Simon Bolivar

Simon Bolivar really caught my interest from this selection of writings. It was interesting that although he came from an aristocratic family he still wanted the various spanish colonies in the America's to gain their independence. Had his idea of uniting the Latin American states into a federation came to fruition history would have unfolded very differently. It is ironic that Bolivar was heavily influenced by the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence, given the United States' track record of manipulating events in Latin America to promote American interests. Bolivar would have been devastated to learn Americans engineered the secession of Panama from Colombia. 

This selection of readings showed how powerful the ideas of the enlightenment became. Ideas we take for granted today, such as human rights or individual liberty were created in the Enlightenment. If not for the enlightenment thinkers the world would be a very different place. The move away from aristocracy and monarchy and towards liberty and equality happened worldwide. The world was becoming more connected as each day passed and ideas spread like wild fire. Ideas thought up by people in Europe travelled across the Atlantic Ocean and sparked revolutions. 

Revolutions

This chapter showed the stark differences between the various Atlantic Revolutions. The most interesting to me was the Haitian Revolution. The revolution was not only political but social as well, as the white ruling elite were killed or driven off and replaced with people of African and mixed ancestry. I did not know that Hati comes form the language of the native people of the Island, it is sad that so many diverse cultures were destroyed as a result of contact with the Europeans. It is amazing that a nation of mostly slaves totally transformed their Island nation and freed themselves from French control. The French has not let go of their former colonies easily, so the Haitian Revolution is especially amazing. The book also brings up an interesting point about Napoleon:that he transformed equality while taking away liberty. Since the days of the ancient Greeks balancing equality with liberty has always been hard. Napoleon seems to have left a lasting legacy with his legal and social reforms in France, albeit at the cost of untold numbers in lives across the globe on his military campaigns.