Simon Bolivar was one of South America’s greatest generals. Because of his great work, he was able to liberate six Central and South American countries including Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Bolivar continues to capture the gratitude of a continent. Bolivar was born July 24, 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela. His parents died when he was a young boy of nine years and he was raised by his uncle. At the age of fifteen he was sent to Spain to continue his education. While in Spain, he met and married a young woman named Maria Teresa. They returned to Venezuela a few years later and Maria died of yellow fever. Shortly after her death, Bolivar decided to go back to Spain. It was during this time that he witnessed several events that influenced him to never rest until America was free from the Spaniards. He again returned to Venezuela and went to war with Spain. He took command and later Valencia, Venezuela declared its independence. After many battles, including the “Battle of Boyaca,” which resulted in a great victory, Bolivar created the Angostura Congress that founded Gran Colombia (a federation of present-day Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador). Bolivar was named president. Later, all of South America was liberated and the last remnants of the Spanish army were destroyed, taking all of Spain’s presence out of South America. Bolivar helped enact laws to protect the environment, wild life and the native population of Central and South America. He also freed South American slaves 40 years before the U.S. Civil War. This is truly a fascinating story of one of the most remarkable freedom fighters in all of history. Bolivar will be remembered for all he did in fighting for the freedom of America.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 18:55:19 +0000
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