infographic

Causes

Spanish and Portuguese colonies

EXTERNALS

Differences

INTERNALS

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1791-1825

The motivation of Latin America to seek independence

Bolívar 2019

Thomas Nast. Emancipación, 1865.

JDawnnink. iStock, 2024

Jason Rich. Fording the Cheyenne, 2024

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023

Indigenous people competed for land and water as haciendas grew. Many became poorer and had to choose between low-wage work on haciendas or flee. Traditional leaders in villages were replaced by outsiders.

Enslaved people and Latin Americans of African descent openly resisted their forced labor and wanted freedom.

The Battle of the Pyramids. Antoine-Jean Gros, 1810

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023

The capture of the Spanish king in 1808 by the French, offered opportunities for South America to rule for themselves by forming juntas (governing committees). The idea of self-governance as a middle ground was appealing, as it allowed them to statements in favor of autonomy.

Weakness of the Spanish throne

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023

Eugéne Delacroix, 1830

Demonstrated that Enlightenment ideas could work. It helped inspire Haiti’s fight for freedom, as colonists, free Black people, and enslaved individuals claimed they deserved the same rights.

French Revolution (initially phases)

• They had violent revolutions, causing chaos and breaking up their empire.
• Many colonies wanted to remove the monarchy and form republics.
• Different social classes joined the fight for independence.
• Colonies faced a lot exterior pressure, leading to more disorder.
• They experienced instability as colonies gained independence at different times.

• They became independent without violence and kept their king.
• Dom Pedro I, the king’s son, stayed in charge, bringing stability.
• Local landowners led the independence movement to protect their interests.
• The Portuguese royal court being in Brazil helped a lot.
• They stayed stable and prosperous after be independent.

Portugal

Spain

VS

Kamran.nef. Flag-map of Spain, 2020

Pngtree. Drinking Alcohol Smoking Cigarettes And Growing Cannabis Illustrated Package, 2024

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023

The kingdoms in the New World helped Spain make money. They collected taxes from indigenous people and raised sales taxes. Reformers also controlled goods like tobacco and aguardiente and added extra taxes on things the poor liked.

Pintura de Castas, 16. Indios gentiles.Miguel Cabrera, 1763

Iindigenous

Negro e Negra n'uma Fazenda. Miguel Cabrera, 1763. Johann Moritz Rugendas, 19th century.

Africans

The King Alfonso V of Aragón.Juan de Juanes, 1557

Peninsulares

Mulato and Mestiza, produce Mulatto, he is Torna Atrás [throwback]".Juan Rodríguez Juárez, 1715

Mulatos

Spanish man and an indigenous woman with a Mestizo child, 1770

Mestizos

Creole in a Red Headdress.Jacques Amans, 1840

Criollos or Creoles

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023

Criollos became frustrated with the special treatment of peninsulares. They felt more loyalty to their was their place of birth than to the Spanish monarchy.

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023.

• The United States´s War for Independence.
• French Revolution.
• The Irish Rebellion
• The Haitian Revolution.

Simon Bolivar and his Times.Arthur Szyk, 1929

Some independence movements helped or inspired this part of the continent to free itself from Spanish (and Portuguese) rule, such as:

Republicanism and sovereignty

This idea that power comes from the people's consent, not from privileges, led to decolonization and the protection of freedoms for people who became citizens instead of objects of a monarch. Also, the Enlightenment contributed, because they wanted equality, progress, and self-determination.

Unknown author. Pinterest, 2024

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023

The distance between Spain and its colonies created differences in the New World. Weak kings let criollos buy government jobs and own huge estates (haciendas), plantations, mines, and other businesses. But one king's successor viewed the colonies as inferior and didn’t trust criollos for important positions, so he only choses peninsulares for government and catholic roles.

Sodacan. The 1901 pattern Tudor Crown, 2010

Humans have found and invented many things for many decades, but what happens when powerful countries discover a new world with existing societies and take possession of it? Colonization brought wealth and power to Europe, but those who were born, raised, and lived in those regions did not.

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023

Resource: Garrard, Virginia, et al. Latin America in the Modern World. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2023

Three Sources of Administrative Law, 2023

Eliminates mercantilism where the only benefits are the colonies' powers, to impulse free trade.

People questioned if the power royal was God-given and absolute.

Ideas emerged for nations to create a government that reflects the majority's will, with three independent branches (executive, legislative, judicial) to protect individual liberties.

The Enlightenment

The Birth of Old Glory.Edward Percy Moran, 1917.

The 13 colonies successfully fought for independence. Latin Americans realized that if the US could win against strong countries they could also gain freedom from Spain and Portugal.

American Revolution (1775-1783)