AP World History POD #20 – Revolutions & Independence in the Americas

1. AP World HistoryPOD #20 – Revolutions & Independence in the Americas Latin American Independence Movements

2. Class Discussion Notes Bulliet – “Revolution Spreads, Conservatives Respond, 1789-1850”, pp. 598-602 Bulliet – “Independence in Latin America, 1800-1830”, pp. 632-637

3. Historical Setting • “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)

4. 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

5. 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

6. Outbreak of Revolution • “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)

7. Touissant L’Ouverture • 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

8. Haitian Independence • “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)

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Gran Columbia • “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)

13. Mexico • “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)

14. Mexican Independence • 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

15. 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