Revolutions in Latin america A Brief Guide to Major Uprisings

Racism and Revolution Most of the colonies were Spanish Colonial society was usually very divided along racial lines Even French and British colonies tended to use the Spanish model

The Spanish Model Only peninsulares could hold high government offices At the top were peninsulares People who now lived in the colonies, but had been born in Spain Only peninsulares could hold high government offices A small percentage of the population, they controlled life in Latin America

Next on the Ladder Were the creoles These were people who were Spanish, but had been born in the Americas No government offices, but they were able to rise in the ranks of the military and also hold the best government jobs Main actors in Independence movement- educated, had resources, identified more with America than Spain

Beyond That The third-ranked group were mestizos Then came mulattoes Children of mixed European and Native American ancestry Then came mulattoes Children of mixed European and African ancestry Then came African slaves Finally, at the bottom, were the Native Americans themselves – little economic value to the Spaniards

The Problem with This Racial Mix Is that anyone could figure out there were FAR more mulattoes, mestizos, and slaves than there were peninsulares and creoles In order to maintain control, Europeans often brutally suppressed the local populations

Slave Uprising in Saint Domingue Saint Domingue was a French colony, having been won from Spain in a war Located on the island of Hispaniola Today, the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island

Plantation Society The island of Hispaniola is ideally suited for the growing of cash crops, namely sugar and coffee Europeans created vast plantations in order to grow as much of these crops as possible –required lots of labor

In the Late 1700’s The United States of America declared independence in 1776 In 1789, the French Revolution began, and the French citizenry overthrew King Louis XVI

In Saint Domingue Inspired by the Americans, slaves and native islanders began to seek freedom from their mother country And if the French king was no longer on the throne, could Saint Domingue still be a French colony?

Toussaint L’Ouverture A former slave, Toussaint L’Ouverture rose to leadership of the revolt In 10 years of fighting, he managed to liberate the entire island of Hispaniola He also ordered slavery ended on the island

French Response… The French can’t really put down the rebellion, because they’re fighting the revolution at home But that would change with the rise of Napoleon

Napoleon Looks at Saint Domingue And sees it in economic terms A slave population on plantations makes France far more money than an independent island So he moves to retake the island in order to bolster France’s finances Sends in 16,000 French Troops to fight

L’Ouverture is Captured Toussaint agrees to halt revolution IF France ends slavery-they reach an agreement but then accuse Toussaint of stirring up trouble and imprison him-deal is off… But he will die in prison in the French Alps He will be replaced by one of his lieutenants, Jean-Jacques Dessalines

Dessalines Wins The French suffer military losses, as well as losses from native diseases, most notably dengue fever On January 1, 1804, Dessaline proclaims independence, calling the land Haiti (it means “Mountainous Land”) It is the second successful revolution in the Western Hemisphere, following only the United States

The Napoleon Effect… Napoleon’s dominance of Europe will lead to a host of Independence movements in South America Napoleon conquers Spain & removes Spanish King Ferdinand VII and installs his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne

In South America Revolutions will start not among the slaves, but among the creoles Creoles could hold some government jobs, and could also rise to command in the army They were mostly content with that when they were ruled by the Spanish However, they felt no loyalty at all to a king that had been installed by the French

Two Predominant Generals South American Revolutions are largely led by two men The first is Simon Bolivar, a creole from Venezuela who was already quite wealthy The second is Jose de San Martin from Argentina

Venezuela Declares Independence Bolivar raised a revolutionary army and declared independence in 1811 However, he still had to fight several armies of Spaniards Twice he was driven into exile when his armies were defeated, but he raised new armies and kept fighting

In August 1819 Simon Bolivar attacked a Spanish army outpost in Colombia, which controlled Venezuela He caught the Spanish by surprise, winning independence for Venezuela, but also for Colombia

San Martin’s Nation of Argentina Became independent in 1816 However, Spanish forces threatened the new nation from nearby Chile and Peru Rather than wait to be attacked, San Martin led an army across the Andes and defeated the Spanish Chile becomes independent in 1817

The Remaining Spanish Forces… Flee to Peru Martin begins to work on a plan to conquer the Spanish once and for all

Meanwhile. . . Bolivar has moved into Ecuador He and San Martin agree to meet to discuss tactics No one knows exactly how it happened, but San Martin essentially gave his whole army to Bolivar

Bolivar Moves on Peru With San Martin’s army added to his own, Bolivar directs his troops against the Spanish in Peru The two sides would meet for one last battle, the Battle of Ayacucho in 1824.

Bolivar Wins The Spanish are defeated at Ayacucho Together, Bolivar and San Martin achieved independence for Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, and Bolivia