Definition of The Jamaica Charter (1815)

In 1811 the First Republic of Venezuela was proclaimed. However the movement Liberator led by Simón Bolívar had to face the royalist side, those who were in favor of remaining under Spanish rule. After several military campaigns, Bolívar's troops seized power again in 1813 and the Second Republic was proclaimed.

In 1814 the victory of the royalist troops in the Fifth Battle of Maturín marked the end of the Second Republic. As a consequence, Simón Bolívar went into exile on the island of Jamaica.

The Jamaica Letter

This document written in 1815 by Simón Bolívar is a letter that was addressed to an important merchant who resided in Jamaica, at that time a British colony.

The main purpose of the letter was to get the British to support the definitive independence of Venezuela.

Throughout the extensive letter, Bolívar presented all kinds of arguments, among which we can highlight the following:

1) The Spanish Crown had tax an unjust system based on absolutism.

2) The original inhabitants of Venezuela, the Creoles, were totally displaced from political and economic power.

3) Spain, the motherland of Venezuelans, was actually a stepmother who enslaved the subjugated peoples.

4) The ties they had united Latin America and Spain should be definitively broken and for this it was necessary to have the international support of the powerful nations of the planet.

5) To demonstrate the situation of oppression in which Latin America found itself, the letter takes a tour of the different countries where the imperialism Spanish submits to a population who longs for freedom and independence.

6) For Bolívar, the independence of the American nations is inspired by the ideals of the French Enlightenment. In this sense, the letter states that European educated nations should pressure Spain to renounce its draft imperialist in America.

A document of great historical value

Regardless of the arguments set forth in the letter, this text contains interesting reflections on the future of Latin America. In this sense, timeless issues are discussed: dignity of the peoples, the need for a government righteous and the fight against oppression.

Throughout their terms, Venezuelan presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro have made reference to the Letter from Jamaica on several occasions, indicating that it is an inspiring text for the peoples of Latin America.