Biography of Simon Bolivar

Simon Bolivar was born July 24th, 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela. His family consisted of a slew of wealthy Creoles, or those born in America but of European decent. However, early on in his life he was faced with tragedy when first, his father died when he was three and then his mother soon followed as he neared the age of only six. Although his parents’ deaths seemed untimely and tragic but, because of the wealth of the family, Bolivar had great access to two very important tutors who would mold his later ideals of independence.

First was Andres Bello, who taught Bolivar about science and exposed him to Enlightenment ideas. Next was Simon Rodriguez, a devote follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a philosopher who greatly influenced the French Revolution with his political philosophy. Bolivar was also militantly trained and by the age of fourteen he had earned the rank of lieutenant.

In 1802, at the age of seventeen, Bolivar married the young daughter of a Spanish nobleman and soon after returned to Caracas. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last very long, as his wife died a year later from yellow fever. After her death, Bolivar decided he wanted to better himself intellectually and politically so he returned to Europe only to encounter his old tutor Simon Rodriguez.

From Paris the two of them traveled to Rome where they met Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and explorer who had just returned from spending five years in South America. While discussing his trip, Humboldt told Bolivar, “I believe that your country is ready for its independence. But I cannot see the man who is to achieve it.” With this said, Bolivar was inspired to be the man that Humboldt believed was meant to achieve freedom.

After his time in Europ...

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... Arequipa, El Cuzco and the provinces of Alto Peru. Here, they were put under his protection and encompassed into one nation; which is now modern day Bolivia. In July of 1827, Bolivar left Caracas for the last time and traveled to Bogota. On September 10th, he took an oath before Congress and became President of the Republic. However, he was plagued with sickness and was forced to give up his presidency. He later died December 10th, 1830.

Simon Bolivar not only gained independence for Venezuela but accomplished many noble achievements such as helping to liberate Ecuador, unite nations, and put in place a notable influence in the seal of American liberty in December 1824. His efforts to unify Latin America today are still very much prevalent. Throughout Latin America, he is still thought upon as an icon and a Latin American Independence Leader all over the world.