The American and French Revolutions were two wars that had an enormous impact on Latin America, and were to some extent responsible for the wave of wars of independence and revolutions that took place in the continent.
These two wars were inspiring to Latin American because of the ideals that they championed. They were both inspired by the ideals of Enlightenment that had originated in philosophy. Some of these ideas included equality of all men, the right to property, the right to the pursuit of happiness, the right to freedom and the idea of a social contract.
One of the revolutions that was impacted by these ideas was the HAitian Revolution. This was led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, a man who had been born a slave. L'Ouverture believed that all men were equal, that they all had a right to freedom and self-determination, and that education could help them be better men and citizens. These Enlightenment ideals ultimately led to the independence of Haiti.
