Simon Bolivar Essay PDF

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Simon Bolivar Essay...

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December 21, 2016 U.S. History II

Bolívar: The Savior of South America Simón Bolívar, a hero of the Latin American revolution, upheld the strongest definition of liberty throughout his lifetime. His ideas of freedoms were bold and daring for his time; he fought to unite South America and annihilate the class separations amongst all citizens. He viewed liberty as the only thing in the world that anyone should be fighting for. Bolivar’s idea of liberty did not just mean freedom from the absolutist state, but freedom from a colonial power, which would lead to true independence. With this, he desired equality for all men - regardless of their color or class. He was a democrat and he believed that governments should be responsible to the people. Even though his mission fell short of his ultimate dream of uniting South America entirely, he - a Venezuelan military leader who was vital within the revolutions against the Spanish empire - still united South America into the great continent it is today. Born into a Creole family, wealthy from copper and gold mines, Bolívar was educated rigorously and went on to utilize his strong knowledge to fight the Spanish. Bolívar devoted his life to breaking away from neutralizing the class statuses of those who lived in South America, by rebelling against the Spaniards. After returning home in 1807, he joined a secret movement to free Venezuela from Spain, and in 1811, Bolívar took command of a rebel force. Following a few years of vicious defeats, Bolívar took refuge in Jamaica and Haiti for two years. One of the leaders of Haiti, Henri Christophe, helped Bolívar create a new force to take back the land of South America. To show his immense appreciation to Christophe, a former slave, Bolívar

promised to end black slavery in Venezuela when he would return home. Bolívar did what he saw fit to fight against the Spanish - teaming up with people from a plethora of backgrounds thus enforcing how truly devoted to freedom he was. In 1815, Bolívar - dubbed “El Libertador” (“The Liberator” in Spanish) - predicted the creation of three Spanish-American federations: Mexico and Central America, Northern Spanish South America, and Southern South America. But, in the end, his ultimate goal - the "Bolívarian dream” - was to unite all of Spanish America. By the conclusion of the revolution, Simón Bolívar’s armies tremendously liberated South America from the dictator-like Spanish rule. The multitude of countries that truly owe their independence to him from Spain include: Colombia, Ecuador, Panamá, Perú, Venezuela, and Bolivia - which was named after him. Compared to Maximilien Robespierre, Bolívar’s dream of liberty was much stronger. Robespierre tried to enforce an idea of liberty, equality, and fraternity to French citizens which led to over 40,000 citizens being executed in order to put his ideal liberty in place - ironic as he appeared to be against the death penalty in years past. Undoubtedly, Bolívar - even though he killed - did not execute people for such unjustified reasons. Bolívar fought against the mighty Spanish empire whereas Robespierre fought against the people of his own country. These facts in themselves show that Robespierre’s “liberty” was not liberty at all - there is no way to unify a country and construct freedom by killing a vast majority of a country’s citizens. In addition, Robespierre is one of the most vilified men in the world, but there is no memorial, honor, or mercy for him - his reign acts as a bad memory of France’s tortuous history. Even though Robespierre did think similarly to Bolívar in the sense that the rights of a man should extend to

everybody, Bolívar did a better job sticking to his word, compared to Robespierre who cut the lives of many French citizens short. Inevitably, Bolívar’s idea of liberty surpasses those of other attempting leaders. He worked hard to jettison the Spanish and their influence as well as to equalize one of the - if not the most - transcultural areas on Earth. Although his attempts led to a multitude of defeats, Bolívar’s aspirations will forever be remembered as iconic and groundbreaking. His ultimate legacy can be seen today in the grand scheme of South America’s existence, as he truly laid the groundwork for South America to break away from the Spanish and exist independently....