1. SS6H2: The student will explain the development of Latin America and the Caribbean from European colonies to independent nations. c. Explain the Latin American independence movement; include the importance of Toussaint L’Ouverture, Simon Bolivar, and Miguel hidalgo.

2. The modern day island of Hispaniola, just southeast of Cuba, is split between the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. At the present time, Haiti is always described as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, but at its height, as Saint Domingue, it was one of the richest places in the Americas. In the early 1780’s Saint Domingue was colonized by the Spanish in the east and the French in the west. The bustling port of Saint Dominigue in the early 1780’s. The wealth of the European colonists was based on the slave labor of blacks imported from Africa. The governments of Spain and Portugal ruled most of Latin America for nearly three hundred years. In that time, there were numerous battles for control of the lands. At times, the people who were being ruled by the Europeans grew restless. They thought about what it would be like to be free. The American Revolution in 1776 gave some in Latin America the idea they too could be free. In 1789, the French Revolution showed that the kings and queens of Europe could be overcome. These events encouraged Latin Americans in the belief that they might be able to overcome their European rulers. LATIN AMERICA: FROM COLONIES TO INDEPENDENCE

3. TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE Toussaint L’Ouverture was a famous black freedom fighter. He was a major leader of the slave revolts in Saint Domingue (present day Haiti). Francois-Domingue Toussaint Francois-Domingue Toussaint was born a slave in the mid- 1700’s. His father had been a free African who was captured and sold into slavery in Saint Domingue. He told his son about freedom and what life was like before his capture. Toussaint was lucky because the plantation owner allowed him to learn to read and write. Toussaint read every book that he could. He read books that were popular in France. These books had ideas about Unlike most slaves, Toussaint’s master allowed him to learn to read and write freedom and equality for all men. In 1789, the French Revolution occurred. The new government in France granted freedom to all free-blacks and mulattoes. However, the plantation owners in Saint Domingue were furious. In 1789 the French Revolution meant an end to the privileges of the wealthy, and the disenfranchisement of the poor.

4. When the French government took back the slaves freedom, a slave revolt was the result. Rebel numbers grew from 1,000 to 20,000 as newly freed slaves burned 184 sugar plantations and 1,000 coffee farms. In 1791, the French government changed its mind and took back the freedom it had given to blacks and mulattoes. This time, the slaves were furious. Toussaint led a slave army and defeated the French troops. Eventually, Toussaint came to see the French as the blacks best hope for freedom. By 1793, the French government abolished slavery altogether. Toussaint then led his men against invading British and Spanish troops. During this time, he was nicknamed Toussaint L’Ouverture, or “opening”, because he seemed to be able to find openings in the defenses of his enemies. In the end, Toussaint L’Ouverture was left in charge of Saint Domingue even though it was officially a French colony. Toussaint L’Ouverture and his slave army help the French push Spanish out of St. Dominigue. The English soon follow the French in being pushed out of St. Dominigue

5. In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte, (now the French emperor) sent the largest expeditionary force ever assembled to St. Dominigue with the mission of reinstating slavery in the colony. In 1802, the French emperor Napoleon sent troops to regain control of Saint Dominigue. Some thought that he wanted to reinstate slavery. Napoleon Bonaparte overthrows the French Revolutionary government, appoints himself emperor, and moves to reinstate slavery in France’s colonies. Toussaint L’Ouverture was invited to a meeting with a French general to discuss a peace treaty. Instead, Toussaint was captured, arrested, and sent to France. He was imprisoned and died shortly after. Within two years, the people of Saint Dominigue declared their independence and renamed their country Haiti. After being arrested by the French, Toussaint L’Ouverture willingly boards a ship bound for France, imprisonment, and soon thereafter, death.

6. In 1803, the French army was finally driven out of St. Dominigue which became Haiti, the world’s first black republic. The Haitian revolution is the only place where slaves created a nation. The flag of Haiti is a bicolor flag, divided horizontally with blue on the upper half and red on the lower half. In the center, the coat of arms of Haiti is positioned in a white rectangle. The coat of arms features a palm tree, topped with the Phyrgian cap, a symbol of liberty, and surrounded by six Haitian flags. The tree is flanked by cannons, and between them are several objects, including a drum and bugles, and a broken chain. Across the bottom of the coat of arms is a banner that reads “L'Union Fait La Force,” which means “Unity is Strength.” The colors of the Haitian flag reflect Haiti's status as a former French colony, using the red and blue from the French flag. The story behind this resemblance is that the revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines created the flag from the French flag, removing the white center and rotating the stripes, the blue and red left to represent Haitians, symbolically removing any remnants of white influence. The blue represented the former slaves and the red represented the mulatto population, who are people of mixed black and white ancestry. The flag first came into use in 1806, and was made official by the national constitution on February 25, 2012.

7. SIMON BOLIVAR Simon Bolivar was a leader in the wars for independence in South America. He and other leaders fought against Spanish rule. They wanted independence for all people in Latin America. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela won their independence through his efforts. Bolivar was born in 1783, in Caracas, in what is now Venezuela. He was from a wealthy family. He had an excellent education and read many books with ideas on freedom and equality. He lived at the time of the French Revolution and through that learned of the defeat of the French royal family. From 1810 to 1824, Bolivar led different groups of troops against Spanish rule. He fought in the lands that are now Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama. He was able to finally defeat the Spanish in 1824 and end Spanish rule in South America. The country of Bolivia was named for Bolivar, and he wrote a constitution to organize the country. Simon Bolivar 1783-1830 AKA “The Liberator” and “The George Washington of South America Bolivar is known as “The Liberator” in South America. He is also sometimes called the “George Washington of South America.” He became dictator and tried to create a single, large South American country called Gran Colombia. It covered the entire northern part of South America. Fights among different groups caused the different countries to break up. Bolivar became infected with tuberculosis and died from the disease in 1830. Gran Colombia - 1824

8. MIGUEL HIDALGO Miguel Hidalgo is known as the father of Mexican independence. He was a priest who led a peasant army against the Spanish army in Mexico, which was then called New Spain. His force won some victories, but Hidalgo did not live to see independence. Hidalgo was born in 1753. His family saw that he got a good education. As he grew up, he read books with ideas on freedom and equality. He saw that there was not equality for peasant workers in Mexico. He also saw that those born in Spain got special treatment, compared to citizens born in Mexico. After training to be a priest, he worked among the native people and peasants. In 1808, France invaded Spain, and the king was removed. This created problems in Mexico. People were not sure they supported the new French government. Others did not support the old Spanish government. A third group thought it was time for Mexico to be independent. Hidalgo and his friends were for the third choice. In 1810, Hidalgo was warned that he was going to be arrested. Those loyal to the French government had turned him in. On September, 16, instead of running away, he ran to his church and rang the bell. People from the countryside came in. Instead of having a church service, the people got a speech. In this speech, Hidalgo said it was time for Mexico to be free. At first thousands of people followed Hidalgo. They won several victories against the Spanish army. However, they did not have training, and they did not have many weapons. Eventually, the Spanish army pulled its forces together and mounted an attack. They defeated a group of the rebels and captured Hidalgo. He was tried for treason and found guilty. He was executed by Spanish soldiers on July 30, 1811, but the war for independence continued. Mexico did not win its independence for another ten years. In 1821, Spain withdrew the last of its troops from Mexico. Miguel Hidalgo 1753-1811 “The Father of Mexican Independence”

9. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/haitian-revolution-toussaint-louverture/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT60g-GlnLs