When Did Latin America Gain Independence? The Age Of Revolution

Many history buffs ask, “When did Latin America gain independence?” this is the right article to answer this. 

Latin America is one of the historically wealthiest places in the world, and many journals, museums, and monuments tell its stories. 

However, one of the most significant milestones is the wave of independence that swept across the region and even the United States. 

But when did this happen? Here is a detailed history lesson that will tell you everything you need to know about Latin America and its struggle for independence;

When Did Latin America Gain Independence 

Most Latin American countries celebrate independence on the 4th of July, like the US, but they gained independence in different years. 

The Age of Revolution in Latin America started with the American Revolution in the 1770s, and by 1836, all nations were independent except for Puerto Rican and Cuba. 

Cuba gained independence in 1902, and in July 1952, Puerto Rico was the last country in Latin America to do so. 

The Age of Revolution

Latin America has about 20 countries, and they all gained independence in different years, mainly within the same time as the American Revolution. 

This made many historians adopt the term, The Age of Revolution and Twin Wars, which referred to America’s and Latin America’s revolution.

Between 1775 and 1850, most Western Hemisphere colonies had successfully broken free from the European monarchies of Spain, Great Britain, France, and Portugal. 

This Age is believed to have started with the evolutionary war and ended with the European efforts for democratic reforms.

In Latin America, the people fought for independence between 1808 and 1825, where they took advantage of the troubling state in the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. The trouble started with Spanish white elites born in the Americas called Creoles. 

The Creoles protested about the economic burdens that the imperial states imposed on their colonies and wanted more power in the colonial administration. These protests connected with other ideas about progress, enlightenment, and representative governments.

The ideas also came up at a time when there were successful revolutions like in Haiti and the United States. 

Many of the marginalized and oppressed people, such as slaves, people of color, the poor, and women, connected with the idea of freedom and joined the fight for independence. 

The people fought to win greater equality and freedom under regimes ruled by their people. The ideas were fueled by the harsh conditions imposed by the imperial nations, and soon, there was fighting in all the regions.

The revolutions started through the late 1700s, and by 1836, former colonies like Costa Rica, Peru, El Salvador, Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Argentina had gained independence from Spain.

In the same time frame, Brazil broke free from Portugal and Uruguay from Brazil. In the same year, Spain officially renounced all claims on countries in the region except for Cuba and Puerto Rico until 1898, during the Spanish-American war. 

What Is Latin America

Latin America is a common term, and you must have come across it in a geography of history paper during your school days, but most people don’t know anything about the region. 

Latin America has contributed much to the world’s history and modern-day socio-political dynamic, and knowing more about the region is crucial. 

The definition of Latin America has changed over time, and it has come to carry an entirely new meaning in the last century.

Initially, the term was descriptive of countries in North and South America that primarily spoke a romance language. 

Romance languages are Spanish, Portuguese, and French; these three nations are responsible for forging Latin America.

The term changed meaning and was used to describe nations that were part of the Iberian colonialism. 

The Iberian Union referred to the Spanish and Portuguese dynasties and their respective colonial empires between 1580 and 1640.

The countries at the time primarily spoke Spanish and Portuguese since those were the most powerful nations in the region. 

Some scholars still used Latin America to refer too regions with Spanish and Portuguese as the dominant languages.

The most recent meaning for Latin America is a geographical one referring to the region from the southern border of the United States to the southern tip of South America. 

It also includes the Caribbeans and doesn’t consider colonization, languages used, or historically dominant languages. 

By this definition, Latin America includes countries in North America, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. 

Examples of countries in the region include Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Bolivia, and others.

The people of this massive region shared the experience of being conquered and colonized by Spain and Portugal from the late 15th to the 18th century. 

They also got their independence at the same time, and even after independence, most of the nations have shared similar trends.

The countries in Latin America have a shared heritage, and they showcase it in many ways. Most nations within the same area speak similar languages, prepare almost identical cuisines, and have similar social and religious beliefs.

Despite their many similarities, Latin America is a massive area, and the people inevitably have differences. 

The geography and climate of the countries vary immensely, so the people live in independent units that lead entirely separate lifestyles. 

The cultural and social characteristics of the regions within Latin America vary depending on the people who lived there before the Iberian conquest. 

It is also affected by the economic roles the nations served historically and the nature of the European occupation in the regions.

Since Spanish and Portuguese elements are so heavy in the region, some researchers suggested that Iberoamerica would be a better name than Latin America. 

The title Latin America suggests an equal contribution from the French and Italians, and that is not the case.

Latin America Today 

Latin America went through one of the greatest periods of revolution in the past century, leading to peace for most nations. 

The biggest issue was that they all shared a colonial past, and they picked up the trends in the new regimes, and history repeated itself.

They took up a hierarchical structure of society where the top tier of people enjoyed full power, influence, and wealth while the lower people were oppressed.

This was to end after independence, but most new regimes picked it up, and it started other revolutions.

This rewrote the history of Latin America, making it nothing more than a series of wars between elite groups that wanted to retain power. A new group promises change, but then it overthrows the elites and takes their place before another war is fought to overthrow them.

Each Latin American country followed its trend, but conflicts between elites and popular groups are common. 

The economic and political demographic constantly swings between supporting the elites and popular groups, and a constant evolution leads to this change.

Sometimes, changes within the elite and popular groups lead the people to change their support or reforms in the group’s policies. Nations like Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela have had major wars as recently as 2019.

This is not to mean that democracy failed in Latin America and that all the wars and fight for independence were pointless. Some countries have amazing climates and natural settings, making them world-famous for tourism.

These regions have relatively stable Governments that can protect the people and tourists, which has helped the countries develop. 

Security allows foreigners to travel into a country, boosting local trade and elevating the country internationally.

Cities like Rio De Janeiro in Brazil are world famous with many exciting things for tourists and locals to do. 

The rich historic heritage in Latin America makes it an interesting place with many monuments and historically invaluable locations.

A good example is Machu Pichu in Peru, among the world’s seven wonders. The sight attracts millions of tourists yearly, and scholars travel there to learn more about the ancient civilizations that inhabited the area. 

The Caribbean has preserved nature, the biggest gem it has to offer. The Galapagos Islands, The Sacred Valley, Iguazu Falls, and others demonstrate how beautiful the region is and why it was worth all the fighting. 

Conclusion

You have gone through a brief history lesson, and now you can answer, “When Did Latin America gain independence?” 

Latin American countries rose and fought the colonialists during the Age of Revolution, and nearly all the nations were free by the mid-1800s.

Latin America is a massive region whose history and economics have influenced the world in many ways. 

The biggest issue in the region is that they inherited the hierarchical ruling system from their colonizers, leading to them going through many revolutions and wars over the years.