History › Age of revolutions › Latin American wars of independence
Simón Bolívar
1783–1830; campaigns 1810–1825· Person· Americas & Oceania
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
The Venezuelan general known as El Libertador, who led several South American nations to independence from Spain.
See it on the History map →What happened
Born to a wealthy creole family in Caracas, Bolívar was shaped by Enlightenment books and travels in Europe and the US. After early defeats he regrouped in Jamaica and Haiti, whose president armed him in exchange for a promise to free the enslaved. In 1819 he crossed the Andes and won at Boyacá, freeing New Granada (Colombia), then Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru; Bolivia was named after him. His union, Gran Colombia, broke apart in 1830, the year he died of tuberculosis.
Why it matters
He is a national hero across South America, and his vision of continental unity, along with his authoritarian streak, still shapes Latin American politics; Venezuela calls itself the Bolivarian Republic.
Legacy and how we know
Thousands of his letters and speeches survive, including the 1815 Jamaica Letter, plus military records and memoirs by officers such as Daniel O'Leary, his Irish aide.
Still debated
Was he a liberal republican or a would-be dictator? He favored a president for life in Bolivia's 1826 constitution, and historians and politicians still argue over his legacy.
Connections (2)
▸Simón Bolívar led much of the fighting in the Latin American wars of independenceWell documented
The connection
Bolívar was the leading commander in northern and Andean South America, winning key battles at Boyacá (1819) and Carabobo (1821), while his general Antonio José de Sucre won Ayacucho (1824). His campaigns freed today's Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Bolivia. José de San Martín led the southern campaigns, and Mexico won independence separately.
When and how
From Venezuela to Bolivia, 1810 to 1825; Bolívar met San Martín once, at Guayaquil in 1822, after which San Martín withdrew.
How we know
Bolívar's letters, battle records, and the declarations and constitutions of the new republics, several of which named him president.
Debates and open questions
What Bolívar and San Martín said privately at Guayaquil is unknown, and why San Martín stepped aside remains a puzzle.
▸Simón Bolívar was inspired by the American RevolutionMostly agreed
The connection
The young Bolívar visited the United States in 1807 and admired how it had broken from a European empire. He held up George Washington as a model, and Lafayette later sent him a medallion of Washington. But he judged US-style federalism wrong for Spanish America, preferring strong central government.
When and how
Bolívar passed through Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charleston in 1807; Lafayette's gift of Washington's medallion was sent in 1825.
How sure are we?
His Jamaica Letter (1815) and Angostura address (1819) discuss the US example, praising it while warning against copying its federal system.
Debates and open questions
In 1829 Bolívar wrote that the US seemed destined to 'plague America with misery in the name of liberty'; how much he admired versus distrusted it is debated.