Several colonial leaders were involved in the process of independence in Latin America. Some of them are: Toussaint Louverture, Simon Bolivar, Jose de San Martin e Jose Marti.
Françoi-Dominique Toussaint Louverture is the name of the main independence leader of the island of Saint Dominic, former French colony that today corresponds to Haiti. The emancipation of this nation is very unique, for besides being the continent's second independence, it was the only one made by enslaved blacks - that is, those who were at the base of that society.
When the French Revolution erupts in 1789 on the other side of the Atlantic and the French declare that all men are born free and endowed with rights, the enslaved revolts in St. Dominic take on new tones.
Simon Bolivar was part of the Creole elite. Upon returning to America, he was part of networks made up of members of the elites who also wanted to break with Spain.
Among defeats, escapes, alliances and, finally, victories, he participated in the emancipation of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. He defended the republic as a form of government and believed that all these emancipated Hispanic nations should come together in one state so that they could secure their independence and form a strong nation, a Great Homeland.
José de San Martín was also a military leader who participated with other leaders of the independence processes of Chile, Argentina and Peru.
Already in the late nineteenth century, more precisely in 1895, while Cuba became independent, died one of the leading leaders involved in this process: José Martí.
The amount of lands owned by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to aquire colonies late and only had small <span>area of Africa.</span>
