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In the early 19th Century Simon Bolivar helped Latin America gain it's independence from Spain. Simon Bolivar longed to liberate his people from Spanish control. Bulova joined the fight for Venezuelan independence. Oliva had an alliance with Jose and both of them liberated Peru in 1825. The Congress of Peru created the Republic of Boliva to honor Bulova in a speech called the Angostura address.

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Realism

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Realism

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Realism

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Brazil was raised to an equal partner in the Empire forming the United Kingdom of Portugal Brazil. Portugal was largely governed by the British who remained there after the Napoleonic wars. There was a liberal revolution of 1820 capturing the  major cities. While John left to go to Portugal he left his son in charge of Brazil. Brazil and Portugal were split up and were only allowed to trade to Portugal once.

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Brazilian Independence | 3 Minute History

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Colombia is a sovereign state largely situated in the northwest of South America. The official name of Columbia is the republic of Columbia. It is also derived from the last name of Christopher Columbus. The present territory of Columbia was a corridor of early human migration. Indigenous people inhabited the territory that is now Columbia by 12,000 BCE between 5000 BCE ad 1000 BCE.

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Colombia History in 5 Minutes - Animation

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Argentina was originally settled by many different tribes of people. The first major empire arrived when Inca Empire invaded in 1480. Some of present day Argentina became part of the Incan Empire and some resisted. In 1516, the Spanish arrived in the person of explorer and navigator Juan Diaz de Solias. Spain would later establish the first colony in Buenos Aires.

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Argentina - Animated History in 5 Minutes

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In 1821 General Jose de San Martin declared Peruvian Independence. Then Peru won the battle of Ayacucho sealing its independence from Spain. After, Peru and Bolivia formed a confederation which lasted less than three years. Later on Ramon Castilla was the first president elected by direct elections. Previous presidents were elected by indirect elections, coup d’état or by congress. 11 years later president Ramon Castilla abolished slavery.

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The economic crises, the loss of power of Spain in Europe, the war of independence in North America and native uprisings all contributed to a favorable climate to the development of emancipating ideas among the population in South America. However, the criollo oligarchy in Peru enjoyed privileges and remained loyal to the Spanish Crown. The liberation movement started in Argentina where autonomous juntas were created as a result of the loss of authority of the Spanish government over its colonies.

After fighting for the independence of the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, Jose de San Martin created the Army of the Andes and crossed the Andes in 21 days, a great accomplishment in military history. Once in Chile he joined forces with Chilean army General Bernardo O'Higgins and liberated the country in the battles of Chacabuco and Maipu in 1818. On September 7 th 1820, a fleet of eight warships landed in the port of Paracas under the command of general Jose de San Martin and Thomas Cochrane of the Chilean Navy. Immediately on October 26 they took control of the town of Pisco. San Martin settled in Huacho on November 12, where he established his headquarters while Cochrane sailed north blockading the port of Callao in Lima. At the same time in the north, Guayaquil was occupied by rebel forces under the command of Gregorio Escobedo.

Because Peru was the stronghold of the Spanish government in South America, Argentine patriot, General San Martin's strategy to liberate Peru was to use diplomacy. He sent representatives to Lima urging Viceroy Pazuela that Peru be granted independence, however all negotiations proved unsuccessful.

The Viceroy of Peru, Joaquin de la Pazuela named Jose de la Serna commander-in-chief of the loyalist army to protect Lima from the threatened invasion of San Martin. On January 29 th de la Serna organized a coup against de la Pazuela which was recognized by Spain and he was named Viceroy of Peru. This internal power struggle contributed to the success of the liberating army. In order to avoid a military confrontation San Martin met the newly appointed viceroy, Jose de la Serna, and proposed to create a constitutional monarchy, a proposal that was turned down. De la Serna abandoned the city and on July 12 th 1821 San Martin occupied Lima and declared Peruvian independence on July 28 th 1821. He created the first Peruvian flag. Alto Peru (Bolivia) remained as a Spanish stronghold until the army of Simon Bolivar liberated it three years later. Jose de San Martin was declared Protector of Peru.

Simon Bolivar launched his campaign from the north liberating the Viceroyalty of New Granada in the Battles of Carabobo in 1821 and Pichincha a year later. In July 1822 Bolivar and San Martin gathered in the Guayaquil Conference. Bolivar was left in charge of fully liberating Peru while San Martin retired from politics after the first parliament was assembled. The newly founded Peruvian Congress named Bolivar dictator of Peru giving him the power to organize the military.

With the help of Antonio Jose de Sucre they defeated the larger Spanish army in the Battle of Junin on August 6 th, 1824 and the Battle of Ayacucho on December 9 th of the same year, consolidating the independence of Peru and Alto Peru. Alto Peru was later established as Bolivia.

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The economic crises, the loss of power of Spain in Europe, the war of independence in North America and native uprisings all contributed to a favorable climate to the development of emancipating ideas among the population in South America. However, the criollo oligarchy in Peru enjoyed privileges and remained loyal to the Spanish Crown.

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Brazil entered nationhood with considerably less strife and bloodshed than did the Spanish-speaking nations of the New World; however, the transition was not entirely peaceful. Jose Joaquim da Silva Xavier, popularly known as Tiradentes , instigated in 1789 the first rebellion against the Portuguese, who defeated his forces, executed him, and unwittingly made him a national hero in his martyrdom. The French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars deeply affected Brazil, although the main events of those conflicts unfolded across the Atlantic. In 1807 Napoleon I invaded Portugal, a British ally, largely to tighten the European blockade of Great Britain. The Portuguese prince regent Dom Joao decided to take refuge in Brazil, making it the only colony to serve as the seat of government for its mother country.

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On July 20, 1810, Colombian patriots stirred the population of Bogota into street protests against Spanish rule. The Viceroy, under pressure, was forced to agree to allow for a limited independence which later became permanent. Today, July 20 is celebrated in Colombia as Independence Day. The were numerous reasons for independence. The emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain in 1808, imprisoned King Ferdinand VII, and put his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne, infuriating most of Spanish America.

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On July 20, 1810, Colombian patriots stirred the population of Bogotá into street protests against Spanish rule. The Viceroy, under pressure, was forced to agree to allow for a limited independence which later became permanent. Today, July 20 is celebrated in Colombia as Independence Day.

An Unhappy Population

The were numerous reasons for independence. The emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain in 1808, imprisoned King Ferdinand VII, and put his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne, infuriating most of Spanish America. In 1809, New Granada politician Camilo Torres Tenorio wrote his famous Memorial de Agravios ("Remembrance of Offenses") about repeated Spanish slights against Creoles-native-born descendants of early French, Spanish, and Portuguese settlers-who often could not hold high offices and whose trade was restricted. His sentiments were echoed by many. By 1810, the people of New Granada (now Colombia) were unhappy with Spanish rule.

Pressure for Colombian Independence

By July of 1810, the city of Bogota was a holdout for Spanish rule in the region. To the south, leading citizens of Quito had attempted to wrest control of their government from Spain in August of 1809: this revolt had been put down and the leaders were thrown in a dungeon. To the east, Caracas had declared provisional independence on April 19. Even within New Granada, there was pressure: the important seaside city of Cartagena had declared independence in May and other small towns and regions had followed suit. All eyes turned to Bogota, the seat of the Viceroy.

Conspiracies and Flower Vases

Bogota's patriots had a plan. On the morning of the 20th, they would ask well-known Spanish merchant Joaquín Gonzalez Llorente to borrow a flower vase with which to adorn a table for a celebration in honor of Antonio Villavicencio, a well-known patriot sympathizer. It was assumed that Llorente, who had a reputation for irascibility, would refuse. His refusal would be the excuse to provoke a riot and force the Viceroy to hand power over to the Creoles. Meanwhile, Joaquín Camacho would go to the Viceregal palace and request an open council: the rebel leaders knew that this, too, would be refused.

Camacho proceeded to the home of Viceroy Antonio José Amar y Borbón, where the petition for an open town meeting regarding independence was predictably denied. Meanwhile, Luís Rubio went to ask Llorente for the flower vase. By some accounts, he refused rudely, and by others, he declined politely, forcing the patriots to go to plan B, which was to antagonize him into saying something rude. Either Llorente obliged them or they made it up: it didn't matter. Patriots ran through the streets of Bogota, claiming that both Amar y Borbón and Llorente had been rude. The population, already on edge, was easy to incite.

Riot in Bogota

The people of Bogota took to the streets to protest Spanish arrogance. The intervention of Bogota Mayor José Miguel Pey was necessary to save the skin of the unfortunate Llorente, who was attacked by a mob. Guided by patriots like José María Carbonell, the lower classes of Bogota made their way to the main square, where they loudly demanded an open town meeting to determine the future of the city and New Granada. Once the people were sufficiently stirred up, Carbonell then took some men and surrounded the local cavalry and infantry barracks, where the soldiers did not dare attack the unruly mob.

Meanwhile, patriot leaders returned to Viceroy Amar y Borbón and tried to get him to consent to a peaceful solution: If he agreed to hold a town meeting to elect a local governing council, they would see to it that he would be part of the council. When Amar y Borbón hesitated, José Acevedo y Gómez made an impassioned speech to the angry crowd, directing them to the Royal Audience, where the Viceroy was meeting with the Creoles. With a mob at his doorstep, Amar y Borbón had no choice but to sign the act which permitted a local ruling council and eventually independence.

Legacy of the July 20 Conspiracy

Bogotá, like Quito and Caracas, formed a local ruling council which supposedly would rule until such time as Ferdinand VII was restored to power. In reality, it was the sort of measure that cannot be undone, and as such was the first official step on Colombia's path to freedom which would culminate in 1819 with the Battle of Boyacá and Simón Bolívar's triumphant entry into Bogotá.

Viceroy Amar y Borbón was allowed to sit on the council for a while before being arrested. Even his wife was arrested, mostly to appease the wives of Creole leaders who detested her. Many of the patriots involved in the conspiracy, such as Carbonell, Camacho, and Torres, went on to become important leaders of Colombia over the next few years.

Although Bogotá had followed Cartagena and other cities in rebellion against Spain, they did not unite. The next few years would be marked by such civil strife between the independent regions and cities that the era would become known as the "Patria Boba" which roughly translates as "Idiot Nation" or "Foolish Fatherland." It wasn't until Colombians began fighting the Spanish instead of one another that New Granada would continue on its path to freedom.

Colombians are very patriotic and enjoy celebrating their Independence Day with feasts, traditional food, parades, and parties.

Bushnell, David. The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself. University of California Press, 1993.

Harvey, Robert. Liberators: Latin America's Struggle for Independence Woodstock: The Overlook Press, 2000.

Lynch, John. The Spanish American Revolutions 1808-1826 New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1986.

Santos Molano, Enrique. Colombia día a día: una cronología de 15,000 años. Bogota: Planeta, 2009.

Scheina, Robert L. Latin America's Wars, Volume 1: The Age of the Caudillo 1791-1899 Washington, D.C.: Brassey's Inc., 2003.

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On July 20, 1810, Bogota started a riot which eventually led to the city declaring independence from Spain. The Origins of Colombian independence day.