Simón Rodríguez (October 28, 1769,

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

– February 28, 1854, Amotape, Peru), known during his exile from

Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' Spanish Empire, imperial era between 15th and 19th centur ...

as Samuel Robinson, was a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n philosopher and educator, notably

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

's tutor and mentor. His mother, Rosalia Rodríguez, was the daughter of an owner of farms and livestock; her father was originally from the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Career in Venezuela

In May 1791, the Caracas Council (Cabildo) gave him a position as teacher in the "Reading and Writing School for Children". In 1794, he presented his critical writing ''Reflection on the flaws vitiating the Reading and Writing School for Children in Caracas and Means of Achieving its Reform and a New Establishment'' to the council, which represented an original approach to a modern school system. His role in the failed Gual and España conspiracy against the Spanish crown in 1797 forced him to leave Venezuela.

Exile

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

he changed his name to Samuel Robinson, and after staying some years in the

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he traveled to

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(1801). There, in 1804, he met his former protégé, Simón Bolivar; together they made a long journey across Europe. They witnessed the coronation of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

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, as King of Italy and in

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, witnessed how Bolívar took his famous oath that he would liberate all of America from the Spanish Crown, and registered it for history: "I swear before you; I swear on my parent’s God; I swear on them; I swear on my honor; and I swear on my Motherland; that I won’t give rest to my arm, nor repose to my soul, until I have broken the chains that oppress us by will of the Spanish power." Rodríguez returned to America in 1823, using his name "Simón Rodríguez" again. In

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he established the first workshop-school in 1824. He was called to

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and became "Director for Public Education, Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Arts" and "Director of Mines, Agriculture and Public Roads" of

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. In 1826, Rodríguez established a second workshop-school, as part of a project for all Bolivia. But

Antonio José de Sucre Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" (), was a Venezuelan general and politician who served as the president of Bolivia from 1825 to 1828. A close friend and associate ...

, president of

since October 1826, did not have a good relationship with him, and Rodríguez resigned the same year, working during the rest of his life as educator and writer, living alternatively in different places of

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and

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. His work '' Sociedades Americanas'' (''American Societies'') was divided in several issues and published in

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara language, Aymara and ), also known by its nicknames of ''Ciudad Blanca'' (Spanish for "White City") and ''León del Sur'' (Spanish for "South's Lion"), is a city in Peru and the capital of the eponymous Arequipa (province), ...

(1828), in Concepción (1834),

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(1838), and

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(1842).

Last years and legacy

Most of Rodríguez's written works remained in

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, but were lost in the large city fire of 1896. Rodriguez is the face on the 50 Bolivar Fuerte bills. He was also the face in the old 20,000 Bolívar bills (until 2007). One of the

Bolivarian Missions The Bolivarian missions are a series of over thirty social programs implemented under the administration of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and continued by Chávez's successor, Nicolás Maduro. The programs focus on helping the mo ...

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

, Mission Robinson, is named for him.

Tribute

On October 28, 2018, Rodríguez was honoured with a

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posthumously on his 249th birthday.

References

Sources

* Consuelo Hernández. "Simón Rodríguez y la crítica", ''El Nacional''. August 7, 1982 * Consuelo Hernández."Simón Rodríguez visto en la perspectiva del tiempo", Revista de la Universidad Simón Rodríguez. Año III. No. 4 (1982), pp. 21–33.

External links

''Sociedades Americanas''
mipagina.cantv.net; accessed August 3, 2017.

Glrbv.org.ve; accessed August 3, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Simon Writers from Caracas Venezuelan male writers Venezuelan schoolteachers Venezuelan people of Canarian descent Venezuelan people of Spanish descent 1769 births 1854 deaths Burials at the National Pantheon of Venezuela Venezuelan educational theorists Viceroyalty of New Granada people