 and 1870.
 Independence movements and new governments run by
Creoles
 Spanish administrators had excluded Creoles from political
leadership, so few leaders could actually run a government.

28. Latin American Independence
Movements, 18th & 19th C.