Simón Bolívar's Address Summary

Simón Bolívar was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on 24 July 1783. He was a well-known military strategist and was also known for his views on Latin America political problems. He was born wealthy which allowed him to have a wide variety of cultural experiences. After Bolívar created an army for the Latin Americas and won many decisive battles, he became a political leader in many of the countries he set free. As his time as a political leader he wrote this address to Bolivian political figures. The address is about his “opinion concerning the best way to deal with free men, based on the principles adopted among civilized people,” (54) The address happened after Bolívar liberated the five Andean countries from Spanish Control and was intended for all Bolivian people but directed toward the law making authorities of Bolivia. It was also during a time that slavery still
existed in many parts of the world. His address was meant to be a public act because he wanted everyone to see how the government was being ran at that time and how he wanted to change the structure. Bolívar wrote the document because he did not agree with the way the Bolivian government was being ran.
His goal was to change the structure of the country by pointing out the flaws in the current government and the solutions to those flaws. Bolívar gives evidence to his goal by stating, “This draft of a constitution for Bolivia proposes four political powers, one having been added, without thereby complicating the classical division of all previous constitutions.” (55) He argues that the president needs to be the sole power of the government much like the sun is the center of the universe. He states that in the current government the president barely has any power and all the administrative functions are carried out by his cabinet. He also argues that civil liberty and freedom are a vital part to a well ran country. He used slavery as an example and stated that it needed to end for true equality. Bolívar supports his argument by stating “Without this [equality], all guarantees, all rights perish.” (61) The arguments he makes are effective because it is logical and is how most countries are
designed. This address was preserved in order to show how the government was running in Bolivia during that time period. It was also saved to point out the flaws in that government and how influential and intelligent Bolívar was. From this document, historians can learn the point of view of Bolívar and discover the problems and possible solutions of Bolivian government. This address shows us Bolívar’s intent to change the government of the many countries he liberated. It also showed us just how smart he was. He was not only a military genius and liberated many countries, he also became a political leader of the countries he set free. It also showed that society at the time still believed in slavery and did not treat people equally. When the document was written it was significant because it was a possible solution to the government in place at that time. It was also a new idea to the people of Bolivia, which can cause panic and doubting of the design of the government.