Spain conquered most of the lands in the
Americas (while Portugal conquered Brazil0.
• It divided its empire into provinces.
• The two most important provinces were New
Spain and Peru.
• Spain set up a class system; Native Americans
were the lowest.
• The Native Americans were the least powerful class.
• They were forced to work on plantations
(haciendas) for European settlers.
• They also worked in mines after silver was
discovered (extremely dangerous).
• Many died from overwork, malnutrition, or
diseases.
• The population decreased from 25 million in 1519 to
less than 2 million in the late 1500s.
• European diseases decimated Native American
population.
• European settlers still needed workers for
plantations.
• Colonists began importing African slaves to
supplement Native American labor.
• Aspects of Native American & African culture
(languages, customs, beliefs, traditions) survived &
blended together.
• Mestizos: people of mixed Native American and
European ancestry
• Criollo: had Spanish-born parents, but was born in
Latin America
• Mulattoes: people of mixed African and European
ancestry
• Ships leaving Europe first stopped in Africa; they
traded European goods for captives taken in tribal
wars or raids.
• Ships then traveled to America; slaves were
exchanged for sugar & other island products.
• Ships returned home loaded with products from the
Americas that grew very popular with Europeans.
• An estimated 8-15 million Africans reached the
Americas from the 16th to the 19th century.
• The African slave population quickly began to
outnumber the Europeans & the Native
Americans.
• Slave rebellions were common.
• He was a former slave in Haiti (freed in 1777).
• In 1791, he led a huge slave revolt against the French in
Hispaniola.
• France was also fight
• In 1801, L’Ouverture led a huge army into a Spanish
colony & freed all slaves there.
o Six months later, he became “governor general of
Haiti for life.”
• In 1802, a large French army lands in Haiti.
• They wanted to restore old French government & regain
control of sugar trade.
• L’Ouverture’s army fought the French & lost.
• French arrested L’Ouverture and sent him to prison in
France.
• L’Ouverture died while in prison.
• L’Ouverture’s army was outraged; it took up arms again
against France.
• In November 1803, they defeated the last of the
French forces.
• In 1804, they declared Haiti independent of French rule.
• Haiti became the 1st country in Latin America to break
free of European imperialism.
• Bolivar was a wealthy Venezuelan Criollo who spent
many years traveling Europe.
• While in Italy, he discovered his life’s purpose: to liberate
his homeland from European control.
• In 1810, Bolivar’s army kicks Spanish governor out of
Venezuela
• In 1811, a new constitution proclaimed Venezuela
independent of Spanish rule.
• Soon after, Spanish royalists defeated the new country’s
army & Bolivar was forced to flee to New Granada
(Colombia).
• Bolivar organized a bigger army and marched
back into Venezuela.
• In 1813, Bolivar’s army won & took control of
Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
• Bolivar was nicknamed El Libertador.
• Bolivar organized a bigger army and marched
back into Venezuela.
• In 1813, Bolivar’s army won & took control of
Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
• Bolivar was nicknamed El Libertador.
• Over the next few years, Bolivar liberated New
Granada (now Colombia), Ecuador, Panama,
Peru, & Upper Peru (now Bolivia).
• Hidalgo was a Catholic priest in the town of Dolores.
• He began the struggle for Mexico’s independence in
1810.
• September 16th, 1810: “Cry of Dolores” was his call
for revolution.
• He rang church bells and shouted, “Long live our Lady
of Guadalupe! Death to bad government! Death to the
Spaniards!”.
• An army of mestizos & Native Americans rallied behind
Hidalgo.
• Over 80,000 people joined the fight, but the army
was soon defeated by the Spanish.
• Hidalgo was captured and executed in 1811.
• Mexicans continued to fight for independence over
the next decade.
• In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain.
• Mexico celebrates September 16th as it’s
Independence Day.
• The president rings a bell in Mexico city and
repeats Hidalgo’s “Cry of Dolores.”
One would be the rising greediness and not to mention demand for goods and another would be rebels were around during this time because of the Civil war starting soon.
