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What were Simon Bolivar's last words?
Some accounts hold that Bolivar's delirious last words were the puzzling: “Damn it! How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?” Others maintain that he said: “Fetch the luggage. They do not want us here,” before giving up the ghost.
Did Bolívar die poor?
"Bolívar died at age 47 in political disgrace and poverty, awaiting a ship to carry him to European exile. He had sacrificed his family fortune of perhaps 200,000 pesos for the cause of freedom.
What happened when Simon Bolivar died?
According to official reports, Bolívar died of tuberculosis on December 17, 1830, at age 47. Some people believe Bolívar was assassinated. In 2010 Hugo Chávez, then president of Venezuela, ordered the exhumation of Bolívar's body for investigation of the cause of death. The results were inconclusive.
What illness did Simon Bolivar have?
According to history books, tuberculosis was responsible for the death of Simon Bolivar at the age of 47 years in 1830. The results of an autopsy performed by Alexandre Prospère Révérend, the French physician who cared for him during the terminal phase of his illness, have long been regarded as proof of the diagnosis.
What did Simon Bolivar eat?
Latin American independence hero Simon Bolivar turned eating the arepa into a source of pride for locals as he helped defeat the Spanish in the 19th century.
Where is Simon Bolivar's sword?
"Today it returns to the hands of the Colombian people." The sword was presented to a group of children, whom Navarro described as "the torchbearers of Bolivar's spirit," and later placed in a special case in Bolivar's home, now a museum.
Why is Simon Bolivar a hero?
Simon Bolivar is a hero because he has accomplished freeing thousands of unknown people from the Spanish rule. Bolivar is considered a hero throughout South America because of his leadership, braveness, and confidence for fighting for independence for six different countries.
Who Conquered Venezuela?
Spain's colonization of mainland Venezuela started in 1502 when it established its first permanent South American settlement in the present-day city of Cumaná (then called Nueva Toledo), which was founded officially in 1515 by Franciscan friars.
Did Simon Bolivar have a child?
Simón Bolívar has no direct descendants. His bloodline lives on through his sister Juana Bolívar y Palacios who married Dionisio Palacios y Blanco (Simón and Juana's maternal uncle) and had two children: Guillermo and Benigna.
Who liberated Peru?
José de San MartínJosé de San Martín and his forces liberated Peru and proclaimed its independence from Spain on 28 July 1821. The two leading figures of the South American wars of independence were Simon Bolivar in the north and José de San Martín in the south.
What did Simon Bolivar weigh?
So when Bolivar developed a chronic cough, fever and weight loss, the same bacterial infection was suspected. He weighed barely 22 kilograms when he passed. Tuberculosis was listed as the cause of death. But now, almost two centuries later, modern medicine is discovering a new possibility.
Was Bolívar a dictator?
As a temporary measure, Bolívar declared himself dictator in 1828, though in September of the same year he escaped an assassination attempt with aid from his mistress and fellow revolutionary Manuela Sáenz. He resigned this post in 1830 and made plans to sail for exile in Europe.
Who betrayed Bolívar?
Simon Bolivar Betrayed One of Venezuela's Greatest Patriots As the republic crumbled, Bolívar turned Miranda over to the Spanish, who locked him in prison until he died a few years later. His betrayal of Miranda is probably the biggest stain on Bolívar's revolutionary record.
What was Bolívar's dream?
Within a few years Panama, Ecuador and Peru joined the republic. But in 1830, Bolivar's dream to become the 'Washington' of Latin America faded when the republic of Gran Colombia split into three separate states. Bolivar resigned as president of Colombia in the same year.
How is Simon Bolivar remembered today?
Crisis Manager. Simón Bolivar is remembered today as the greatest leader of South American independence. Highly influenced by the examples of the United States, the French Revolution and Napoleon, he led a massive revolt against Spanish colonial rule in South America, beginning in 1810.
When did Simon Bolivar die?
December 17, 1830Simón Bolívar / Date of death
Who was Simón Bolívar?
Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan soldier and statesman who played a central role in the South American independence movement. Bolívar served as presi...
What was Simón Bolívar’s early life like?
Simón Bolívar was born on July 24, 1783, in Caracas, Venezuela. Neither Bolívar’s aristocrat father nor his mother lived to see his 10th birthday....
What role did Simón Bolívar play in the Latin American independence movement?
Simón Bolívar penned two political treatises—the Manifiesto de Cartagena (“Cartagena Manifesto”) and the Carta de Jamaica (“Letter from Jamaica”)—e...
Why was Simón Bolívar called “The Liberator?”
Simón Bolívar first liberated Venezuela in 1813. Upon entering the capital city of Venezuela on August 6, 1813, Bolívar was given the nickname “El...
How did Simón Bolívar die?
There is some controversy surrounding Simón Bolívar’s death. According to official reports, Bolívar died of tuberculosis on December 17, 1830, at a...
Who was Simón Bolívar?
Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan soldier and statesman who played a central role in the South American independence movement. Bolívar served as president of Gran Colombia (1819–30) and as dictator of Peru (1823–26). The country of Bolivia is named for him.
What was Simón Bolívar’s early life like?
Simón Bolívar was born on July 24, 1783, in Caracas, Venezuela. Neither Bolívar’s aristocrat father nor his mother lived to see his 10th birthday. Bolívar was instead raised by his uncle, who administered his inheritance and provided him with tutors. One of Bolívar’s tutors—a man named Simón Rodríguez—introduced him to the world of liberal thought. Under Rodríguez’s guidance, Bolívar read and studied the likes of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It’s likely that Rodríguez’s early lessons in liberalism influenced Bolívar in his later decision to rebel against Spanish rule.
What happened to Miranda after he was rescued from Venezuela?
An armistice was signed (July 1812) that left the entire country at the mercy of Spain. Miranda was turned over to the Spaniards —after Bolívar and others prevented his escape from Venezuela—and spent the rest of his life in Spanish dungeons.
What was the Latin American independence movement?
The Latin American independence movement was launched a year after Bolívar’s return, as Napoleon’s invasion of Spain unsettled Spanish authority. Napoleon also failed completely in his attempt to gain the support of the Spanish colonies, which claimed the right to nominate their own officials. Following the example of the mother country, they wished to establish juntas to rule in the name of the deposed Spanish king. Many of the Spanish settlers, however, saw in those events an opportunity to sever their ties with Spain. Bolívar himself participated in various conspiratorial meetings, and on April 19, 1810, the Spanish governor was officially deprived of his powers and expelled from Venezuela. A junta took over. To obtain help, Bolívar was sent on a mission to London, where he arrived in July. His assignment was to explain to England the plight of the revolutionary colony, to gain recognition for it, and to obtain arms and support. Although he failed in his official negotiations, his English sojourn was in other respects a fruitful one. It gave him an opportunity to study the institutions of the United Kingdom, which remained for him models of political wisdom and stability. More important, he fostered the cause of the revolution by persuading the exiled Venezuelan Francisco de Miranda, who in 1806 had attempted to liberate his country single-handedly, to return to Caracas and assume command of the independence movement.
Who was the Liberator of Venezuela?
With backing from the patriots of New Granada, Bolívar led an expeditionary force to retake Venezuela. In a sweeping hard-fought campaign, he vanquished the royalists in six pitched battles and on August 6, 1813, entered Caracas. He was given the title of Liberator and assumed political dictatorship.
When did Venezuela gain independence?
After long deliberation, the national assembly declared Venezuela’s independence on July 5, 1811. Bolívar now entered the army of the young republic, whose commander in chief was Miranda, and was placed in charge of Puerto Cabello, a port on the Caribbean Sea west of Caracas that was vital to Venezuela.
Who Was Simón Bolívar?
Simón Bolívar was a South American soldier who was instrumental in the continent's revolutions against the Spanish empire. Born into wealth, Bolívar was sent to Spain for his education, soon deciding to immerse himself in the political sphere in Europe.
Early Life
Simón José Antonio de la Santísma Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas, New Granada (now Venezuela). Bolívar was born into a prosperous family who took their money from rich gold and copper mines they owned in Venezuela. Young Bolívar moved to Spain in 1799 after the deaths of his parents.
Revolution
After her death, Bólivar returned to Europe and kept company with Napoleon. Bolívar returned to Venezuela in 1807. When Napoleon named Joseph Bonaparte King of Spain and its colonies, which included Venezuela, Bolívar joined the resistance movement.
Adrienne Kennedy
Gaining support from Haiti, Bolívar returned to his home continent and became involved in a number of military battles, eventually able to claim several territories. 1821 saw the creation of the Gran Colombia, under Bolívar's leadership. This federation included much of what is now Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador.
Accomplishments
Bolívar had succeeded in uniting much of South America in a federation free from Spanish control, but the government was fragile.
Death and Legacy
On December 17, 1830, however, Simón Bolívar died in Santa Marta, Colombia, after a battle with what may have been tuberculosis.
Fact Check
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What did Bolivar say about freedom?
Bolivar wrote his most famous document, Letter from Jamaica, in which he declared, "A people that love freedom will in the end be free." He foresaw a great federation of Hispanic American republics which would deserve the same respect as European nations.
What did Hugo Chavez do to help the people?
Hugo Chavez uses his coutry's wealth for the people, oil revenues implement his many social programs. Such programs included literacy campaigns in the poorest regions of the country, new health clinics, new homes with running water and electricity and paved roads in rural areas. The most high-profile programs are the Chavista Missions, outreach programs directed at groups of citizens who had historically been ignored. For example, a public health mission called Barrio Adentro employed over ten thousand doctors dedicated to serving in areas of Venezuela where no doctors were ever available before.
How many battles did Colombia and Venezuela fight for independence?
The fight for the independence of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Panama (a department of Colombia) had involved 696 battles, with an average of 1,400 soldiers per engagement, counting both sides together.
Who was Hugo Chavez's father?
His father was Colonel Don Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte, and his mother was Doña María de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco. He had two older sisters and a brother: María Antonia, Juana and Juan Vicente. Another sister, María del Carmen, died at birth.
Is Venezuela a liberator?
Venezuela, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, seems to be the birth place of great liberators, great South American leaders. Currently, South America is fortunate to have Hugo Chavez. Chávez has greatly angered wealthy Venezuelan oligarchs and U.S. imperialists seeking to dominate the South American continent draining South American resources directly back to the U.S. as it has been doing since the young country declared its independence from England.
Was Bolivar a colonel?
Although he had no formal military training and no battlefield experience, Bolivar was made a Lieutenant Colonel. He participated in his first engagement on July 19, an assault on the Spanish stronghold of Valencia in which he distinguished himself, but the rebel forces were repelled. A siege forced capitulation on August 19th after heavy losses on both sides. It was a harbinger of things to come.

Overview
Death and burial
Bolívar resigned the presidency on 27 April 1830, intending to leave the country for exile in Europe.
On 17 December 1830, at the age of 47, Simón Bolívar died of tuberculosis in the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta, Gran Colombia (now Colombia).
Bolívar's remains were buried in the cathedral of Santa Marta. Twelve years lat…
Early life and family
Simón Bolívar was born on 24 July 1783 in Caracas, capital of the Captaincy General of Venezuela, the fourth and youngest child of Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte [es] and María de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco [es]. He was baptized as Simón José Antonio de la Santísma Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios on 30 July. Simón was born into the Bolívar family, one of the wealthiest and most prestigious creole families in the Spanish Americas. The first Bolívar to emigrate to the America…
Political and military career
By April 1806, Bolívar had returned to Paris and desired passage to Venezuela, where Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda had just attempted an invasion with American volunteers. British control of the seas resulting from the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, however, obliged Bolívar to board an American ship in Hamburg in October 1806. Bolívar arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, in January 1807, and from there traveled to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and Bo…
Personal beliefs
Bolívar was an admirer of both the American Revolution and the French Revolution. While he was an admirer of U.S. independence, he did not believe that its governmental system could work in Latin America. Thus, he claimed that the governance of heterogeneous societies like Venezuela "will require a firm hand". He felt that the U.S. had been established in land especially fertile for democracy. By contrast, he referred to Spanish America as having been subject to the "triple yok…
Legacy
Due to the historical relevance of Bolívar as a key element during the process of independence in Hispanic America, his memory has been strongly attached to sentiments of nationalism and patriotism, being a recurrent theme of rhetoric in politics.
In Venezuela, Bolívar left behind a militarist legacy with multiple governments utilizing the memory, image and written legacy of Bolívar as important parts of their political messages and …
See also
• Bolivarian Revolution
• Bolivarianism
• Statue of Simón Bolívar (Houston)
• Toussaint Louverture
Further reading
• Bushnell, David. The Liberator, Simón Bolívar: Man and Image. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970.
• Bushnell, David and Macaulay, Neill. The Emergence of Latin America in the Nineteenth Century (Second edition). Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. ISBN 978-0-19-508402-3
• Gómez Martínez, José Luis. "La encrucijada del cambio: Simón Bolívar entre dos paradigmas (una reflexión ante la encrucijada postindustrial)". Cuadernos Americanos 104 (2004): 11–32.
Who Was Simón Bolívar?
Early Life
- Simón José Antonio de la Santísma Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas, New Granada (now Venezuela). Bolívar was born into a prosperous family who took their money from rich gold and copper mines they owned in Venezuela. Young Bolívar moved to Spain in 1799 after the deaths of his parents. In Spain, he continued his education, begun in Venezuel…
Revolution
- After her death, Bólivar returned to Europe and kept company with Napoleon. Bolívar returned to Venezuela in 1807. When Napoleon named Joseph Bonaparte King of Spain and its colonies, which included Venezuela, Bolívar joined the resistance movement. The resistance group based in Caracas gained independence in 1810, and Bolívar traveled to Britain on a diplomatic mission. T…
Accomplishments
- Bolívar had succeeded in uniting much of South America in a federation free from Spanish control, but the government was fragile. Despite his desire to create a union of states similar to that which created the United States of America, Bolívar faced opposition from internal factions throughout the huge Gran Colombia, with there being a push to form single nations. As a temporary measur…
Death and Legacy
- On December 17, 1830, however, Simón Bolívar died in Santa Marta, Colombia, after a battle with what may have been tuberculosis.