Independence Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the United Provinces of South America by the Congress of Tucumán in 1816
Argentina's journey to independence represents one of the most complex and consequential liberation movements in Latin American history. The formal declaration on July 9, 1816, by the Congress of Tucumán marked the culmination of years of revolutionary struggle, political maneuvering, and military campaigns that transformed the former Spanish Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata into the independent United Provinces of South America. This watershed moment didn't emerge in isolation but was the product of international upheavals, regional rivalries, and the determined efforts of visionary leaders who sought to redefine Argentina's place in the world.
Colonial Foundations and Early Discontent
The territory that would become Argentina existed for centuries as part of Spain's vast American empire, formally organized as the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1776. This administrative unit encompassed not only modern Argentina but also Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia, with Buenos Aires as its capital . The Spanish colonial system imposed a rigid hierarchy that privileged peninsulares (Spanish-born officials) over criollos (American-born whites), creating simmering resentments among the local elite who found themselves excluded from positions of real power despite their economic importance .
Economically, the region chafed under Spain's restrictive trade policies. The mercantilist system required all colonial trade to flow through Spanish ports, stifling the economic potential of Buenos Aires which possessed one of the finest natural harbors in South America. This artificial constraint became increasingly intolerable as the colony's agricultural and pastoral sectors expanded, creating powerful local interests that yearned for free trade with Britain and other European nations .
The intellectual foundations for independence were laid by the spread of Enlightenment ideas through Buenos Aires, a cosmopolitan port city where European books and revolutionary concepts circulated despite official restrictions. The American and French Revolutions provided potent examples of colonies breaking free from European monarchies, while the writings of Rousseau, Montesquieu, and other philosophers challenged the divine right of kings and advocated popular sovereignty .
The British Invasions: A Prelude to Revolution
An unexpected prelude to Argentina's independence struggle came with the British invasions of 1806-1807. As part of the global conflict between Britain and Napoleonic France (Spain's ally), British forces twice attempted to seize control of the Río de la Plata region. In a remarkable display of local initiative, the colonists repelled these invasions largely without help from Spanish authorities, creating both a new confidence in their military capabilities and a diminished respect for Spanish power .
The successful defense against the British was led by Santiago de Liniers, a French-born Spanish officer, but crucially depended on local militias composed of criollos, mestizos, and even slaves who were armed for the emergency. These militia units, particularly the Regiment of Patricians, would later become important power centers in the revolutionary movement . The invasions demonstrated that the colonists could defend themselves without relying on Madrid, while the brief period of British occupation introduced new commercial ideas that made the restrictive Spanish trade system seem even more archaic .
The May Revolution of 1810
The true beginning of Argentina's independence movement came with the May Revolution of 1810, triggered by the collapse of Spanish authority in the wake of Napoleon's invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1808, Napoleon forced both King Charles IV and his heir Ferdinand VII to abdicate, placing his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne. This created a crisis of legitimacy throughout Spain's empire, as traditional Spanish law held that sovereignty reverted to the people in the absence of a legitimate monarch .
News of these events reached Buenos Aires in May 1810, prompting an open cabildo (an extraordinary town meeting) on May 22. After intense debate, the assembly voted on May 25 to depose the Spanish viceroy, Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, and establish a local governing junta that would rule in the name of Ferdinand VII—a common fiction that allowed colonies to claim loyalty while asserting self-rule. This Primera Junta, led by Cornelio Saavedra and including figures like Mariano Moreno and Juan José Paso, marked the first autonomous government in Argentine territory .
The May Revolution reflected the complex political philosophies of the era. While radical figures like Moreno advocated for broad social reforms and complete independence, more conservative elements sought merely greater autonomy within a reformed Spanish empire. All claimed to act in Ferdinand's name, but the practical effect was the creation of a de facto independent government that began organizing military campaigns to spread revolutionary control throughout the viceroyalty .
The Struggle for Control: Military Campaigns and Internal Divisions
Following the May Revolution, the new government in Buenos Aires faced immediate challenges from royalist strongholds in the interior. The first military campaigns sought to secure control over key regions and prevent counter-revolution. In Córdoba, a force led by Santiago de Liniers (the former hero of the British invasions) organized royalist resistance, but was quickly defeated. The execution of Liniers and other royalist leaders marked a decisive break with the colonial past .
More challenging was the campaign to the north, where royalist forces based in Upper Peru (modern Bolivia) posed a persistent threat. The Army of the North, initially commanded by Juan José Castelli and Manuel Belgrano, achieved early victories at Suipacha in 1810 but suffered devastating defeats at Huaqui (1811), Vilcapugio and Ayohuma (1813) . These battles demonstrated the difficulty of dislodging Spanish power from its Andean strongholds, where many local elites remained loyal to the crown.
Simultaneously, the revolution faced internal divisions between centralists who favored strong rule from Buenos Aires and federalists who wanted greater autonomy for provincial leaders. The most dramatic expression of this conflict emerged in the Banda Oriental (modern Uruguay), where José Gervasio Artigas led a federalist rebellion against Buenos Aires' authority. Artigas' League of Free Peoples articulated a radically democratic vision for the region, including land reform and federalism, that challenged the more conservative leadership in the capital .
These tensions were exacerbated by changing governments in Buenos Aires. The Primera Junta gave way to successive governing bodies—the Junta Grande, the First and Second Triumvirates—each reflecting shifting political balances. By 1814, the position of Supreme Director was created, first held by Gervasio Antonio de Posadas and then by Carlos María de Alvear, whose brief, authoritarian rule ended in his ouster in 1815 .
The Congress of Tucumán and the Declaration of Independence
By 1815, with Ferdinand VII restored to the Spanish throne and determined to reclaim his American colonies, Argentine leaders recognized the need for a more definitive break. The Supreme Director, Ignacio Álvarez Thomas, called for a congress of provincial representatives to determine the nation's future. This assembly, known as the Congress of Tucumán, convened on March 24, 1816, in the northern city of San Miguel de Tucumán—chosen for its central location and distance from Buenos Aires' factional politics .
The Congress brought together 29 deputies representing various provinces, though notably absent were delegates from Artigas' federalist league and from Paraguay, which had already declared its own independence in 1811. The assembly included prominent figures like Juan José Paso, José Mariano Serrano, and the president of the Congress, Francisco Narciso de Laprida from San Juan .
After months of debate—including discussions about establishing a monarchy with a European or even Inca prince—the Congress moved decisively on July 9, 1816. Meeting in the home of Francisca Bazán de Laguna, the delegates declared "the united provinces in South America" to be "a nation free and independent of the kings of Spain and their metropolis" . The declaration, authored primarily by Paso, invoked Enlightenment principles and the right of self-determination, citing Spain's failure to protect or justly govern its colonies .
The choice of name—United Provinces of South America—reflected both the congress's aspirations for continental unity and the uncertain boundaries of the new nation. In reality, the declaration applied primarily to what would become Argentina, as Paraguay, Bolivia, and Uruguay were already separating . The document was proclaimed in Spanish and later translated into indigenous languages like Quechua and Aymara to broaden its appeal .
Post-Declaration Challenges and the Leadership of San Martín
The declaration of independence did not immediately secure Argentina's freedom. Spanish forces remained entrenched in Upper Peru, while the new nation faced internal divisions between centralists and federalists. The Congress appointed Juan Martín de Pueyrredón as Supreme Director and continued its work, moving to Buenos Aires in 1817 where it drafted a constitution in 1819 that proved unworkable .
The military situation was transformed by José de San Martín, who had returned to Argentina in 1812 after fighting against Napoleon in Spain. Recognizing that royalist power in Upper Peru was too entrenched, San Martín developed an audacious alternative strategy: to cross the Andes, liberate Chile, and then attack Peru by sea. His Army of the Andes, trained and equipped in Mendoza, executed one of history's great military feats by crossing the mountain passes in early 1817 .
San Martín's victories at Chacabuco (1817) and Maipú (1818) secured Chilean independence, while his naval campaign led to the liberation of Peru in 1821. These campaigns, coordinated with Simón Bolívar's operations in northern South America, effectively ended Spanish power on the continent, though Argentina itself would not achieve full stability for decades .
Legacy and Historical Significance
The Congress of Tucumán's declaration represented both a culmination and a beginning. It gave formal expression to a process that had begun in 1810 and would continue through years of civil conflict before Argentina achieved stable nationhood. The original document has been lost, but copies preserved in the General Archive of the nation testify to this foundational moment .
The House of Tucumán where independence was declared has been preserved as a national monument and museum, having been declared a National Heritage Site in 1941 . The date itself—July 9—became Argentina's national holiday, celebrated with parades, patriotic ceremonies, and traditional foods like locro stew and empanadas .
Argentina's path to independence mirrored broader patterns in Latin America, where the collapse of Spanish authority created opportunities for local elites to assert control. What distinguished the Argentine experience was the early strength of its popular mobilization, the intellectual sophistication of its leadership, and the continental vision of figures like San Martín. The declaration of 1816 did not resolve fundamental questions about Argentina's political organization—these would fuel decades of conflict between unitarians and federalists—but it established an irrevocable claim to self-determination that continues to shape Argentine identity .
From its colonial grievances to its revolutionary triumphs, Argentina's independence struggle represents a pivotal chapter in the age of Atlantic revolutions. The Congress of Tucumán's bold declaration in 1816 asserted not just political separation from Spain, but the birth of a new nation committed—however imperfectly—to the ideals of liberty and popular sovereignty that were transforming the Western world.
Photo from: iStock
0 Comment to "Argentina’s Independence Day: Celebrating the 1816 Declaration of the United Provinces of South America by the Congress of Tucumán"
Post a Comment