Message to the Congress of Angostura

1. Bolivar states that the Latin American people deserved independence because they were stripped from their rights and freedom before. "We are disputing with the natives for titles of ownership, and at the same time we are struggling to maintain ourselves in the country that gave us birth against the opposition of the invaders." In this quote, it is established that people should all have the same rights. When he states, "We have been ruled more by deceit than by force, and we have been degraded more by vice than by superstition.", Bolivar is describing the dishonesty the Latin America people received from the unfair government.

2.Bolivar explains that the Latin American people’s way of life will never change and they will never receive freedom if they attempt to do nothing about it. He states that they will continue to live in an unfair society and will not get any rights unless something is done. His feelings are revealed in the quote “Unless this is done we will have to reckon with ungovernable, tumultuous, and anarchic society, not with a social order where happiness, peace and justice prevail".


3. Bolivar states, "Give Venezuela such an executive power in the person of a president chosen by the people or their representatives, and you will have taken a great step toward national happiness. No matter what citizen occupies this office, he will be aided by the Constitution, and therein being authorized to do good, he can do no harm, because his ministers will cooperate with him only insofar as he abides by the law. If he attempts to infringe upon the law, his own ministers will desert him, thereby isolating him from the Republic, and they will even bring charges against him in the Senate.” In this quote, Bolivar clearly establishes that if the Venezuelan people are given more power in their government, the country will be much happier. The leader will be picked by the country, however, the leader must follow the rules as it is outlined in the constitution or the leader will be punished for his/her wrongful actions.



4."Slavery is the daughter of darkness: an ignorant people is a blind instrument of its own destruction. Ambition and intrigue abuses the credulity and experience of men lacking all political, economic, and civic knowledge; they adopt pure illusion as reality; they take license for liberty, treachery for patriotism, and vengeance for justice." In this passage, Bolivar states that people who are prevented from governing themselves grow to be dependent on others. Because they are entirely dependent on others, this takes away peoples rights and any say in the government. Their view of the world would be very different because they would believe that not having any say in the government was the normal way of life.