up::考研英语一阅读材料导航
来源2007完形
原文
By 1830 the former Spanish and Portuguese colonies had become independent nations.
The roughly 20 million inhabitants of these nations looked hopefully to the future.
Born in the crisis of the old regime and Iberian colonialism, many of the leaders of independence shared the ideals of representative government, careers open to talent, freedom of commerce and trade, the right to private property, and a belief in the individual as the basis of society.
Generally there was a belief that the new nations should be sovereign and independent states, large enough to be economically viable and integrated by a common set of laws.
On the issue of freedom of religion and the position of the Church, however, there was less agreement among the leadership.
Roman Catholicism had been the state religion and the only one allowed by the Spanish crown.
12 most leaders sought to maintain Catholicism as the official religion of the new states, some sought to end the exclusion of other faiths.
The defense of the Church became a rallying cry for the conservative forces.
The ideals of the early leaders of independence were often egalitarian, valuing equality of everything.
Bolivar had received aid from Haiti and had promised in return to abolish slavery in the areas he liberated.
By 1854 slavery had been abolished everywhere except Spain’s remain colonies.
Early promises to end Indian tribute and taxes on people of mixed origin came much slower because the new nations still needed the revenue such policies produced .
Egalitarian sentiments were often tempered by fears that the mass of the population was unprepared for self - rule and democracy.
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