Summary of La Independencia de Estados Unidos en 11 minutos

00:00:00 - 00:10:00

This video looks at the history of the American Revolution and its consequences. It discusses how the British government's policies led to increasing resentment among the colonists, which culminated in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The video also looks at how the French Revolution was inspired by the American Revolution and how it led to the emancipation of slaves in Latin America.

• 00:00:00 In 1776, colonists in North America who were living along the Atlantic Coast declared their independence from Great Britain and announced the creation of a new republic. Facing one of the best armies of the time, the thirteen colonies fought a successful war of independence, thanks in part to the British government's heavy debt burden. Colonial life developed with some degree of autonomy, creating systems of government unique to each colony, but the British military intervention of the early 1800s changed the landscape dramatically, leading to increasing resistance to British control. In 1773, the British government passed the Tea Act, granting a monopoly on the trade of tea to the British East India Company, which relieved the colonists of paying duties on imports. This led to higher prices for colonial goods, as the Company acted as a large, powerful lobbyist in British Parliament. In 1773, the sons of Liberty, a group of intellectuals and businessmen led by Samuel Adams, staged the Boston Tea Party, protesting the high prices British merchants were able to charge for tea in comparison to prices in other countries. This event led to the British government passing the Stamp Act in 1765, which imposed taxes on paper items such as newspapers and playing cards, as well as on imported goods. The mounting social tensions resulting from the British government
• 00:05:00 In 1774, the British government passed "unacceptable" laws limiting colonial autonomy, which led to the founding of the first Continental Congress. The event marked the beginning of the American Revolution. The main participants in the Revolution were George Washington, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, who are known as the " Founding Fathers." The main consequence of the American Revolution was the French Revolution, which was inspired by the American Revolution and helped to spread the ideals of liberty throughout the world. The American Revolution also led to the emancipation of slaves in Latin America, a process that began with the Revolution in France.
• 00:10:00 The French Revolution was not forgotten by elites in America South, as it ended the reign of Fernando VII, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, and led to the establishment of Spanish colonies in Argentina and Venezuela. However, the reasons for their independence were not enough to emancipate the people. Fernando VII would eventually regain the throne after the Spanish-French War, but this did not align with the liberal winds that were blowing in other parts of the world. Liberators such as José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar would lead the independentist movement in the Spanish colonies of the South.