Of the great historical moments by which Western society has passed, some of the most striking are the following:
A) The fall of the Roman Empire in 476; B) The Taking of Constantinople in 1453; C) The discovery of the Americas at the end of the fifteenth century; D) The Protestant Reformation, in 1517; E) The French Revolution, in 1789; F) The Great Wars and the Cold War in the 20th century.
The major pattern of change in western civilization occurs in the XVIII century, with reason ascension and secularism.
The political cicumstances around the latin revolutions against the European colonies reminded most American leaders of the American Revolution. As a result they supported these struggles.