Simón Bolívar Becomes First President of Columbia (1819)
On December 17, 1819, Simón Bolívar became the first President of "Gran Columbia" (modern day Columbia). Bolívar, commonly referred to as El Libertador ("The Liberator"), lead to or contributed to the independence of many Latin American countries. As such, he is hailed as a national hero by many in Latin America.
Bolívar was born in Venezuela to a wealthy Venezuelan aristocrat. He studied in Europe and was influenced by Western philosophers and statesmen including Thomas Jefferson, Adam Smith, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau, and others. Bolívar returned to South America after his studies in Europe and promoted the idea of democratic republics throughout the continent.
Bolívar believed in capitalism, free markets, and democracy. However, while Bolívar admired democratic ideals, he did not believe that democracy would work in South America like in the United States. This was because he believed that South America politics was too gritty and/or corrupt. So, Bolívar promoted democracy based upon South American culture, politics, and history.
Bolívar is also renowned for his high morals and integrity. For example, Bolívar opposed slavery at a time when it was commonly accepted in South America (and the United States). And Bolívar helped to change many people’s attitudes on slavery.
When Bolívar returned from Europe there had been many attempts in Columbia and other Latin American countries for independence from Spain. But none proved successful. However, eventually, Bolívar, along with other leaders like José de San Martín, were able to lead a revolution against Spain and begin to create independent countries.
Shorty after Spain gave up its power, Bolívar helped to form the first Republic of Colombia, commonly called "Gran Colombia." Columbia formed out of several former Spanish colonies. On this day, December 17, 1819, Simón Bolívar became the first President of "Gran Columbia." He remained president until 1830.
Bolívar also contributed and/or lead to the independence of the present-day countries of Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Bolivia was named in honor of Bolívar. Bolívar died at the young age of 47 to tuberculosis.
Today, Bolívar is revered as a national hero for his leadership in fighting against Spain to establish many independent Latin American countries. Currently, Columbia has over 45 million people and is the second largest county in population in South America after Brazil. Colombia is also the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world in population after Mexico.