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Independence 

"Casa del Florero" by Vojageur du Mondo. This was the house of a Spaniard, Llorente, that was at the center of the events that conducted to the Proclamation of the Independence on 1810 in Bogotá.

Scholars use to enlist many reasons that leaded the Spaniard colonies in America to their independence and the proclamation of Republican nations. Those conditions were similar for Colombia and in this period of its history, the country was united to Ecuador and Venezuela and related to the process of Independence of the other Latin American and Caribbean nations. However, the process that conducted to a fully independence took a long time and there were different events that were about to join little by little. The self conscience of being the body of a nation in most of the Spaniard colonies was based primarily on the same Colonial structures. What we see today as Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, is not other thing that the modern descendant of the colonial structure administration given to that territory by the Spaniards. The aboriginal divisions by people, ethnics and languages were commended to disappear. If the Inca Empire was established in what is today Peru, Bolivia, the north of Chile and parts of Ecuador and Colombia, that was not considered in the moment of the independence. It is also because those who leaded the processes of independence were no others than the same "Spaniards" born in American soil.

Spain was invaded by Napoleon who gave to Joseph Bonaparte the title of King of Spain and Emperor of the Americas after putting in prison King Fernando VII. Some Spaniards and Americans (the Spaniards born in the Spanish colonies), met in 1812 and redacted what was called the Constitution of Cadiz. In such Constitution, the Spaniards were looking for the support of the Hispanic Americans in order to fight against France. That Constitution of Cadiz was to become a base for the new born Hispanic American nations. 

When Fernando VII was liberated, he returned to the power, refused to sign the Constitution of Cadiz, reestablished the absolutism and sent Pablo Morillo to subdue the rebel colonies starting from Caracas to Darien in what he called the Pacification of the Colonies. If the Hispanic Americans were loyal to him during his imprisonment - most of the declarations of independence used to state that they did not recognize the authority of Spain but were loyal to King Fernando VII -, the way he treated the Colonies only gave them best reasons to get fully independence from Spain and from the king. That is why the Colombian anthem says in what of its verses "The King is not Sovereign."  

The Americas produced at the time many Fathers of the Nation ready to fight against the Spaniard tyranny everywhere, by speech and by sword. The most prominent Colombian heroes of the time were the following ones:

Antonio Nariño (Bogotá 1765 - Villa de Leyva 1823): He is known in history as the Precursor of the Independence. He is also the Father of the Colombian journalism.

Camilo Torres Tenorio (Popayán 1766 - Bogotá 1816): Torres was the author of the Memorial de Agravios, a work that was to become very influencial in the cause of independence. It was writen on November 20, 1908. Actually, the document of Torres was writen for the Spaniard authorities where he remind to them that the Spaniard colonies in America were inhabited by American Spaniards and they were not different of those who live in Europe. During the 18th century, the European Spaniards started to make discriminations to those born in America. The Memorial de Agravios was a solicitud to them to give more authonomy to the Colonies and it was also loyal to the King as many other independentists groups were before the "Pacification" of Fernando VII and Pablo Murillo.

Francisco de Paula Santander​​ (Cúcuta 1792 - Bogotá 1840): Santander was the Man of the Laws. He was Vice President between 1819 and 1826 and President between 1832 - 1837.

Simón Bolívar (Caracas 1783 - Santa Marta 1830): Although he was a Venezuelan, his ideals made him a man of the Americas and he saw Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and the other nations as his homeland. He is known in history as Libertador (Liberator) and he was the most important American person of the 19th century.  

Antonio Nariño	Camilo Torres Tenorio

Francisco de Paula Santander	Simón Bolívar

Authors: Albeiro Rodas (12.10.2007) | Send your own proposal.

The Lower the Latitude, the Better my Attitude!  Friday, July 04, 2008   Site dedicated to the Colombian people!

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