Transcript Class Notes - Latin American Independence Movements

AP World History
POD #20 – Revolutions &
Independence in the
Americas
Latin American
Independence Movements
Class Discussion Notes
Bulliet – “Revolution Spreads, Conservatives
Respond, 1789-1850”, pp. 598-602
Bulliet – “Independence in Latin America,
1800-1830”, pp. 632-637
Historical Setting
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“Even as the dictatorship of Napoleon tamed the
democratic legacy of the French Revolution,
revolutionary ideology was spreading and taking hold in
Europe and the Americas. In Europe the French
Revolution promoted nationalism and republicanism. In
the Americas the legacies of the American and French
Revolutions led to a new round of struggles for
independence. News of revolutionary events in France
destabilized the colonial regime in Saint Domingue
(present-day Haiti), a small French colony on the
western half of the island of Hispaniola, and helped
initiate the first successful slave rebellion. In Europe,
however, the spread of revolutionary fervor was met by
the concerted reaction of an alliance of conservative
monarchs committed to extinguishing further
revolutionary outbreaks.” (Bulliet, p. 598)
Haiti Slavery
French colony of Saint Domingue (Haiti) was one of the
richest colonies in the Americas
 Sugar, cotton, indigo, and coffee accounted for 2/3 of
France’s tropical imports and generated nearly 1/3 of all
French foreign trade
 Wealth depended on brutal slave regime – with its harsh
punishments and poor living conditions
 High slave mortality rates combined with low fertility
rates created a high demand for new African slaves
 A majority of the 500,000 slaves were African-born
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Haitian Revolution
After the calling of the Estates General in
1789 the wealthy plantation owners sent a
delegation to Paris to seek more home
rule for the island and greater economic
freedom and autonomy
 The free mixed-race population (gens de
couleur) also sent representatives seeking
to limit race discrimination, but not an end
to slavery
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Outbreak of Revolution
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“The political turmoil in France weakened the authority
of colonial administrators in Saint Domingue. In the
vacuum that resulted, rich planters, poor whites, and the
gens de couleur all pursued their narrow interests,
engendering an increasingly bitter and confrontational
struggle. Given the slaves’ hatred of the brutal regime
that oppressed them and the accumulated grievances of
the free people of color, there was no way to limit the
violence once the control of the slave owners slipped.
When Vincent Oge, leader of the gens de couleur
mission to France, returned to Saint Domingue in 1790,
the planters captured him and ordered his torture and
execution. The free black and slave populations soon
repaid this cruelty in kind.” (Bulliet, p. 599)
Touissant L’Ouverture
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A former domestic slave
Created a disciplined military force
1794 – the radical French National Convention
abolished slavery in all French possessions
He led an attack defeating both his local rivals,
as well as a British expeditionary force and took
on the Spanish in the colony of Santo Domingo
Freed the slaves of Haiti
Asserted his loyalty to France but gave the
French no role in local governmental affairs
Haitian Independence
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“In 1802 Napoleon sent a large military force to
reestablish both French colonial authority and
slavery in Saint Domingue. At first the French
forces were successful, capturing Toussaint and
sending him to France, where he died in prison.
Eventually, however, the loss of thousands of
lives to yellow fever and the resistance of the
revolutionaries turned the tide. In 1804
Touissant’s successors declared independence,
and the free republic of Haiti joined the United
States as the second independent nation in the
Western Hemisphere.” (Bulliet, p. 601)
Roots of Latin American Revolution
Enlightenment ideology
 American Revolution (Declaration of
Independence)
 French Revolution (Declaration of the Rights of
Man and Citizen)
 Napoleon’s decision to invade Portugal (1807)
and Spain (1808), not revolutionary ideas,
created a crisis of legitimacy that undermined
the authority of colonial officials and ignited
Latin America’s struggle for independence
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Simon Bolivar
Son of wealthy Venezuelan planters
 Traveled to Europe to study the works of
the Enlightenment
 Initially opposed to the abolition of
slavery, but he embraced the concept
seeing it as means to gain the support
slaves and freemen to the cause
 Enlisted demobilized English veterans of
the Napoleonic Wars
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Jose De San Martin
Led a mixed force of Chileans and
Argentinians
 Crossed the Andes Mountains to attack
Spanish forces in Chile and Peru (his most
effective troops were former slaves)
 Gained victory in Chile, but had to turn
over command of his troops to Simon
Bolivar in Peru who used them to help
defeat the Spanish
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Gran Columbia
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“After liberating present-day Venezuela,
Columbia, and Equador, Bolivar’s army entered
Peru and Bolivia (colonial Alto Peru) and
defeated the last Spanish armies in 1824.
Bolivar and his supporters then attempted to
create a confederation of the former Spanish
colonies. The first steps were the creation of
Gran Columbia (now Venezuela, Columbia, and
Equador) and the unification of Peru and Bolivia,
but these initiatives had failed by 1830.” (Bulliet,
p. 634)
Mexico
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“In 1810 Mexico was Spain’s wealthiest and most
populous colony. Its silver mines were the richest in the
world and the colony’s capital, Mexico City, was larger
than any city in Spain. Mexico also had the largest
population of Spanish immigrants among the colonies.
When news of Napoleon’s invasion of Spain reached
Mexico, conservative Spaniards in Mexico City overthrew
the local viceroy because he was too sympathetic to the
creoles. This action by Spanish loyalists underlined the
new reality: with the king removed from his throne by
the French, colonial authority rested on brute force.”
(Bulliet, p. 634)
Mexican Independence
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Miguel Hidalgo – (September 16, 1810) – rang church bells in the
town of Dolores attracting a crowd in which he called for rebellion
against the oppression of Spanish officials – he was joined by tens
of thousands of rural and urban poor
Most conservative, wealthy Mexicans continued to support the
Spanish
Jose Maria Morelos – a former student of Hidalgo, he was more
adept at creating a strong fighting force
1813 - Morelos convened a congress, declared independence and
drafted a constitution (he was defeated by loyalist forces
1821 - Colonel Agustin de Iturbide and other loyalist commanders
forged and alliance with the rebel forces and declared the
independence of Mexico
Iturbide became the emperor of a conservative monarchical
government
1823 – Iturbide was overthrown by the army and Mexico became a
republic
Iturbide, Morelos and Hidalgo were all executed by firing squad
Pedro I of Brazil
1822 – Pedro declared Brazilian independence
from Portugal
 Committed to both monarchy and liberal
principles
 Constitution of 1824 – elected assembly, political
rights to the opposition
 Opposed slavery, even though the nation was
dominated by the slave-owning class – ended
the slave trade in 1831 provoking political
opposition
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