Simon Bolívar and Toussaint L. Overture are two renowned fighters for the independence of Latin American countries from the reign of the empires of that period. Another similarity between the two is their focus on republican ideas and concepts. For instance, Bolívar propagated the ideas of the parliament similar to the British legislative body and a leader (a President for Life) who had to be chosen by the parliament for the first time and then chose his successors (Helg 35). Both Bolívar and Overture fought for liberty, the right to property, and freedom of the people of their countries.
At the same time, they had different views regarding people of color and slavery. Bolívar was unwilling to include slaves and former slaves into the army fighting against the empire, but he soon changed his view. Overture headed the troops of slaves and freed slaves trying to create a country where all people were truly equal. He first fought against France, but when he learned that the French freed all slaves, he started supporting his former enemies. Overture was for the immediate freedom of slaves who became active in terms of economic and political spheres.
Although Bolívar changed his attitude to slavery, he did not provide the necessary rights to people of color. Bolívar believed that people of African descent could be unreliable allies, while Overture was a leader of such people living in his country. Bolívar freed all slaves who were soldiers but did not give freedom to those who did not take part in the war. He also kept children with landowners making the former slaves until they were eighteen. Irrespective of the differences in their perspectives, the two men under analysis contributed to gaining independence of Latin American countries as well as the abolishment of slavery in the region.
Work Cited
Helg, Aline. “Simón Bolívar’s Republic: A Bulwark Against the “Tyranny” of the Majority.” Revista de Sociologia e Política, vol. 20, no. 42, 2012, pp. 21-37.