Creation of New Nations

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Creation of New Nations

• Lecture 3

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AGE OF ENLIGHTMENT

• No ideas, No revolution
• This meant that in order for a revolution to take
  place, there must be a radical change of
  ideology.
• What was this new ideology?
• That the ultimate authority lies in the people
  and not in the king or emperors.
• The idea that all man are created equal in nature
  and posses equal rights.
• They challenged the traditional role of the
  church and of God. Instead of an omnipotent god,
  they envisioned a divine presence who had set
  things in motion.
• In science, they challenged Aristotles idea
  about the earth being the center of the universe.
  
• They wanted man to challenge, to seek, and
  classify knowledge.

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PREAMBLE

• Seven Year War (1756-1763) it was a turning
  point in the history of the Americas with
  important geographical and geopolitical
  implications.
• France lost land in the Americas and Britain
  gained Canada. In other words, there was a shift
  of colonial power, influence, governance, ideas,
  and economic trading partners.
• American Revolution (1776) all man are created
  equal, tax with representation and democratic
  government, the constitution and bill of rights.
• Tupac Amaru, an Indian Leader, headed a revolt
  protesting tribute payments and forced labor
  (1780-1783).
• He promised freedom to slaves.
• The rebellion affected the Viceroyalty of Peru.
• Tupac Amaru took control of La Paz for a time
• French Revolution (1789) emphasis of liberty,
  equality, and fraternity.
• Haitian Revolution (1791) was highly influenced
  by the French revolution and became the second
  republic after the United States in the Americas.
• The first black republic lead by a former slave
  Toussint L Ouverture.

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Spain Organizes Itself

• Established the Bourbon reforms (17)
• Raised revenue and tariff
• Restructured trade by opening all ports all over
  Spain and America to the transatlantic trade and
  allowing colonists to trade with each other.
• Centralized administration and power.
• Created new Viceroyalties Rio de la Plata in the
  south and New Granada in the North.
• Replaced Creole bureaucrats with officials from
  Spain (restricted to the very wealthy and seats
  to the govt were sold as property).
• Allowed more ports to trade directly with Spain
  such as Cartagena.
• Expelled the Jesuits from the Empire in 1776.

http//www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/i.e.mackenzie/latam.htm
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Causes of the Wars of Independence

• The perfect explosive mix existed for the war to
  take place.
• Reforms by the Spanish government.
• Age of enlightenment ideas.
• A growing Creole class (White Europeans born in
  the Americas).
• Division between Creole and Peninsulares.
• Revolutions around the world.
• Trading regulation
• Creoles wanted to trade freely among other
  viceroyalties and colonial powers and not just
  with Spain.

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Grito de Independencia de Mexico y Central America

• On September 16, 1810 Father Miguel Hidalgo
  organized a Mestizo and Indian up rise and killed
  Creolle and Peninsulares.
• His aims where to eliminate and abolish the
  Indian tribute, return the Indian lands, and
  abolish slavery. (Role of the church in Latin
  American and the right of the Indians)
• Finally independence from Spain came in 1821 when
  a Creole army office (Augustin de Iturbine)
  gained the loyalty of the royal army. (The role
  of the military in Latin America).
• He later proclaimed himself King (Augustin I of
  Mexico) and later was ousted by a military coup
  which established a federal government.

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Grito de Independencia de Mexico y Central America

• Central American Provinces joined the empire
  without any wars.
• Military coup established a federal Mexican
  republic.
• The Central American provinces except Chiapas
  seceded from the union forming the United
  Provinces of Central America.
• After 1838, the Central American alliance was
  broken and each established their own country.

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Grito de Independencia de Sur America

• Northern South America
• Failed rebellions such as Caracas 1810-1811.
• Simon Bolivar helped gained the independence of
  Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
• These territories formed the Republic of Gran
  Colombia between 1820-1830.
• Same as Central American countries the
  unification was splintered to protect their
  economic interests.

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Grito de Independencia de Sur America

• Southern South America
• As early as 1810, creoles in Buenos Aires
  declared independence for their region.
• It was felt that in order for independence to be
  secured, the viceroyalty of Peru had to be
  eliminated.
• The combined forces of Jose de San Martin
  (1778-1850), an Argentine military officer, and
  Bolivar, they won the Battle of Ayacucho in 1824
  and with it gained the Independence for South
  America.
• San Martin also helped in the Independence of
  Chile in 1818.

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Grito de Independencia de Sur America

• Brazil
• The Portuguese crown, similar to the Spaniard
  crown, attempted to control its colony by
  centralizing the decision-making, monopolize
  trade, and collect more revenue.
• Reforms peaked under the Marquis of Pombal, the
  first minister of Portugal from 1750-1777.
• As in the case of Spanish America, events in
  Europe precipitated the Brazilian independence.
• Due to the Napoleons invasion of Portugal in
  1807-1808, the Portuguese royal family fled to
  Brazil, where they established their kingdom.

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Grito de Independencia de Sur America

• Brazil
• King John VI opened the ports to free trade.
• King John VI left to Portugal and left behind
  Prince Dom Pedro behind.
• The Prince gave Brazil its independence in 1822
  and in return he was crowned King.
• Brazil had a self-government and retained
  legitimate royal authority until becoming a
  republic in 1889, after a military coup deposed
  of the emperor.

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Discussion

• Discuss Jose Marti and Ruben Dario.
• What was their background?
• Who were they?
• What is their contribution?
• What its importance about their writing?
• What is their outlook for Latin America?
• What are their conclusions?

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Links

• Simon Bolivars Jamaica Letter (September 6,
  1815)
• http//www.emory.edu/COLLEGE/CULPEPER/BAKEWELL/thi
  nksheets/thsh-bolivar.html
• Jose Martis Letter to the Editor March 25, 1889
• http//www.fiu.edu/fcf/martilettertoeditor.html
• Jose Martis Our America (January 1, 1891)
• http//www.cubaminrex.cu/josemarti/jose20marti20
  vers20ingles/marti-our20america-ing.htm
• Ruben Dario To Roosevelt (1904)
• http//judithpordon.tripod.com/poetry/id184.html

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SIMON BOLIVARS VISION

• Lead by Simon Bolivar who helped gained the
  independence of Colombia,Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru
  and Bolivia.
• Born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1783 to a Creole
  landowning family.
• Made his first trip to Europe in 1799 and there
  we was exposed to the ideas of Enlightenment.
• He visited the United States in 1806 and became
  inspired and launched Venezuelas independence
  uprising a few year later.

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SIMON BOLIVARS VISION

• What was his vision?
• He wanted to see America as the greatest nation
  in the world not by its land or its power but her
  ideals of freedom and glory.
• What were the challenges?
• He knew how hard it would be to unite all the
  states because of their climatic differences,
  geographic diversity, conflicting interest, and
  dissimilar characters.

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SIMON BOLIVARS VISION

• What favored his vision?
• He believed the Americas could be united under a
  single government because of their common origin,
  language, customs, and religion.
• What type of government did Simon Bolivar oppose?
• He was not in favor of the federal system because
  it is over-perfect and it demands political
  virtues and talent.
• He rejects a part monarchy and part democracy.
  Even though it brought England glory and wealth.
• He wanted to create a central government with
  multiple states similar to the United States that
  would unify Central America and South America.
• He proposed that America needed a parent country
  such as Mexico that could unify the rest of the
  countries and cure the problems.

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SIMON BOLIVARS VISION

• What was his prediction for the outcome of the
  revolution in the Americas?
• In the case of the Mexican revolution he believed
  that they would create a representative republic
  in which the executives will have great powers.
  One person would have the power to either create
  division in the country or distribute the power
  the assembly.
• In the case of Central America, they would form a
  confederation. Their location between two oceans
  and their canals would strengthen their economy
  with Europe, America, and Asia.

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SIMON BOLIVARS VISION

• New Granada will unite with Venezuela if they
  can establish a central republic. The new
  country would be called Colombia in honor to the
  discovery of the continent.
• It would follow the pattern of the English but
  instead of a king there would be an executive
  elected for life but without hereditary.
• There would be a hereditary legislative branch
  that would be the voice of calm between periods
  of political unrest.
• The second representative chamber similar to the
  lower house of England.
• The constitution will be a combination of all
  systems of government.
• Simon Bolivar believed that he had an
  indisputable right to desire for Colombia the
  best form of government.
• Checkout this website for Bolivars Letter (Click
  on the Jamaica Letter)
• http//www.emory.edu/COLLEGE/CULPEPER/BAKEWELL/thi
  nksheets/thsh-bolivar.html

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Challenges of the New States

• In the mainland of the Americas independence from
  Spain and Portugal was achieved by 1826.
• Political independence was achieved but not
  economical.
• Each new state had to achieve territorial
  integrity and gain international integrity.
• Unifications broke into 15 new states.
• Audiencias replaced Viceroyalties (center of
  powers). Santo Domingo, Guatemala, Lima, Bogotá,
  Sucre, Buenos Aires y Caracas became important
  regional centers of trading, political and social
  power
• The new states embraced the principle of as you
  possess, so you may posses
• This created a free for all approach to acquire
  new land and extend territorial boundaries
  (still a problem in Latin America)

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Challenges of the New States

• Since, the wars in the Americas where longer,
  more violent, and more costly than their
  counterpart in the Unites States.
• Trade, agriculture, and mining was severely
  disrupted.
• There was a flight of economy and labor.
• New Government lacked the effective power over
  fiscal and labor policy and credibility with
  foreign governments.
• Independence meant the creation of new national
  tariff structures and monetary currency.
• Trading partners and routes were affected by the
  war such as the case of Mexico and Cuba.
• Their was lack of investment of road and
  infrastructure between the Americas.
• Socially, the revolution did not transform the
  social classes. Instead of Peninsulares, now
  they were Creoles.