Jose+de+San+Martin

Jose de San Martin by Jay Chambers:



Aim: José de San Martín was an Argentine general and was involved in the Spanish American Wars of Independence. He helped lead revolutions against Spanish rule in countries such as Argentina, Chile, and Peru. The primary purpose why he led these revolutions was because he wanted independence. On a page in the Historical Text Archive, it says that San Martín and The Congress of Tucuman met with representatives to discuss the future of Argentina and other countries; it also stated, “San Martín was on the side of declaring outright independence from Spain. On July 9th, the Congress of Tucumán declared independence from Spain” (Vandiver). According to this, San Martín wanted other countries to have independence because he felt like it was the right thing to do, which is why he declared outright independence from Spain. The Congress of Tucuman did the same thing and declared for independence for their people. San Martín and others at the conference believed that “the best form of government for the newly liberated South American nations would be some form of a liberal-constitutional monarchy, and San Martín believed that this would instill an element of stability in the new nations” (Vandiver). According to this, San Martín believed that enabling independence in other countries can enforce an element of stability for different nations, therefore benefitting the world.

Audience: José de San Martín was viewed as a national hero to South America, primarily to the countries of Chile, Argentina, and Peru. San Martín gained support from the Latin American community, as he was a true hero to the people because he believed in independence. The Spanish American wars of independence that San Martín was involved in extended the concept of freedom all throughout Argentina, Chile, and Brazil, in which San Martín played a part. In honor of San Martín and his conquests, in 1869, Bartolomé Mitre published Historia de San Martín y de la emancipación sudamericana (History of San Martín and the South American emancipation). The context of the book was that Argentina had left behind the War of Independence and the most harsh times of the civil war, beginning to strengthen their culture (Wikipedia). The context of the book revolved around Argentina leaving behind the war and rebuilding a better society and better culture. The book, however, detailed San Martín and his journey to enforcing independence in South America, specifically in Argentina, Chile, and Peru, in which freedom is enabled in those countries. The book details how the Spanish American wars of independence helped enable independence and freedom in those countries, as well as the significance of San Martín. The audience of San Martín happens to be South America itself because he contributed so much to that area.

Historical: José de San Martin was the last son of Juan de San Martín, who was not so successful as a Spanish soldier. José de San Martín followed his father’s footsteps by starting his military career at age 11, which was the required age to be enrolled the Regiment of Murcia. He began as a cadet in the Murcia Infantry Unit and went from there military-wise. San Martín’s significance began in the Spanish American wars of Independence, in which he declared independence for South America, primarily Argentina and Peru. During the 19th century, his whole purpose was to defeat Spanish forces in order to gain independence for those countries in particular, resulting in being involved in many conflicts. The objective of defeating the forces involved establishing a new army, the Army of the Andes, in Cuyo Province, Argentina; he then led the Crossing of the Andes to Chile, and triumphed at the Battle of Maipú in 1818, thereby liberating Chile from royalist rule (Wikipedia). From there, he accomplished many more tasks, therefore accomplishing his goal of independence, making him more successful. As a result, San Martín was viewed as a national hero of Argentina and Peru, along with Simón Bolívar, who contributed with him. Ever since then, San Martín has been honored for his contributions.

Cultural: José de San Martín has made an impact culturally as well. It was said that San Martín did not pose for any portrait during his infancy, neither did he pose during his military career. Although, there is a portrait that was made by José Gil de Castro that shows San Martín posing, in that was supposed to be the first known case when San Martín posed for a portrait; ever since then, he posed for another portrait in an unknown date for the artist Francois Joseph Navez, which is currently kept at the National Historical Museum (Wikipedia). This has been a rare case for San Martín to pose in portraits and it's still unknown as to how many other portraits he posed for. Furthermore, San Martín is a unique character because of things like this, therefore making him an ideal figure in history. The battle of San Lorenzo was another battle San Martín was involved in, in which an anthem was made and is well known in the world, being considered one of the best military marches ever written. Part of it goes, "Yerga el Ande su cumbre más alta, Dé la mar el metal de su voz, y entre cielos y nieves eternas se alce el trono del Libertador," or "Rise the Andes its highest peak; Give the sea the metal of his voice. And between skies and everlasting snows, shall arise the throne of the Liberator" (Wikipedia). From anthems to art, San Martín is considered to be one of the most important figures in world history due to his significance.

Sources: "Historia De San Martín Y De La Emancipación Sudamericana." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. "José De San Martín." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. "Legacy of José De San Martín." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. Vandiver, Jason A. "San Martín, José De: Liberator of Argentina." //Historical Text Archive//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.