The heroes and champions of Latin American independence were influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, they had read Rousseau, Voltaire and other authors. They felt identified with the lofty ideals of the French Revolution, with the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Some even studied in Europe or traveled to it and fought with the Napoleonic armies, persuaded to help spread revolutionary ideas. They also found inspiration in the American Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, seeing them as models and examples.
