Simon Bolivar succeeded in defeating Spanish forces on August 10, 1820 in Bogota, marking the first independent nation called Gran Colombia. While uprisings against Spanish presence in South America occurred earlier in the 19th century, the taking of Bogota marked the first time that the viceroyalty capital and control was in the hands of South Americans. In the subsequent years, other nations in South America followed suite and gained independence. 

In 1822, forces led by General Antonio Jose de Sucre defeated Spanish forces near Quito, which guaranteed Ecuador's independence. Although Guayaquil gained independence before the Battle of Pichincha, it was this battle that saw the whole country become independent. After the battle, Ecuador joined Gran Colombia until separating in 1830. 

In 1824, Simon Bolivar led decisive victories against the Spanish forces in Peru in Junin and Ayacucho. In August of 1825, the Congress of Upper Peru, the Republic of Bolivia was established with Bolivar as its first president. After a brief several months as President, Bolivar was succeeded by Antonio Jose de Sucre in December of 1825. 

Simon Bolivar was from a wealthy Creole family and he was one of the major leaders in the revolutions that created all of the above nations, so he would be the best choice. Moctezuma II was the ruler of the Aztecs when the Spanish arrived, so he would not be a good answer to this question. George Washington was a revolutionary general but he was only active in the modern United States, so he would not be a good answer here. King Ferdinand II was an Old World monarch and sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyage, so he would not be the best choice here. Lastly Pablo Escobar was an infamous 20th century drug smuggler, so he would not be a correct answer.

Juan Peron was a champion of the working class and his platform exemplified this. He was in favor of ridding the country of multinational corporations and giving the jobs, that he believed they had taken, back to the Argentinian people. He therefore was in favor of organized labor and wished to keep foreign investors out of the country. He also did not believe in giving tax cuts to the wealthy.

Due to Napoleon's conquest, the Portuguese royal family had already moved to Brazil, setting up the path towards independence with the establishment of the Empire of Brazil in 1822.

Venezuela declared its independence from Spain on July 5, 1811. It was the first country to do so during the general Spanish American Wars for Independence that occurred between 1810 to 1823. The collapse of the Spanish Monarchy in 1808 led to a power vacuum in South America that allowed several colonies to move to independence. Even though Venezuela declared its independence in 1811, the last Spanish Loyalist forces did not stop fighting until 1823. 

The Battle of Pichincha was the final battle on the Ecuadorian rebels' advance to Quito. It was the culmination of Ecuador's struggle for independence that started in 1820. Even before conflict began, Spanish Loyalist forces were already on the retreat throughout the continent. Thus, Ecuador's fight for independence was shorter and less bloody than other conflicts on the continent. The Battle itself occurred over 3,500 meters above sea level on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano. Victory by General Antonio Jose de Sucre allowed the rebels to enter Quito, in effect guaranteeing the formation of Ecuador as an independent country.  

The Battle of Ayacucho was the last great battle of the South American wars for independence. Peruvian rebels led by Jose Antonio de Sucre (the same general from the Battle of Pichincha crushed the remnants of Royalist control of Peru. Although the battle occurred in Peru, it also resulted in the formation of the nation of Bolivia, which incorporated parts of Upper Peru that had been led by Simon Bolivar. 

Bolivar began his efforts to encourage revolution a year after the Peninsular War began in 1807. The Peninsular War was a conflict between France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the Bourbon and Bonapartist Spanish forces. By 1821, Bolivar had helped Venezuela secure its independence.