The reign of the Bourbons in Spain had created a time of political unrest in the Americas. The Bourbons rolled back many of the political gains that the colonists had made, appointing officials from Spain to occupy key governmental posts in the New World. When Napoleon displaced the Bourbon king in 1808, setting off the Peninsular War between Spain and France, many people in the Americas felt that time had come for them to be independent of the Crown.

Though many could be named, the two most famous leaders of the independence movement were Bolivar (Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Blanco) and San Martín (José Francisco de San Martín).

Bolivar’s family came to Venezuela in the 16th century. He attended military school as a boy and studied in Spain as a teenager. He returned to Venezuela in 1807 and soon joined the fight for independence. His leadership skills quickly earned him the name El Libertador (the Liberator). He was the commander of the forces that won freedom for the northern part of South America, and he was instrumental in the establishment of the nation of Gran Colombia (a state covering much of modern Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, northern Peru, and northwest of Brazil), serving as the first president. He hoped to create a federal union, modeled on the United States, but was unsuccessful in unifying the nations. He eventually declared himself dictator to try and preserve the union, but his efforts failed.

Bolivar resigned in 1830. His famous statement “All who served the Revolution have plowed the sea” reflected his intention to move to Europe, as other revolutionary leaders had done. However, he fell ill before embarking and died in December of that year. Hugo Chavez has long affirmed that Bolivar was poisoned by “New Grenada traitors,” and even had a forensic expert study Bolivar’s bones. The expert said that Bolivar could have died of arsenic poisoning, but the results were inconclusive.

In the south, it was San Martin that led the charge. San Martin was born in Argentina, son of a Spanish soldier. His father returned to Spain when San Martin was very young and San Martin was raised in Spain. After a successful military career in Spain, including campaigns in the Peninsular War, San Martin returned to South America and joined the independence movement. Why? Historians have offered various opinions, but San Martin never stated his motives.

San Martin first fought against the Spanish in several battles in Argentina, then led his army across the Andes to engage the Spanish in Chile and Peru. The crossing took more than a month and was carried out under extreme hardship, but the move was decisive in defeating the royalists. Winning decisive battles at Chacabuco and Maipú, San Martin eventually forced the Crown to recognize of Chile. San Martin later joined with Bolivar’s forces to obtain Peruvian independence, though San Martin was eventually forced to resign from the army in deference to Bolivar’s power.

San Martin returned to Argentina. During the ensuing Argentine Civil Wars, San Martin attempted to stay neutral. He eventually moved to Europe, where he died. Eventually his remains were taken to Buenos Aires and placed in the Cathedral of that city. Because of his neutrality during the internal struggles in Argentina, he was seen as a controversial figure for many years, but is now regarded as the supreme national hero in Argentina.