Historia de San Martín y de la emancipación sudamericana facts for kids
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| Author | Bartolomé Mitre |
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| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
| Subject | José de San Martín |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | Ediciones Peuser |
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Publication date
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1887 |
| Preceded by | Historia de Belgrano y de la Independencia Argentina |
Historia de San Martín y de la emancipación sudamericana (which means History of San Martín and the South American emancipation) is a famous book. It's a biography about José de San Martín, a very important South American hero. Bartolomé Mitre wrote this book in 1869. It's one of the first big history books about Argentina. Mitre also wrote a biography about Manuel Belgrano.
Contents
Why This Book Was Written
Argentina's New Identity
In the late 1800s, Argentina was growing stronger. The country had moved past its fight for independence and difficult civil wars. People wanted to build a strong national identity.
Finding a National Hero
One important task was to decide who the "Father of the Nation" would be. Bartolomé Mitre, a former president, took on this challenge. He wanted to highlight key figures from Argentina's past.
Rivadavia and Belgrano
First, Bernardino Rivadavia was chosen as a national figure. He was briefly President of Argentina in 1826. His ideas were similar to the government at the time. However, Rivadavia was a politician, not a military leader.
Mitre wanted a military hero to stand beside Rivadavia. So, he wrote about Manuel Belgrano. Belgrano won important battles like Tucumán and Salta. But he also faced defeats. This made it hard for him to be the only military "Father of the Nation."
About the Book
Mitre's Plan for San Martín
Mitre started working on San Martín's biography right after his time as president. He planned two books. The first would cover San Martín's life from 1812 to 1822. This included his arrival in Buenos Aires and the Guayaquil conference. The second book would be about San Martín's later life.
Mariano Balcarce, San Martín's son-in-law, sent Mitre many of San Martín's personal papers from Europe. These helped Mitre write the book.
How San Martín Was Portrayed
San Martín believed in uniting Latin American countries. This idea didn't quite fit with the strong central government of Mitre's time. So, the book changed some details about San Martín's life.
The Spanish American wars of independence are shown as an Argentine revolution. It spreads freedom to Chile and Peru. Simón Bolívar, another great liberator, is shown as someone who conquered and took over new free countries. The book says the war was about countries breaking away from Spain from the start. It also suggests Britain encouraged and supported this.
San Martín's Early Life
This view of the war could seem confusing for San Martín. He left America as a child. He served in the Spanish army for 22 years. Because of this, his time in Spain is only briefly mentioned. It's just six pages in a book of over six hundred.
The book explains why San Martín left the Spanish army. It says he "decided to return to his distant nation." It claims he "had always loved [it] as a true mother." He wanted to "offer her his sword and devote her his life." This means the book suggests his first six years in America shaped him more than his 28 years in Spain. This part of the book has caused some debate among historians.
The Unwritten Second Book
Mitre never wrote the second book about San Martín's later life. Historian Norberto Galasso believes this is because San Martín's later actions might have gone against Mitre's portrayal. For example, San Martín had disagreements with Rivadavia. He also didn't approve of the execution of Manuel Dorrego. He supported Juan Manuel de Rosas and even gave him his sword. San Martín also spoke out against the French and Anglo-French blockades.
The book was finally published in 1887.
See also
In Spanish: Historia de San Martín y de la emancipación sudamericana para niños
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