The Story of Mankind [149]
from thinking.
Curiously enough the first trouble began in a very distant
part of the world, in South America. The Spanish colonies
of that continent had been enjoying a period of relative independence
during the many years of the great Napoleonic wars.
They had even remained faithful to their king when he was
taken prisoner by the French Emperor and they had refused
to recognise Joseph Bonaparte, who had in the year 1808 been
made King of Spain by order of his brother.
Indeed, the only part of America to get very much upset
by the Revolution was the island of Haiti, the Espagnola of
Columbus' first trip. Here in the year 1791 the French Convention,
in a sudden outburst of love and human brotherhood,
had bestowed upon their black brethren all the privileges hitherto
enjoyed by their white masters. Just as suddenly they had
repented of this step, but the attempt to undo the original
promise led to many years of terrible warfare between General
Leclerc, the brother-in-law of Napoleon, and Toussaint l'Ouverture,
the negro chieftain. In the year 1801, Toussaint was
asked to visit Leclerc and discuss terms of peace. He received
the solemn promise that he would not be molested. He trusted
his white adversaries, was put on board a ship and shortly
afterwards died in a French prison. But the negroes gained
their independence all the same and founded a Republic.
Incidentally they were of great help to the first great South
American patriot in his efforts to deliver his native country
from the Spanish yoke.
Simon Bolivar, a native of Caracas in Venezuela, born in
the year 1783, had been educated in Spain, had visited Paris
where he had seen the Revolutionary government at work, had
lived for a while in the United States and had returned to his
native land where the widespread discontent against Spain,
the mother country, was beginning to take a definite form.
In the year 1811, Venezuela declared its independence and
Bolivar became one of the revolutionary generals. Within
two months, the rebels were defeated and Bolivar fled.
For the next five years he was the leader of an apparently
lost cause. He sacrificed all his wealth and he would not have
been able to begin his final and successful expedition without
the support of the President of Haiti. Thereafter the revolt
spread all over South America and soon it appeared that Spain
was not able to suppress the rebellion unaided. She asked for
the support of the Holy Alliance.
This step greatly worried England. The British shippers
had succeeded the Dutch as the Common Carriers of the world
and they expected to reap heavy profits from a declaration of
independence on the part of all South America. They had
hopes that the United States o?America would interfere but
the Senate had no such plans and in the House, too, there were
many voices which declared that Spain ought to be given a
free hand.
Just then, there was a change of ministers in England.
The Whigs went out and the Tories came in. George Canning
became secretary of State. He dropped a hint that England
would gladly back up the American government with all the
might of her fleet, if said government would declare its
disapproval of the plans of the Holy Alliance in regard to the
rebellious colonies of the southern continent. President Monroe
thereupon, on the 2nd of December of the year 1823, addressed
Congress and stated that: ``America would consider
any attempt on the part of the allied powers to extend their
system to any portion of this western hemisphere as dangerous
to our peace and safety,'' and gave warning that ``the American
government would consider such action on the part of the
Holy Alliance as a manifestation of an unfriendly disposition
toward the United States.'' Four weeks later, the text of the
``Monroe Doctrine'' was printed in the English newspapers and
the members of the Holy Alliance were
Curiously enough the first trouble began in a very distant
part of the world, in South America. The Spanish colonies
of that continent had been enjoying a period of relative independence
during the many years of the great Napoleonic wars.
They had even remained faithful to their king when he was
taken prisoner by the French Emperor and they had refused
to recognise Joseph Bonaparte, who had in the year 1808 been
made King of Spain by order of his brother.
Indeed, the only part of America to get very much upset
by the Revolution was the island of Haiti, the Espagnola of
Columbus' first trip. Here in the year 1791 the French Convention,
in a sudden outburst of love and human brotherhood,
had bestowed upon their black brethren all the privileges hitherto
enjoyed by their white masters. Just as suddenly they had
repented of this step, but the attempt to undo the original
promise led to many years of terrible warfare between General
Leclerc, the brother-in-law of Napoleon, and Toussaint l'Ouverture,
the negro chieftain. In the year 1801, Toussaint was
asked to visit Leclerc and discuss terms of peace. He received
the solemn promise that he would not be molested. He trusted
his white adversaries, was put on board a ship and shortly
afterwards died in a French prison. But the negroes gained
their independence all the same and founded a Republic.
Incidentally they were of great help to the first great South
American patriot in his efforts to deliver his native country
from the Spanish yoke.
Simon Bolivar, a native of Caracas in Venezuela, born in
the year 1783, had been educated in Spain, had visited Paris
where he had seen the Revolutionary government at work, had
lived for a while in the United States and had returned to his
native land where the widespread discontent against Spain,
the mother country, was beginning to take a definite form.
In the year 1811, Venezuela declared its independence and
Bolivar became one of the revolutionary generals. Within
two months, the rebels were defeated and Bolivar fled.
For the next five years he was the leader of an apparently
lost cause. He sacrificed all his wealth and he would not have
been able to begin his final and successful expedition without
the support of the President of Haiti. Thereafter the revolt
spread all over South America and soon it appeared that Spain
was not able to suppress the rebellion unaided. She asked for
the support of the Holy Alliance.
This step greatly worried England. The British shippers
had succeeded the Dutch as the Common Carriers of the world
and they expected to reap heavy profits from a declaration of
independence on the part of all South America. They had
hopes that the United States o?America would interfere but
the Senate had no such plans and in the House, too, there were
many voices which declared that Spain ought to be given a
free hand.
Just then, there was a change of ministers in England.
The Whigs went out and the Tories came in. George Canning
became secretary of State. He dropped a hint that England
would gladly back up the American government with all the
might of her fleet, if said government would declare its
disapproval of the plans of the Holy Alliance in regard to the
rebellious colonies of the southern continent. President Monroe
thereupon, on the 2nd of December of the year 1823, addressed
Congress and stated that: ``America would consider
any attempt on the part of the allied powers to extend their
system to any portion of this western hemisphere as dangerous
to our peace and safety,'' and gave warning that ``the American
government would consider such action on the part of the
Holy Alliance as a manifestation of an unfriendly disposition
toward the United States.'' Four weeks later, the text of the
``Monroe Doctrine'' was printed in the English newspapers and
the members of the Holy Alliance were