The Enlightenment, Colonial Aspirations, and Simón Bolívar’s Early Life
The Age of Enlightenment and Political Upheaval
The illustration depicts the historic moment located within the “Century of the Enlightenment,” when experimental scientific consciousness opposed dogmatism and specific intentions to overthrow despotisms. This era is also known as the Age of Reason or the Century of Lights.
The French Revolution and the Old Regime
The French Revolution was a social and political conflict, with varying periods of violence, which shook France and, by extension of its implications, numerous other nations of Europe faced supporters and opponents of the system called the Old Regime. It began with the self-proclamation of the Third Estate as a National Assembly in 1789 and ended with the coup of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799.
Factors Leading to Revolutionary Consciousness
Various historical factors prepared the French revolutionary consciousness. By 1789, the French state of the former regime was in crisis due to:
- Economic Factors: Aspirations for free labor, production, and trade.
- Social Factors: The existence of a rising bourgeoisie.
- Political and Intellectual Factors: The spread of anticlerical ideas from the Encyclopedists.
Colonial Interpretations of the Enlightenment
Some historians ascribe a high degree of importance to Enlightenment thought and the revolutionary events in France, claiming that the subsequently imposed republican system was a direct result. Other historians focus more attention on the situation inside the Captaincy General of Venezuela and the events in Spain in 1808, specifically Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion.
Aspirations of the White Creoles
In colonial society of the seventeenth century, the minority sector of white Creoles was the only one that had access to education and, consequently, was practically the only one that could participate in reading books, pamphlets, and underground newspapers and gazettes.
The Denial of Privileges to Other Groups
The Browns, Blacks, and the few remaining Indians were denied access to education and any kind of privileges.
Simón Bolívar: Birth and Early Life
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Ponte Palacios y Blanco was born in Caracas on July 24, 1783. He was a Venezuelan General and statesman, and the leader of American emancipation.
- Born: Caracas, July 24, 1783
- Died: Santa Marta, Colombia, December 17, 1830
Childhood and Family Environment
Bolívar was the son of Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte and María de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco. He spent the first years of his life with his parents under the special care of a slave family, fondly called “Matt Black.”
His childhood was happy, safe, and surrounded by strong emotions and fond memories within a prominent and influential aristocratic family environment, which provided him with emotional balance, love, and affection.
Loss of Parents and Guardianship
In January 1786, when Simón was two years old, his father died of tuberculosis. Doña Concepción then became the head of the household, effectively ensuring the family’s interests until her death.
Concepción died on July 6, 1792, when Simón was nine. She had taken the precaution of making a will arranging who should take charge of her children. The Bolívar siblings then proceeded to the custody of their grandfather, Feliciano Palacios.
However, Feliciano was also ill when he took on the role of tutor and began preparing his own will to appoint a replacement guardian, asking the children for their opinion regarding their preference. Simón was initially entrusted to his uncle Don Esteban Palacios y Blanco, but as Esteban was in Spain, Simón remained in the custody of another uncle, Don Carlos Palacios y Blanco.
Don Carlos was reportedly a rough, tough, and narrow-minded man with whom Simón did not get along. Since Don Carlos was frequently away from Caracas managing his properties, he often left his nephew to be served by the household staff and attend the Public School of Caracas on his own.