THE COLOMBIAN INDEPENDENCE PROCESS

“The revolution is a change that affects all the aspects in a society”

There were aspects that gave rise to the Political Revolution of 1810 when the people took the power as own. This period triggered a revolutionary critical stage that ended on 1819.

Some of them were:

Ø  The revolt of the comuneros (1781):                                                                                                                     People of the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granda tired to pay high tributes to the king, decided to wake up and change their thought. Thanks to that, the revolt of the comuneros could arise being Manuelita Beltran and José Galan their main leaders.

Ø  The translations and publications of the Human Rights by Antonio Nariño in 1794, The Botanical Expedition and the revolutionary satirical leaflets were the first steps in this process of independence.

Ø  The Napoleonic wars were a series of important events because Napoleon intervened to Spain with Carlos IV and Fernando VII abdications and then, he gave the Spain throne to his brother José.

Ø  In the Bayonne Statute promulgation (1808) was recognized the autonomy of American provinces that were under the Spain power.

Ø  The French revolutions and the U.S.A independence were factors that influenced on the revolutionary ideas.

Ø  On February 14, 1810, a statement came from Spain to America saying that there wasn’t who governed the people because all of their leaders fell into the hands of Napoleon. With that, people felt desire to become independent.

The cry of independence, 1810.

The criollos seized the opportunity to thr government of Spain therefore; they planned an uprising taking advantage of “the market day”.

This day was perfect because they could have the support of the people.

Ø  Antonio Villavicencio arrived to Santa Fe de Bogatá with the purpose of talk with the criollos.

Ø  The Morales brothers were in charge to pay homage to Villavicencio. They decides to borrow a vase from the Spaniard José González Llorente but he refused to lent it.

Ø  Known as “the Llorente’s flower vase incident” this action was a perfect pretext to organize a cabildo who servers to sign the independence minutes.

THE FOOLISH FATHERLAND.

.

Ø  This was the first period in the history where the territory was governed by the criollos, but they didn’t know how to manage and how they had to organize.

Ø  Federalists and centralists (produced as a result) struggled to implement the best form of government and produced as a result the first civil war.

Ø  The centralist led by Antonio Nariño defended the idea of “a single and central government”. It should be located in Santa Fe de Bogotá since as it would be easier to face a Spanish reconquest there.

Ø  On the other hand the federalist led by Camilo Torres thought that the territory size difficult the correct manage of the Central government. Also, they wanted that each province should have its own government to obtain most progress.

With the disagree for the way of government, it was easy the reconquest of the Nueva Granada territories in 1815 by the Spains, their leader was Pablo Morillo, known as “El Pacificador”, who took again the control on the colonies giving as a result dead and grief in the Nueva Granada territories.

Finally, we can find the struggle that developed the Colombian territory independence. It occurs in the “Puente de Boyacá” battle. This was the end of a lot of confrontations that started time before in the Llanos Orientales.

There, Francisco de Paula Santander was refuged with his army. While Simón Bolivar arrived from Europe to Venezuela. In this country, Bolivar joined to Santander army, announcing his liberation plan. First, he would liberate the Nueva Granada, then, Venezuela, Quito, Perú and Bolivia.

The Spanish armies were located in the middle of the Nueva Granada (today known as Boyacá and Cundinamarca).Bolivar and Santander were across the cordillera oriental to fight against them.

The patriotic army in this case with Juan Jose Rondón as the leader, arrived to the Pantano de Vargas getting the first victory on the Spain army.

After, on august 7, 1819, in the Puente de Boyacá Simón Bolivar won the victory against the royalist armies, sealing there our independence from the Spanish crown.

Bolivar and Santander ideas were fulfilled and were an example for the other American provinces.