Boliviar: South American Liberator (1962)

[Music] this statue of Simon Bolivar whom we sometimes call Simon Boliver stands in New York City like George Washington this man risked life liberty honor fortune in the cause of freedom Simon Bolivar is honored by Americans of both continents but it is here in South America that he is especially beloved for he was father of five South American republics in South America it would be easy to find someone to tell us about the life of Simon Bolivar yes I can tell you about Simon Bolivar we call him a libertador or a you say the Liberator Simon Bolivar was born in the city of karakas Venezuela in 1783 this is bolar's birthplace the luxurious home of a wealthy Colonial Family young Bolivar spent much of his Boyhood on the family estates at San Mato near karakas perhaps here on his father's Plantation he may have developed his first ideals of freedom and equality for the people he came to know here were not from aristocratic families like his own they were his father's slaves perhaps seeing the difference in his life and theirs he learned firsthand something of the evils of Spanish rule in America probably Bolivar thought of the contrast between the way wealthy descendants of the conquistadores lived and the way most Spanish Americans lived patient long-suffering victims of Spanish rule many of them lived in Hopeless poverty worst of all was the life of the slaves in bolar's day they were still being brought into South America in great numbers so in a land where the law prevented many from rising above poverty and bondage young bolivard decided to make his career Fighting For Freedom a movement for Freedom was already changing other parts of the world far from karakas the American Revolution had recently ended and the Young Nation the United States was about as old as young Bol through most of his Boyhood the French Republic was struggling for Liberty Washington and Napoleon Were Heroes to Bolivar like many wealthy young men of his day he traveled widely in Spain for example he visited the Spanish Court of King Charles IV but he found he could not respect these hoty Aristocrats he also visited the United States perhaps at American shrines of democracy his great Dream came to him a union of all the free peoples of both American continents while visiting France young Bolivar was invited to attend the coronation of the Emperor Napoleon but he refused he believed that Napoleon was usurping the newly W freedoms of the French people still it was Napoleon who indirectly gave Bolivar his opportunity to begin fighting for Liberty in 1808 Napoleon invaded Spain Civil War in Spain followed disrupting control of Spain South American colonies on the sea British blockades cut off Spain's reinforcements to the Spanish garrisons beginning in 1810 one Colony after another Rose in Rebellion against the Spanish royalists in Venezuela independence from Spain was urged by a group of Patriots led by Bolivar Venezuela's Declaration of Independence was officially ratified on July 5th 1811 this declaration was followed by long years of struggle years in which Simon boliva led the fight for Venezuela's Freedom during the struggle Bolivar and his followers endured disheartening reverses especially during the year 1814 eventually Bolivar was forced to sail into Exile while in Exile he heard of Napoleon's defeat in Russia Napoleon's fall brought the restoration of the Spanish monarchy the new King Ferdinand 7th was determined to crush the movement for South American independence the king's plan was forestalled by the daring return to Venezuela of a handful of bolivar's men to begin a 10-year fight to liberate the northern colonies under the leadership of Bolivar to understand bolar's great task compare in North America the size of the original 13 colonies with the area Bolivar sought to liberate even with French help it took Washington's Army six years to free one country the United States Bolivar sought to liberate five lands Venezuela new Granada now called Colombia Ecuador Peru and upper Peru later named Bolivia in honor of Bolivar in 1819 to liberate new Granada bolivar's Army crossed the steaming swampy Valley of the orinoko and scaled the formidable barrier of the Andes following Rocky Trails among the Peaks Bolivar and his men face the deadly exhaustion of Blazing days freezing nights and the thin air at 15,000 ft above sea level finally near the city of Bogota bolivar's wey men beat a royal Spanish Army twice their strength with this Victory Bolivar was hailed as Liberator of new Granada which joined with Venezuela to form Grand Colombia Grand Colombia's first president was the 36-year-old Bolivar but his task of Liberation was still unfinished in 1821 in a great battle near karakas The Liberator drove the last royalist forces from Venezuela forever the same year Bolivar crossed the Andes again this time to liberate Ecuador in the shadow of Mount picha near Kito Ecuador bolivar's Army under General Antonio sucre won their third decisive battle barely pausing at Kito Bolivar rode off to one of the most important events in his life his first meeting with General San Martin another great Patriot and Liberator of Argentina and Chile the result of the historic meeting of the two liberators was that San Martin quietly left to Bolivar the task of completing the liberation in December 1824 General sukra one of bolivar's leaders received the surrender of the last effective royalist Army in Upper Peru with this final Victory General sukra wrote To The Liberator the campaign is finished the independence of America signed forever but the end of Spanish rule was not the beginning of a United South America by 183 30 even bolar's cherished Union of grand Colombia had dissolved and with it his stream of a United South America one reason for the development of separate Nations was that the vast distances and rough country made travel and communication very difficult most South Americans lived their whole lives in villages these people retain their local customs and tradition so the different peoples even though they had a common Spanish Heritage came eventually to develop separate nations in 1830 Bolivar stream was fading he had lost his fortune and his people's support in the struggle for Freedom broken in health he decided to sail from the coast of Colombia into Exile but before he could embark he became ill in a house near this little town of Santa Marta Colombia Simon Bolivar died December 17th 1830 today this great building the national Pantheon in karacas Venezuela is the last resting place of the great Liberator far from karacas in Washington DC is another building building it is the headquarters of Pan-American cooperation among all the Americas the organization of American states and so from the United States where he is honored as a fighter for freedom to South America where he is beloved as the father of five nations Simon bolivar's dream of a union of all the American states still lives [Music]