Questions Refer to the Passage Below

Multiple Choice

Questions refer to the passage below.
Kingston, Jamaica, September 6, 1815
. . . 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. The habit of obedience; a community of interest, of understanding, of religion; mutual goodwill; a tender regard for the birthplace and good name of our forefathers; in short, all that gave rise to our hopes, came to us from Spain. As a result, there was born principle of affinity that seemed eternal, notwithstanding the misbehavior of our rulers which weakened that sympathy, or, rather, that bond enforced by the domination of their rule. At present the contrary attitude persists: we are threatened with the fear of death, dishonor, and every harm; there is nothing we have not suffered at the hands of that unnatural stepmother-Spain. The veil has been torn asunder. We have already seen the light, and it is not our desire to be thrust back into darkness. . . .
The role of the inhabitants of the American hemisphere has for centuries been purely passive. Politically they were nonexistent. We are still in a position lower than slavery, and therefore it is more difficult for us to rise to the enjoyment of freedom. . . . States are slaves because of either the nature or the misuse of their constitutions; a people is therefore enslaved when the government, by its nature or its vices, infringes on and usurps the rights of the citizen or subject.
Simon Bolivar, "Letter from Jamaica," 1815
-According to the document, how does Bolivar characterize the actions of the Spanish government?

A) Spanish rulers abandoned the Latin American colonies, forcing them to suffer in poverty due to economic neglect.
B) Spanish rulers worked with the colonists in creating strong economic and political institutions.
C) Spanish rulers governed fairly for many generations until the beginning of the nineteenth century.
D) Spanish rulers treated colonists as inferiors while using the colonies for their own economic gain.