Simon Bolivar Character Analysis

Bolivar's Dream for Latin America: Reflection Four
Bolivar’s dream was independence from Spain and liberation for all of Latin America, dream in which he would ultimately obtain. He possessed perseverance, strength military notoriety and not only did he use force, but he was also intelligent, a formidable and unstoppable combination. Not only did he fight in several battles, but he faced extreme persecution and adversity. Despite his elite upbringing, his vision was clear and he joined the military in search of political stability. Due to extreme opposition of the Spanish, he was able to join forces with Haiti, as Aledandre Petion, the president supplied him with weaponry, ships, and monetary funds to continue on his quest. When he was 22,
From exile, he was able to form a new militia which, shockingly enough, included the British. As the film stated, “The colonial revolutionaries were greatly assisted by the British, who elsewhere and in earlier times had been the enemies of republican revolutions. But from the British point of view in circa 1820, to drive the Spanish out of America promised to open vast territories for English commerce in the Atlantic that the Spanish for centuries had tried to restrict.”( Simon Bolivar: The Liberator, 2000) Boliver deserves every bit of his title as a national. While he may have not been able to fully liberate all of Latin America and abolish slavery completely as he intended, the fire that he ignited from his attempts has fueled on over 200 years later. He was indeed successful at driving the Spanish from Latin America, perhaps the colonies did not fully unite as he’d wished but it was simply not meant to be at that time
The most renowned battle was the Battle of Pichincha, which was fought on May 24th 1822 at a total altitude of 9,000 feet. Like the victories of Boyaca and Carabobo, it also lead to independence from Spain. As the movie stated, “It guaranteed the independence of Ecuador. The Spanish surrendered 1,100 soldiers and all of their equipment.”(Simon Bolivar: The Liberator, 2000). Despite adversity after adversity and the collapse of many of the victories, he was able to do what no man could dream. Yet it wasn’t enough for him. He resigned all of his administrative posts. His greatest wish was for stability, peace and a good republican government, yet corruption and a lack of a united Latin America made him feel like a failure. Independence had not been successful and he was sick of the endless conflict that seemed to emerge. As he attempted to sail into exile for a third and final time, he died at Santa Marta at the age of 47 as a victim of tuberculosis. Perhaps what makes him truly the hero of Latin America is the fact that, despite many opportunities, he never enriched himself and truly put the countries needs ahead of his own. In a country that had been torn apart by greed in the past, he died virtually