Bolivar was a supporter of Enlightenment, as seen e.g in his views of supporting personal freedom and democracy. In fact his mentor taught him about Enlightenment and suggested many works of authors relevant to Enlightenment to Simon Bolivar.
Bolívar is a supporter of Enlightenment ideas because he believes in the concept of equal rights. He personally took steps to free the enslaved persons his family owned, and to end slavery in Gran Colombia. In government, he supported the idea of separation of powers as expressed by Montesquieu. However, he also favored a strong executive branch and authoritarian leadership to ensure political stability for the nation. He also opposed the limited government supported by many Enlightenment thinkers. These ideas show that he was skeptical that American-style democracy could work.
