Final answer:
Simón Bolívar highlighted the tyranny of the Spanish colonial system, which led to oppression and prevented freedom for South Americans. He pushed for a strong central government in the new nations and took measures for independence, yet his approach is debated on how liberating it truly was.
Step-by-step explanation:
Simón Bolívar identified various factors that explained why South Americans were unable to enjoy freedom during the colonial period. He argued that the Spanish colonial system had acted tyrannically, depriving people of liberty, equality, property, and security. This repression placed the mixed-race population at the bottom of the social hierarchy, preventing them from participating in sociopolitical and economic affairs and leading to conditions of civic ignorance, oppression, and vice. Additionally, Bolívar emphasized the need for a strong central government to guide the newly independent nations, reflecting the Enlightenment ideals of education and the dangers of prolonged authority by one individual. However, his measures for independence, like the gradual abolition of slavery and voting restricted to property owners, raise questions about the extent to which his movement can be considered genuinely liberatory or revolutionary.