Latin America Independence Timeline
Haiti
Chile
Dominican Republic
- Official Independence: February 12, 1818
- Leader: Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme and José de San Martín
- Revolution: The Chilean War took place from 1810 to 1826. Chile was controlled by the Spanish who were taken over by the French, thus opening the window for a revolution. Not only did the Chileans have issues with government officials in Spain, but as well as local authority. Chile's governor, Francisco Antonio García Carrasco, was corrupt, furthering their desire for independence.
- Interesting Fact: Francisco Antonio García Carrasco was involved in the Scorpion scandal, a smuggling scandal involving British cloth.
- Official Independence: January 1, 1804
- Leader: François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture
- Revolution: The revolution of Haiti began in 1791 when the slaves of Haiti revolted against French rule. The French had their own revolution occurring around the same time which allowed the colony to become less important to its parent country. The majority of inhabitants in Haiti were from African dissent, who also happened to be of the lowest class. Their spirit helped overthrow France in 1804.
- Interesting Fact: Haiti's revolution is considered to be the most successful slave revolt in history.
- Official Independence: February 27, 1844
- Leader: Juan Pablo Duarte
- Revolution: What is now the Dominican Republic was under the rule of the Haitian government for twenty two years. The island of Hispaniola was no longer as prosperous under the Haitian control. The government overtaxed and entirely mismanaged the economy, causing the wealth of Haiti to fail. Thus, a rebellion occurred and formed the Dominican Republic.
- Interesting Fact: Haiti was once the most wealthy country in the southwestern hemisphere.
Panama
Argentina
Belize
- Official Independence: September 21, 1981
- Leader: George Price
- Revolution: Belize demanded independence in 1962 and was granted the right by Britain. In 1821, Guatemala gained it's independence by signing an agreement with Great Britain. This stated that Guatemala would acknowledge Belize as apart of Britain if Britain constructed a road from Belize to Guatemala. The road was never constructed, so in 1962 Guatemala felt it owned the rights to the region. The dispute was taken to the International Court of Justice where it was decided that Belize had the right of independence since the country never signed the document.
- Interesting Fact: Even after independence 1,500 British soldiers were stationed in Belize until 1977 to provide protection from Guatemala.
- Official Independence: November 28, 1921
- Leader: Simón Bolívar, Francisco de Paula Santander
- Revolution: Along with the other countries, Panama had issues with the French taking over Spain and was part of Latin America's revolt against the new leaders. After their success in the revolution, Panama joined the Republic of Colombia. Although the area of Panama gained its independence from Spain, it would later (in 1903) become the independent country of Panama known today.
- Interesting Fact: The Republic of Colombia was made up of what is now Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Guyana, and Brazil.
- Official Independence: July 9, 1816
- Leader: Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín
- Revolution: The Argentine War of Independence took place from 1810 to 1818. Napoleon removed the king of Spain, causing the Augustinians, who were under Spanish Rule, to revolt. Their original purpose, to put Charles IV or Ferdinand back into power, morphed into a greater cause: independence.
- Interesting Fact: Ferdinand reclaimed his title in 1913, in the middle of Argentina's revolution.