Read the excerpt from Simón Bolívar’s letter, “Reply of a South American to a Gentleman of this Island.” In which portion of the text does he declare his homeland’s independence from colonial rule? Success will crown our efforts, because the destiny of America has been irrevocably decided; the tie that bound her to Spain has been severed. Only a concept maintained that tie and kept the parts of that immense monarchy together. That which formerly bound them now divides them. The hatred that the Peninsula has inspired in us is greater than the ocean between us. It would be easier to have the two continents meet than to reconcile the spirits of the two countries.