Storyboard for Latin American Podcast

By Patrick O’Conner

Fathers of their country

• Today, we are going to talk about 3 leaders who fought for their country’s freedom:

• Father Hidalgo in Mexico, Simon Bolivar in South America, and Toussaint L’Ouverture in Haiti

• All three were inspired in part by the American Revolution.

Miguel Hidalgo

• Is considered by Mexicans to be the “father” of their country the way George Washington is considered to be the “father” of our country

• Hidalgo was also a “father” because he was a priest.

• He cared very much for the poor people in Mexico.

• It made him angry to see the Spanish oppress the Native Americans and “mestizos”

• A mestizo was a person of mixed European and native American heritage

• On September 16th 1810 Father Hidalgo rang the bells of his church to announce a revolt against the Spanish

• Thousands of poorly armed and poorly trained peasants followed him and took over several Mexican cities.

• Though the revolt was put down by the Spanish army, Mexico gained its independence soon after this.

Simon Bolivar

• Simon Bolivar was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1783

• Simon Bolivar was a military and political leader

• He was called “The Liberator” because he led Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia to independence from Spanish rule

Some say he helped establish the foundations of democracy in Latin America

He died in 1830

Toussaint L’Ouverture

• Toussaint L’Ouverture was born in 1743

• He led a revolt of slaves against the French in Haiti starting in 1791.

• He was inspired by both the American and French revolutions

• His success inspired slaves in other countries to fight for their freedom

Summary