Terms

Miguel Gregorio Antonio Hidalgo (1735-1811) On the night of September 16, 1810 Priest Miguel Hidalgo rang his perish bell and "called for the death of all Spaniards". He encouraged all mestizos to revolt, and fight to gain back their land, their rights, and their independence. He hated that the gauchopines (native Spaniards) had taken control and that the native people (mestizos) were at the bottom of the social ladder. On September 13, 1810, the creoles plotted for Hidalgos arrest (along with many others). However, this plan was meant to be carried out in December, and Hidalgo heard about it in September and was able to avoid this and additionally it forced Hidalgo to make the decision to unify the exploited mesizos to fight for their independence. He later regretted this decision, having not predicted that the fight would cause so much bloodshed. He left the revolutionaries while they were just about to march into Mexico City. One year later, Hidalgo would be executed in the city of Dolores by the gauchopines while the revolutionaries continued to fight for their independence. Their desire and their strength did die down a little bit after Hidalgo died, however they still continued to fight and finally, on the night of September 27, 1821, almost exactly 11 years since Hidalgo announced the commencement of the Grito de Allores, Mexico gained their Independence from Spain. Even though Hidalgo was not there to witness the Independence of Mexico, he is still known as a national hero and the father of Mexican Independence. Jose de San Martin was born in Argentina on February 25, 1778. In 1784 he moved to Spain where he started his eminently successful military career. San Martin remained in Spain, working for the military for around 24 years, until, in March 1812, San Martin arrived in the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires. Once in Buenos Aires, he was given the job of arranging a group of people to fight against the Spanish royalists. His superb military skill and strategy gave him great respect and additionally many abilities. San Martin fought his first battle against the Spanish royalists in Buenos Aires on February 3, 1813 which resulted in a successful victory. Later that year, he moved to a northern part of Argentina where he began to build up and strengthen the anti royalist forces. Soon after that however, he decided to help demolish the Spanish royalists in Peru. However to get to Peru, he decided he must first pass through Chile and of course, defeat the Spanish royalists in Chile as well. On April 5 1818, Jose de San Martin had yet another successful victory, and the Spanish royalists in Chile were defeated. Jose de San Martin then moved to Peru, and with the help of some Chilean troops, he was able to conquer Peru. On July 28, 1921 Jose de San Martin declared their independence. Jose de San Martin was a cunning man with a keen sense of strategy and skill which lead him to do many great things.
 * José Francisco de San Martín Matorras (1778-1850) **

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‘A republican government: that is what Venezuela…should have. Its principles should be the sovereignty of the people, division of powers, civil liberty, prohibition of slavery and the abolition of monarchy and privileges. We need equality to recast, so to speak, into a single whole, the classes of men, political opinions and political custom.’ ======

Simon Bolivar was born as a common Creole in Venezuela. Though he was well-educated, he was still considered inferior to the peninsulas, and he dreamed of equality. In 1810, Bolivar led an uprising, attempting to make Venezuela into a republic, but he was quickly suppressed by Conservatives. Later, Bolivar was able to surprise the Spanish in Bogota and take over Venezuela. He spent the rest of his life taking over as many South American countries as he could, hoping to unite them all into one large republic. Though his dream was never made a reality, South America was freed from the Spanish, nicknaming Bolivar, "The Liberator."

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Toussaint was a slave who led Haitian slave revolts, then reorganized Haiti, wrote Haiti a constitution, and then was captured by Leclerc after signing a peace treaty. He was transported to France and then thrown in jail, where he died. ======

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Economic Imperialism : Even after Latin American nations became independent from Europe, they were still economically dependent. One example of this dependence is the Panama Canal. When the United States saw the potential to make a profit in Panama, they built the canal. Even though Panama was independent from the United States, they still did not have control over their canal, which runs through the middle of the county. This land was not given to Panama until much later. Another example is the many natural resources industries in Latin America. From 1898 to 1917, the United States, Britain, France, and the Netherlands controlled most of the fishing, timber, tobacco, banana, sugar, banana and cocoa industries in Latin America.======

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Monroe Doctrine : The Monroe Doctrine was issued in Congress by President Monroe on December 2, 1823, and became the United State's foreign policy when dealing with European powers. The doctrine was issued because of reports that Russia, Austria, and Prussia were going to aid France in restoring Spanish power in Latin America through military force. There are four main parts of the Monroe Doctrine. The first states that the Americas were to no longer be thought of an opportunity for European colonization. Secondly, it said that the United States would consider any European attempt to colonize Latin America as a threat to its safety. This half tell Europe that the Americas want them out and that this issue is not negotiable. Then, the doctrine states that the political system of the Americas are different from Europe. Lastly, it said that the United States will not interfere with European affairs. This half of the doctrine created a definite line between the Americas and Europe.======

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Caudillo : Caudillo is the Spanish word for "chief". It was the title given to Latin American military leaders that rose in times of instability. The early caudillos emerged to fight wars of independence. They were very loyal to the Latin American independence movement.======