Simon Bolivar and Jose Marti
Channel: E-Learning Corgi
Date: 2015-05-18

The ideas of the French “philosophes” of the eighteenth century had long-reaching repercussions, first in America and then in France itself.  Their impact in Latin America is often underappreciated, particularly since the liberation / independence from Spain took place at different times in different countries, and since many of the Spanish ways of governing and holding land stayed intact. 

However, the independence from Spain had different implications than in the United States and in France itself. First, the population demographics were quite different, and the social rank and hierarchy were directly related to one’s proximity to the ruling parties in Spain, or the “criollos” who were granted power and access via latifundios (which allowed them to control the land) and also exclusive trading and commercial licenses. Although there were many immigrants to Latin America, specifically Germans, Russians, and Central Europeans to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, and a significant English population in Argentina and in Mexico, one could not really say that the lands were a melting pot. Further, the Spanish control extended not only to commerce and control of the land. Literature and the production of journalistic works were tightly controlled as well, which meant that literary production was sparse during much of the time when the countries were controlled by Spain. Much was channeled into the service of the Catholic Church or in the construction of government buildings. 

So, the importance of Simón Bolívar is not simply about political or commercial liberation. It also has to do with the ability of a continent to feel intellectual and artistic freedom as well. 

What Simón Bolívar started, José Martí took to heart. He applied the concepts of freedom and also access to commercial and intellectual growth to all people. In  the highly hierarchical and race-focused society, Martí insisted that there were no races, just people. He sought to elevate the “natural man” and to place all people on a level playing field. His work emphasized the dignity of the individual, and the essential goodness and beauty of people of the earth. 

Martí’s spirited writing, his passionate poems (which were put to music) transformed a generation. He lived at a time when idealism and spirituality were taking root (José Ingenieros, Rubén Darío, Amado Nervo). He was passionate, and his life was an embodiment of his philosophy of life. He died fighting for what he believed in, and his most important writing was published the day before he fell on the battlefield. 

Today, Martí’s inclusive philosophy and his metaphor-rich writing still resonate with people throughout Latin America as well as in countries where social inequality has led to a lack of respect for those born without the advantages of position or rank.

--- susan smith nash, ph.d.