Simon Boliver The Revolutionary Leader - 912 Words

South American leader, Simà ³n Bolà ­ver is considered a revolutionary leader and commonly known as a â€Å"Liberator† to Latin Americans due to his successful efforts in helping them to gain independence from Spain. He is one of the most powerful leaders in the world’s political history. Simà ³n Bolà ­ver was born on July 7, 1783 in Caracas, which is in modern day Venezuela. He was born into a relatively wealthy family, who profited from gold and copper mines they owned. In 1799, after the death of both of his parents, Bolà ­ver moved to Spain to further his education. Just a three years later, he married and a short year later, lost his wife to yellow fever while visiting Venezuela. After this happened, Simà ³n returned to Europe, kept company with Napoleon and was inspired to reunite with one of his tutors, Simon Rodriguez who introduced him to Europeans enlightenment writers. Bolà ­ver became deeply influenced by republican ideas. In 1805, a turning point i n Bolà ­ver’s political legacy occurred on a trip with Rodriguez in the Aventine Hill when he promised to make his homeland of Venezuela free from Spanish control. Over the course of the next several years, his main goal was to unite the colonies of Latin and South America, similar to the United States. In 1807, Bolà ­ver returned to Venezuela to find a population divided between loyalty to Spain, and want for independence. However, when Napoleon captured King Ferdinand VII in 1808, the same population no longer felt they owed loyalty