34 - Latin American Revolutions (abridged)

Haitian Revolution

1791-1804 successful anti-slavery and anti-colonial insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French rule in Saint-Domingue; only successful slave revolt in history; influenced later Latin American revolutions

Saint-Domingue

rich French Caribbean colony on island of Hispaniola from 1659 to 1804; income and taxes from slave-based sugar production was a major source of French revenue; produced ~40% of sugar and 60% of coffee consumed in Europe; later called Haiti

gens de couleur

free people of mixed African, European, and sometimes Native American descent; many were prosperous, well-educated Roman Catholics artisans, shopkeepers or landowners and maintained a class division above African slaves and some owned large numbers of slaves but did not have the same rights as white Frenchmen

Julien Raimond

wealthy slave-owning gen de couleur from Saint-Domingue who successfully argued before the National Constituent Assembly in France for the repeal of racially discriminatory colonial laws and extension of voting rights to free men of color during the early stages of the French Revolution

Bois Caïman

site of a 1791 Vodou ceremony were the first major slave uprising of the Haitian Revolution was planned

Toussaint L'Ouverture

best-known leader of the slave rebellion on the French island of Saint Domingue in 1791; died in prison in France in 1803 but his leadership laid the foundation for Haitian independence in 1804

battle of Vertieres

1803 victory of Haitian revolutionaries over a French army sent by Napoleon to re-enslave Saint-Domingue; last major fight of the Haitian Revolution

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

a leader of the Haitian Revolution and first ruler of independent Haiti, the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery

Joao VI of Portugal

Portuguese monarch who ruled the Portuguese Empire from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 1808 to 1820 as a result of Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian peninsula

Pedro I of Brazil

son and successor of Joao VI in Brazil; aided in the declaration of Brazilian independence from Portugal in 1822; became constitutional emperor of Brazil

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

Mexican priest who established independence movement among American Indians and mestizos in 1810; despite early victories was captured and executed in 1811

Jose Morelos

Mexican priest and former student of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla; led the forces fighting for Mexican independence until his capture and execution in 1814

Agustin de Iturbide

conservative Creole officer in Mexican army who signed agreement with insurgent forces of independence; combined forces entered Mexico City in 1821; later proclaimed emperor of Mexico until its collapse in 1824

United Mexican States

first republic of Mexico from 1824 to 1835, a period of continuous struggle between conservative landowners and former monarchists favoring a Catholic state and a strong central government, and liberal republicans favoring a secular nation and weak government power divided among the federated states

Simon Bolivar

Creole military officer in northern South America called "the Liberator"; won series of victories in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador between 1817 and 1822; military success led to creation of independent state of Gran Colombia

Jose de San Martin

a leader of the struggle for independence in southern South America; born in Argentina, he served in the Spanish army but joined in the movement for independence; led the revolutionary army that crossed the Andes and helped to liberate Chile in 1817-1818, and with Simon Bolivar, Peru; for political reasons, he went into exile in Europe in 1823

Gran Colombia

independent state created in South America as a result of military successes of Simon Bolívar; existed only until 1830 at which time Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador became separate nations