Spanish South America Wars Of Independence example essay topic

In a government, there are at least three attitudes toward political polices. These three attitudes are nationalism, liberalism, and conservation. Nationalism is a feeling of loyalty for one's own land and people. These people have the belief that one's greatest loyalty should be to one's country and to belong to a nation as a whole.

Liberalism is a political philosophy of limited government and protection of individual rights and freedoms. It is an attitude toward social, economic, political, and ecclesiastical polices, favoring gradual reform and ordered change rather than reaction or revolution and opposed equally to arbitrary censorship and undue license in dealing with ideas. Conservatism is the philosophy of protecting or conserving the existing traditional forms of government and order of things. The three countries are Mexico, Haiti, and Spanish South America. In Mexico, the important individuals were Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Jos'e Mar " ia Morelos. Haiti's individual was Toussaint L'Overture.

For Spanish South America its important individuals were Sim " on Bol " ivar and Jose de San Mart " in. Each of these men helped their countries become independent and free to govern itself. Mexico wanted to make a new country. Mexico began its revolt against Spain in 1810. The struggle was first led by two Roman Catholic priests, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Jos'e Mar " ia Morelos y Pav on. 1 Father Miguel Hidalgo was a priest in the small mountain village of Dolores, who was poor but educated.

Hidalgo called for the immediate abolition of slavery and an end to taxes imposed upon Native Americans. The effort to overthrow the colonial government soon turned into a social rebellion as tens of thousands of Native Americans near Mexico City - suffering from the effects of rising food prices and declining wages - joined thousands of mestizos in the uprising. Hidalgo recruited an army of at least 60,000 troops and enjoyed some initial military success. When they encountered armed resistance in the city of Guanajuato, the rebels massacred loyalist forces and looted the city. The extreme violence and destruction of the revolt appalled many criollos, and few of them joined the rebellion; many sided instead with the peninsular es, who offered stability. The rebels marched south toward Mexico City, fighting royalist forces near the capital on October 30, 1810.

The royalists retreated from the battle, opening the way for Hidalgo's troops to march on the city. Hidalgo's force had suffered heavy casualties, however, and many of his inexperienced soldiers deserted. Aware that a large royalist force was approaching, and fearing that his army would turn into an unruly mob if it entered the capital, Hidalgo abandoned his plans to occupy the city. As the rebels withdrew to the northwest, many of Hidalgo's followers drifted away.

In January 1811, the remains of Hidalgo's army were soundly defeated near Guadalajara by a smaller group of Spanish soldiers. 2 In Mexico City, Father Miguel Hidalgo was betrayed by one of his officers and was captured and executed on July 30, 1811. The rebels found another leader who was Jos'e Mar " ia Morelos, a farm worker who turned priest and fought next to Hidalgo. Like Hidalgo, he called for racial and social equality in Mexico, in addition to independence, but he was a better military leader. 3 In 1813, Morelos's army controlled all of Mexico expect for the largest cities.

Under Morelos, the rebel forces captured considerable territory, including the city of Acapulco. 4 Morelos demanded land reforms, redistribution of wealth, and equality for peasants and declared Mexican independence at the Congress of Chilpancingo in 1813.5 Morelos was executed after he was captured by royalist forces in 18156 After Morelos was killed, the revolution continued under Vicente Guerrero, who headed a comparatively small army. 7 After Spain's revolution there were creoles that united in support of wanting independence and rebels fragmented into small groups, however, often mixing banditry with politics. 8 Finally, in 1821, Mexico declared independence from Spain.

Liberalism for Mexico was the writing of the Mexican Constitution. Mexico's conservatism became very strong when Mexico became a republic. Haiti was where the only successful slave revolt in history. The population in 1789 was about 556,000, of whom about 500,000 were African slaves. 9 In 1791, slaves and free mulattoes rose in revolt against France after French control of the island was weakened by the revolution that broke out in Paris in 1789.10 Haiti was the first Latin American country to free itself from European rule. After a few years a leader emerged among the rebels.

His name was Francois-Dominique Toussaint -L'Ouverture. 11 L'Ouverture was an ex-slave who drove the Spanish forces from the island. By 1801 he had control of the whole island, including the Spanish portion, and he proclaimed himself president for life. 12 "I announce to you with great satisfaction that I have taken possession of the Spanish Part of Saint Domingo in the name of the French Republic".

13 In 1802, he attended a peace meeting where he was taken prisoner, brought to France and died in jail. Conservatism for Haiti was making an independent country in 1804. Revolutionary leaders of African descent set up this independent country after France could not retake the island. The Spanish South America wars of independence produced two generals whose leadership was largely responsible for the success of the rebels. These two men were Sim " on Bol " ivar and Jos'e San Mart " in. Sim " on Bol " ivar was a wealthy Venezuelan who was a revolutionary, a leader in the military and a politician.

He was known as the Liberator for his leading roles in the wars of Spanish South America. To the north of Spanish South America, Bolivar's native country, Venezuela declared independence in 1811 from Spain. For eight years, the struggle was never actually finished. Then in 1819, Bol " ivar built a very strong army. Since he promised to end slavery, many volunteers of African descent joined people from Europe and in January 1819, Bol " ivar had about 2,500 soldiers. He led his men on a dangerous march through the Andes.

Coming from his unexpected direction, he took the Spanish army completely by surprise in Bogot'a and defeated it. Bol " ivar, in the year of 1821, went on to free Venezuela. After freeing Venezuela, he marched south to Ecuador. Bol " ivar wanted the independent countries of South America to form some kind of union.

He believed that would make them stronger and richer. He formed Venezuela, Columbia, and Ecuador into a single country, but the new nation soon spilt apart. 14 In Ecuador, he met another person wanting independence in Argentina. This man's name was Jos'e de San Mart " in.

He was a master of military strategy, a skill which led him to success. 15 When the independence wars in Spanish South America were happening, San Mart " in was in Spain fighting against Napoleon. When he heard of the revolt in his native homeland of Argentina, he returned immediately. San Mart " in became a national hero in many South American countries, particularly in Argentina, where he also had strong personal ties, as he was born there, and enforced his ties by later marrying an Argentine.

16 Soon he started a creole army there. Beginning in 1812, Jos'e de San Mart " in led the fight against Spain. Under his urging, representatives of the Argentine provinces officially declared the country's independence at the Congress of Tucuman on July 9, 1816.17 When San Mart " in was freeing the south of Spanish South America, Bol " ivar was freeing the north. In the year of 1816, Argentina finally declared its independence. The new country became known as the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata or simply the United Provinces of La Plata 18 But with Spanish forces very close in Chile and Peru, San Mart " in led an expedition across the Andes and surprised the Spanish troops in Chile. 19 He defeated many Spanish strongholds and made sure that Argentina was freed.

After their victory in Chile, his forces helped win independence for Peru. 20 When the Spanish forces retreated to the mountains of Peru, San Mart " in needed some help. San Mart " in and Bol " ivar joined forces to drive out the Spanish from all of independent South America. Sadly, Bol " ivar and San Mart " in fought over some stuff, so San Mart " in left to go to Europe and died. Bol " ivar with a very strong army followed the Spaniards into the heights of the Andes. This is where he defeated the Spanish army at the Battle of Ayacucho.

Now South America was free of Spanish rule. Conservatism was declared when Argentina wanted independence in 1816, and also in Venezuela in the year of 1811..