Whenever they were ignored by the governors, they broke out in war. Slaves and lower class groups fought for equality and often overthrew the current government. Many negotiations were made to make the revolutions disappear, but Simon Bolivar managed to bring them back, making most of South America independent by 1820 (Acrobatiq, 2014). Governments were ruled by middle- and upper-class men, and many Native American groups and slaves made no permanent political and social gains. In Mexico, women were given the right to control the affairs of their minor children, but in other places the role of women changed almost nothing. Revolutions almost broke out in Portugal, but King Joao declared Portugal an independent state and passed a constitution that gave some individual rights and a legislative body, but continued slavery and limited power to the white upper classes.