Simon Bolivar and Latin American Revolutions

Simon Bolivar was a major leader of the Latin American Revolutions and considered a great hero in South America. He is often referred to as El Liberator or the "George Washington of South America." He helped liberate the northern portion of South America from the Spanish rule. This consisted of the present-day countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia.

Simon Bolivar was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela. He was born to wealthy Creole parents and received a good education. In 1804, he traveled to Europe after his wife died in Venezuela. While there, he studied the philosophies of Enlightenment thinkers and learned of the accomplishments of Napoleon I. In 1807, he then returned to Venezuela after a trip to the United States. In 1808, Caracas declared independence from Spain. Bolivar was sent to Britain on a diplomatic mission. In 1812, the Spanish took over Venezuela and Bolivar fled after returning. In 1813, Bolivar was able to invade Venezuela with assistance from New Granada and declare it a republic. Bolivar was also able to get help from Haiti in 1817. In 1819 Bolivar was declared president of the newly founded Gran Colombia. In the following years Spanish opposition was eliminated. In 1823 Bolivar and Sucre were able to liberate Peru and drive all Spanish presence from South America.