2. Fathers of their country
• Today, we are going to talk about 3 leaders
who fought for their country’s freedom:
• Father Hidalgo in Mexico, Simon Bolivar in
South America, and Toussaint L’Ouverture in
Haiti
• All three were inspired in part by the
American Revolution.
3. Miguel Hidalgo
• Is considered by Mexicans to be the “father” of their country the way
George Washington is considered to be the “father” of our country
• Hidalgo was also a “father” because he was a priest.
• He cared very much for the poor people in Mexico.
• It made him angry to see the Spanish oppress the Native Americans and
“mestizos”
• A mestizo was a person of mixed European and native American heritage
• On September 16th 1810 Father Hidalgo rang the bells of his church to
announce a revolt against the Spanish
• Thousands of poorly armed and poorly trained peasants followed him and
took over several Mexican cities.
• Though the revolt was put down by the Spanish army, Mexico gained its
independence soon after this.
4. Simon Bolivar
• Simon Bolivar was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1783
• Simon Bolivar was a military and political leader
• He was called “The Liberator” because he led Venezuela, Columbia,
Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia to independence from Spanish rule
Some say he helped establish the foundations of democracy in Latin
America
He died in 1830
5. Toussaint L’Ouverture
• Toussaint L’Ouverture was born in 1743
• He led a revolt of slaves against the French in
Haiti starting in 1791.
• He was inspired by both the American and
French revolutions
• His success inspired slaves in other countries
to fight for their freedom