The most apparent objective of the Jamaica Letter is to explain the failure of the first Venezuelan independence to an enigmatic English observer, Henry Cullen; the underlying motive is to reflect on the American order that is about to rise from the ashes of the Spanish Empire.
From the island of Jamaica, he issued a letter analyzing the current and future perspectives of the independence struggle. An admirer of the British parliamentary system, Bolívar argued for a balance of power in the different branches of government, although later he asserted strong executive rule while in power.
