Simón Bolívar: Liberator of the Andes reading Exercise

Simón Bolívar was born in 1783 into a creole family of landowners in Caracas, then part of the Spanish viceroyalty of New Granada. Tutors schooled him in Enlightenment philosophy, and in Europe he witnessed Napoleon’s coronation before swearing an oath on Rome’s Monte Sacro to liberate his homeland. Mentors such as Simón Rodríguez urged him to pair political ideals with practical plans for educating citizens.

The Napoleonic invasion of Spain in 1808 fractured authority across the Atlantic. Caracas elites formed a junta in 1810, claiming loyalty to the deposed king while rejecting colonial governors. Bolívar served as envoy to London, securing British sympathy and connecting with Francisco de Miranda, whose failed revolution in 1806 had inspired earlier independence dreams.

When the Venezuelan republic declared independence in 1811, internal divisions surfaced. Earthquakes devastated patriot strongholds, and Spanish loyalists exploited social fears. Bolívar argued that unity required decisive leadership, freedom for enslaved fighters, and a republican constitution that balanced rights with discipline.

Defeat forced Bolívar into exile, but he regrouped in New Granada and issued the Cartagena Manifesto in 1812, arguing for centralized authority. Backed by daring llanero cavalry and support from Haitian President Alexandre Pétion—who provided weapons in exchange for a promise to free enslaved people—Bolívar launched the Admirable Campaign, recapturing Caracas in 1813 and earning the title “El Libertador.”

Royalist counterattacks soon drove patriots to the Orinoco basin. Bolívar adopted guerrilla tactics along the wide plains, allying with José Antonio Páez and Indigenous guides who knew river passages. In 1819 he led an audacious march across the flooded Llanos and over the icy Páramo de Pisba, surprising Spanish forces near Boyacá and securing Bogotá.

The victory enabled the creation of Gran Colombia, uniting Venezuela, New Granada, and later Quito. Bolívar envisioned a federation with strong executive power to prevent factional collapse. He convened the Congress of Angostura to debate constitutions that would balance liberty with order.

Success in Peru and Bolivia between 1823 and 1825 seemed to complete Bolívar’s dream. He won victories at Junín and Ayacucho through generals Antonio José de Sucre and Andrés de Santa Cruz, ending major Spanish military presence in South America. The Republic of Bolivia adopted a constitution drafted by Bolívar, featuring a lifetime presidency balanced by moral authority and a hereditary senate—ideas that sparked debate about how to safeguard liberty.

Governance proved harder than liberation. Regional leaders resisted central control, and economic recovery lagged after years of war. In 1828 Bolívar survived an assassination attempt in Bogotá, escaping through a window with the help of Manuela Sáenz, a revolutionary ally who championed equality for women and Indigenous peoples.

By 1830 Gran Colombia fractured into separate states as local caudillos asserted power. Bolívar resigned and prepared to depart for exile, lamenting that “those who serve the revolution plow the sea.” He died that year in Santa Marta, leaving a legacy of independence movements, constitutional experiments, and enduring debates over unity versus regional autonomy.