Latin American Independence

1
The American and French Revolutions spread the
idea that people were entitled to a government
that protected their interests.
2
When Napoleon conquered Spain, Latin
Americans were able to govern themselves.
3
After Napoleons defeat, many Latin American
colonies refused to return to Spanish rule and
demanded independence.
4
Toussaint LOuverture led an uprising of African
slaves in 1791, forcing the French out of Haiti.
5
Haiti was the first Latin American colony to
achieve independence.
6
Simon Bolivar defeated Spanish forces between
1819 and 1825, liberating Venezuela,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
7
Jose de San Martin worked to liberate Argentina
and Chile from Spanish rule in the years 1816
to 1818.
8
Miguel Hidalgo, a priest, began a
rebellion against Spanish rule in Mexico in 1810,
but the uprising failed. Mexico later achieved
its independence in 1821.
9
President Monroe of the United States issued the
Monroe Doctrine in 1823. It stated the United
States would oppose any attempt by Europeans to
establish new colonies in the Americas.
10
The Monroe Doctrine made it clear to the world
that the United States had special interests in
the Western Hemisphere.
11
After independence, dictatorships, unstable
governments, and poverty affected many Latin
American nations. Land and wealth remained in the
hands of a small elite. Caudillos or military
leaders ruled in some places.