Skip to main content

Primary sourceSpeech15 February 1819

Speech of Angostura

Simón Bolívar · 15 February 1819

Bolívar's 1819 address to the Congress of Angostura, laying out his political theory for the new republic.

This speech was delivered by Bolívar himself, directly expressing his political philosophy for the new nation.

Ask Simón Bolívar about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Wikisource)

About this source

What it is

This speech was delivered by Simón Bolívar to the Congress of Angostura on 15 February 1819, the day of its installation, in what is now Ciudad Bolívar.

Why it matters

In it, Bolívar set out his republican political theory, proposing a strong executive, a hereditary senate, and a special 'moral power', drawing on classical and Enlightenment ideas. The speech shows how he tried to design lasting institutions out of the chaos of the independence wars.

Look closer

  • Why does Bolívar describe giving up supreme power as a relief rather than a loss?
  • What does his proposal for a hereditary senate suggest about his worries for the new republic?
  • Who is his audience, and how might that shape what he says?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Simón Bolívar on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Simón Bolívar sources

Meet the AI Simón Bolívar →
Photograph of an aged, handwritten manuscript page on yellowed paper, lying open in a white book or folder. Dense cursive script fills the page, with a faded blue stamp from the Banco Central del Ecuador in the upper right corner and a stamp in the upper left. The photo carries an Andes news agency watermark.Letter

Primary source

Carta de Jamaica

Simón Bolívar · 1815

Black and white engraved portrait of a man in a military uniform with epaulettes and braided buttons, with short hair and a mustache, looking to his left. The caption below reads BOLIVAR. Printed on a cream sheet with the number 3 in the upper right corner.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Bolívar (Leipzig engraving)

Black-and-white steel engraved portrait of a man with dark wavy hair and a mustache, wearing a high-collared military uniform with epaulettes and buttoned coat. Below the image are the printed title 'Bolivar' and credit lines.Painting

Secondary source

Steel Engraved Portrait of Bolívar by W. Holl after M.N. Bate

William Holl II · 1853

A painting of a man in a white shirt holding a quill and pointing at a document on a table, while a uniformed officer in a dark cape stands opposite, with soldiers and a seated scribe behind. A dog sits at left.Document

Primary source

Decree of War to the Death

Simón Bolívar · 15 June 1813

Pen-and-ink drawing of a bedroom with a four-poster canopy bed draped in curtains with tasseled trim, a patterned tiled wall, and a doorway opening onto a window with bars. Signed 'Sánchez Felipe' at lower right. A faint purple library stamp appears at left and a Diputación de Cáceres logo at lower right.Artifact

Secondary source

Drawing of the Room Where Simón Bolívar Was Born

Alejandro Sánchez Felipe · 1960

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Simón Bolívar now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions