Simon Bolivar

Simón Bolívar was not only an important military leader recognized throughout America, but he was also a precursor of the war to achieve independence . His propaganda models were based on proclamations , manifestos , letters, and speeches that helped him achieve victories in much the same way that battles did. It was a great connoisseur the policy internationally and in America.

What did

Bolívar was one of the most important figures in the independence of many American peoples . He spoke out against slavery and in favor of democracy; always preferring centralism over the federal constitution. He also proposed a hereditary Senate as the fundamental basis of the legislative power .

He focused on the political struggle , supported the revolutionary cause and made different trade agreements with the colonies seeking the benefit of both parties. He organized and directed the battles that gave the freedom to Venezuela , Colombia and Peru .

Simon Bolivar’s biography

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas. His parents, wealthy Creoles, who with the death of his father inherited a huge fortune . As a child he received an important education from his mentors Simón Rodríguez and Andrés Bello .

In 1799 he was sent to Spain to improve his education, where he met with Viceroy Miguel José de Azanza , to whom he made known his views on the French Revolution, with which the viceroy did not agree. In 1802 he married María Teresa Rodríguez and they went to Caracas where a few months after he was married, he became a widow .

On August 15, 1805, Simón Rodríguez told Bolívar of the need to liberate America and that he was the leader of the movement and this was the moment when Bolívar pronounced his famous Monte Aventino oath to fight for independence.

In 1810 , Simón Bolívar joined the independence revolution in Venezuela, led by Francisco de Miranda, but faced with failure, he had to flee in 1812; taking command of the movement, and decreeing a manifesto from Cartagena de Indias that provoked the rebellion again, correcting the mistakes that had been made. On February 15, 1819, they named him president of Venezuela. Later, in that same year, he crossed the Andes, defeating the Spanish royalist troops in the Battle of Boyacá , a battle that gave independence to the Viceroyalty of New Granada., which today we know as Colombia.

He worked hard with his friend Antonio José de Sucre to rid South America of the Spanish. Bolívar resigned before the last Congress of Colombia on April 27, 1830 and headed for Bogotá . While there they informed him that Sucre had been murdered, which plunged him into sadness and increased the decline in his health , which was already affected. He moved to the fifth San Pedro Alejandrino , in Santa Marta, a place that was his last resting place. Simón Bolívar died on December 17 , 1830 . In 1842, his remains were transferred to Caracas and his burial in the National Pantheon took place on October 28, 1876.

Studies

Simón Bolívar loved to study and learn and his travels helped to illustrate this. He studied reading and grammar with Simón Rodríguez , who in turn was his main mentor and with whom he became a fervent admirer of the French encyclopedists, especially Rousseau. He studied the French Revolution , the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen and the virtues and characteristics of the republican government .

He also learned letters and geography with Professor Andrés Bello , and continued his studies of mathematics in Europe at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, as well as studying languages under the direction of the Marquis of Uztáriz , a native of Caracas, a supporter of politics. illustrated and of the French encyclopedists.

Thought of Simón Bolívar

Their main thought was to achieve independence and freedom for their American peoples. His ideas were known to illustrious men of his time, such as La Fayette, Daniel Webster, Lancaster, the philosopher Bentham, Humboldt, as well as with many politicians and soldiers who led the liberation movement in America. He liked to read about de Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire and studied philosophy and politics , filling himself with democratic ideas and bringing fresh currents of European thought to America .

As a political thinker, Simón Bolívar drew up the Jamaica Letter which is recognized as one of the most extraordinary and prophetic documents in American history. In the letter he spoke of his thoughts and ideas regarding the newly born republics . He also spoke about the danger that the United States represented with its growth, about the dangers that feudal caudillismo represented and about its desire to expand.

government

The form of government that Simón Bolívar pursued was based on the fact that the peoples of Latin America needed a type of government in which political and military power was more concentrated in a central authority . For him it was important that the government of a country reflect the values and characteristics of its society.

His ideal model was that of the British system, which in the end he adapted to a republican format compatible with that of the United States . It was a system in which the freedoms of the individual were guaranteed , but also provided the necessary elements to maintain political stability , such as that of a president for life elected by popular vote .

Influence of Simón Bolívar by country

• Bolivia : created the accounting office to manage public funds and delegated to Simón Rodríguez the responsibility of preparing an educational project . It abolished indigenous tribute and prohibited native people from having to render services against their will . It eliminated the chiefdoms and the privileges that the indigenous nobility had . He established as the main port of the country Puerto Cobija, which was called Puerto La Mar.
• Colombia : Simón Bolívar was the first president of the Republic of Colombia, from December 17, 1819, until May 4, 1830, however in Colombia some type of active Bolivarism is not easily found.
• Peru : he arrived in 1823 and from that moment on he was named ” Supreme Authority ” and charged with the fight against the royalist forces . He abolished the army of José de la Riva, negotiated to buy time and defeat the royalists. He had in his hands all the political and military power , he was the highest authority in Peru.
• Venezuela : is considered the liberator of Venezuela. In 1813 he reconquered Venezuela in the so-called Admirable Campaign , with which he liberated the west of the country from the Spanish yoke and began the foundation of the Second Republic , for which he received the title of Liberator by the people. He established anti-imperialist ideas , which integrated Latin America and the Caribbean, ideas of independence and political balance .
• Panama : for Bolívar, the development of maritime trade was one of the symbols of modernity and development . He thought that the country had the necessary strength to be able to face the United States at some point .

Birthdate

July 24 is the day on which the Liberator Simón Bolívar’s Birth is celebrated.

Fathers

His parents were Colonel Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte , and Mrs. Concepción Palacios Blanco .

Relations

Despite not being a handsome man, Simón Bolívar had more than 35 women in his life, after his only wife, María Teresa Toro , passed away. He was a very elegant man and his way of expressing captivated more than one woman, so much so that he was nicknamed “The Womanizer” . He lived with Manuelita Saénz for a while but they never married because he had promised not to do so after the death of his wife.

Decendents

The son of Simón Bolívar was José Costas who had a son, Urbano Costas, who in turn had Elías Costas Barrios who is the great-grandson of the Liberator, as well as María Luisa, María Asunta and Urbano Costas Sánchez.  Urbano Costas Argandoña was the eldest son of Simón Bolívar’s son, José Costas.

Simón Bolívar quotes

Some of his most important phrases were the following:

• For the achievement of the triumph it has always been essential to go through the path of sacrifices .
• The title of Liberator is superior to all that human pride has received.
• The art of winning is learned in defeats .
• Our life is nothing other than the heritage of our country .
• Nations march toward greatness as their education advances .
• I swear to God, I swear to my parents and I swear on my honor that I will not rest as long as I live until I have freed myself.
• The first of all forces is public opinion .
• From the heroic to the ridiculous there is only one step.

Importance

Bolívar promoted and participated in the most emblematic military battles in South America, but his greatest importance lies in his liberating and emancipatory thinking, which was motivation for many generations. With his strategy called the Admirable Campaign , he managed to free the west of the country from the Spanish yoke and begin the founding of the Second Venezuelan Republic .

Simón Bolívar is considered the main promoter of the emancipation of the South American peoples against the Spanish colonial power , a legacy that lasted for many decades. He had different anti-imperialist ideas , he sought Latin American and Caribbean integration , independence and political balance , to promote the world balance of power.

Simón Bolívar in popular culture

In the area of ​​popular culture we can mention that he had a great influence on the ideologies of different presidents, through his ideals of freedom , equality and human rights.  The culture and good education were fundamental pillars in his time, Simon Bolivar inherited the Venezuelan people.