Come with me quickly, don't tell anybody where- it has to be under the veil of darkness and you must be sworn to secrecy. Do you swear? Very well my friend, its this way- come into my sanctuary, its wonderful isn't it? Thousands of books on everything from history to religion, sciences to politics and of course my prized collection of foreign languages! Its glorious right?

Now here is why you must swear to keep it secret in 1790s Spanish America- there is no liberty to own these books with dangerous ideas. Regardless of the fact that these philosophers disagreed among themselves and this is solely for the purpose of education. Citizen, please stay away from that desk... that is where the most forbidden thing of all is the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen from the French Revolution being translated into Spanish by one Antonio Nariño.

Nariño was a Colombian intellectual who loved books and called his library his "sanctuary" where he had frequent intellectual discussions. He translated the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen into Spanish, and was arrested for doing so. After many years in jail he refused to renounce his commitment to human rights. He survived and became Bolivar's Vice President, but his health was terribly damaged from chronic heart disease and tuberculosis he contracted in prison.

Liberty University

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