The first colony in Latin America to gain freedom was Haiti. It had previously been a French colony called St. Domingue. In 1791
, while the ruling class of St. Domingue was busy worrying about the French Revolution, the slaves took advantage of the squabbling and revolted. Under the leadership of Toussaint Louverture, the slaves managed to overthrow the government. In 1804, Haiti was declared a free country. Other countries also took advantage of European distraction to break free. After the French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon was stomping all over Europe. He had invaded Spain and Portugal. In Mexico in 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rallied Native Americans and mestizos, or people of mixed Native American and Spanish heritage, to fight for independence. They lost, and Hidalgo was executed, but the spirit of revolution began to spread. In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain when a Creole named Vicente Guerrero, who had been charged with killing revolutionaries, decided to unite with them instead. Because the ruling class of St. Domingue was busy worrying about the French Revolution,
A. Mexico gained independence.
B. Toussaint Louverture took back control of Haiti.
C. Napoleon invaded Spain and Portugal.
D. Haiti gained independence.
