CÚCUTA CONGRESS: PARTICIPANTS, REFORMS AND CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The Congress of Cúcuta was an assembly held between May 6, 1821 and October 3 of the same year. Deputies elected according to the procedure established by the previous Congress of Angostura, in which the Republic of Colombia was created, participated in it.

After several years of war against the colonial authorities, Simón Bolívar had come to the conclusion that independence would only be possible when they had completely defeated the Spanish. Likewise, he sought a way to create a strong nation in order to have international recognition.

Simón Bolivar, Francisco de Paula Santander and other independence leaders leaving the Cúcuta Congress. Source: Ricardo Acevedo Bernal (1867-1930), via Wikimedia Commons For this reason, the Congress of Cúcuta had as one of its main purposes the unification of the United Provinces of Nueva Granada (currently Colombia) and the Venezuelan Confederation (currently Venezuela) in a single nation.

In addition to the formation of that new country, Congress promulgated the Constitution that was to govern it. During the meetings, several laws were also approved that improved the conditions of the indigenous and slaves of the territory.

Background

The project to unify Venezuela and New Granada had already been expressed by Bolívar years before the Cúcuta Congress was held. In 1813, after the capture of Caracas, he already spoke in that direction. Two years later, in the Jamaica Letter, the Liberator stated:

«I wish more than any other to see the greatest nation in the world form in America, less for its size and wealth than for its freedom and glory»… «… New Granada will unite with Venezuela, if they form a central republic. This nation will be called Colombia, as a tribute of gratitude to the creator of the New Hemisphere. "

Bolívar and the Second Republic of Venezuela

In those years, in the midst of the war against the Spanish, Bolívar had to put his project aside. He dedicated himself to organizing the state and focusing on the conflict.

In early 1814, moreover, the situation turned around. The Spanish began to fight back in the Venezuelan Llanos. Bolívar's troops were overwhelmed and had to withdraw to the east of the country.

This led to a great movement of the population from Caracas to the East, fleeing the royalists. On August 17, 1814 Bolívar was defeated in Aragua de Barcelona and had to join Mariño in Cumaná.

The Second Republic of Venezuela was thus defeated. Bolívar spent time in Nueva Granada and began planning his next steps.

During those months, he came to the conclusion that he had to totally defeat the Spanish if he wanted to achieve definitive independence. In addition, he understood that the regional leaders were damaging his cause and that it was necessary to unify all the troops under a single command. A single great and strong republic was, for him, the best solution.

Angostura Congress

In 1819 the so-called Congress of Angostura was held. At that meeting, the Basic Law was promulgated, through which the Republic of Colombia was granted legality. Likewise, a General Congress was convened to be held in Villa del Rosario de Cúcuta two years later, in 1821.

The decree of convocation of the Congress of Cúcuta indicated the way to choose the deputies who should attend. It was decided that each free province had to elect 5 deputies, up to 95.

The elections were held on several different dates. Among those elected were some experienced politicians, but most were quite young and without prior experience.

In the warlike aspect, the decisive confrontation took place on August 7, 1819. It was the so-called Battle of Boyacá and ended with the victory of Bolívar and his revolutionaries. When the viceroy learned of the result of that battle, he fled Bogotá. On August 10, the Liberation Army entered the capital unopposed.

Cúcuta Congress

According to the chroniclers, the organization of the Congress of Cúcuta was not easy. Apart from the war still continuing in parts of the country, some deputies had trouble reaching the city.

In addition, there was the death of Juan Germán Roscio, vice president of the Republic and in charge of organizing the Congress. Bolívar appointed Antonio Nariño to replace him, who had to make the decision to legalize that the assembly begin with the 57 deputies present. The inauguration was on May 6, 1821, in the Villa del Rosario de Cúcuta.

Even with the Congress underway, the Battle of Carabobo took place. That confrontation, which took place on June 24, signified the official independence of Venezuela. Representatives of that country joined the constitutional works that were developed in Cúcuta.

Participants

According to what was agreed in Angostura, 95 deputies should have been elected to the Congress of Cúcuta. However, the difficulty of communications, the war in some areas and other circumstances caused only 57 to attend.

Most of them were young people participating in politics for the first time. Others, on the other hand, already had experience in public administration. Among those chosen were legal professionals, members of the clergy or the military.

Simon Bolivar

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios Ponte y Blanco, known as Simón Bolívar, was born in Caracas on July 24, 1783.

His fight for independence led to the honorary title of El Libertador being awarded to him. He was the founder of the Republic of Gran Colombia and Bolivia, being President of the first.

Francisco de Paula Santander

Francisco de Paula Santander was a native of Villa del Rosario de Cúcuta. He was born on April 2, 1792 and took part in the Colombian war of independence. Bolívar promoted him to chief of the General Staff of his army until the independence of Gran Colombia.

Santander held the vice-presidency of the country for the department of Cundinamarca (Nueva Granada), exercising the functions of president when Bolívar was on the war front. After the Congress of Cúcuta, he was confirmed as Vice President of the newly created Gran Colombia.

Antonio nariño

Antonio Nariño was born on April 9, 1765 in Santa Fe de Bogotá. He participated prominently in the fight against the authorities of the Viceroyalty of New Granada for independence.

After several years in prison, Nariño returned to America shortly before the celebration of the Cúcuta Congress. There he replaced the late Vice President Juan Germán Roscio as organizer of the meetings.

Reforms

The Congress of Cúcuta approved the reunification of Nueva Granada and Venezuela. Somewhat later, Ecuador joined this new republic.

The participants in the Congress also worked on the drafting of a constitution for Greater Colombia. This Magna Carta was promulgated on August 30, 1821 and contained 10 chapters and 190 articles.

Apart from the Constitution, Congress approved several reforms that they considered urgent. They were, in general, liberal measures that sought to improve the rights of indigenous people, slaves, and citizens in general. Likewise, it was sought to limit the power of the Church.

Law of manumission

The Law of Manumisión was the first decree that emerged from the Congress of Cúcuta. It was a law of freedom of the bellies that established that the newborns of slave mothers would be free when they reached a specific age.

Elimination of the alcabala or sales tax

On the economic side, Congress confirmed the elimination of the reservations. Similarly, he reformed the tax system imposed by the colonial authorities, eliminated the alcabala and abolished the tribute to the indigenous people.

Equality of the indigenous

Congress declared indigenous people equal citizens in law. This meant that, although the special tribute that had to pay during the colony was eliminated, they became obliged to pay the rest of the taxes from which they were previously exempt.

church

The deputies meeting in Cúcuta tried to reduce the political and economic power of the Catholic Church. To do this, they liquidated monasteries with fewer than 8 residents and confiscated their possessions.

However, given the support that the Church had at the popular level, the confiscated assets were used for secondary education in the country, controlled by the clergy.

Another measure related to the Church was the abolition of the Inquisition. Likewise, the prior censorship that applied to religious publications was abolished.

Consequences

With the Congress of Cúcuta, Gran Colombia was officially born. This, at that time, included the territories of New Granada and Venezuela. This unification was considered essential to defeat the Spanish pockets of resistance in the area.

Great Colombia

The republic of Gran Colombia existed from 1821 to 1831. Already in the Congress of Angostura, held in 1819, a law was promulgated announcing its birth, but it was not until the Congress of Cúcuta when it was legally founded.

In that same Congress the Constitution of the new country was drafted and approved. In this, its operation was regulated and how it was to be governed, its institutions and it was pointed out that its administrative system would be unitary centralism.

The promoters of Gran Colombia, beginning with Simón Bolívar, trusted that European countries would quickly recognize the country. However, their expectations were not met. Thus, for example, Austria, France and Russia announced that they would only recognize independence if a monarchy was established.

They found something more acceptance in the American continent. Future US President John Quincy Adams claimed that Greater Colombia had the potential to become one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Republic President

Simón Bolívar was proclaimed president of Gran Colombia. Francisco de Paula Santander was elected as vice president.

Centralist state

One of the most controversial issues that were settled in the Congress of Cúcuta was the administrative form of the new state. During the war, tensions had already appeared between the federalists and the centralists, and the unification between New Granada and Venezuela further complicated the matter.

In general lines, the representatives who arrived from Venezuela were in favor of the centralist thesis, since previous experiences in their country made them distrust the federal option. The younger deputies of New Granada, of liberal ideology, also preferred a centralist state.

On the other hand, in Congress it was taken into account that Spain was still trying to regain control of its colonies. The deputies considered that centralizing power was the best option to combat the royalists.

Dissolution

Greater Colombia came to be expanded when Ecuador and Panama joined it. However, federalist tensions, the dictatorship established by Simón Bolívar, first, and those of Sucre and Rafael Urdaneta, later, as well as the war with Peru, caused the dissolution of the country.

Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama decided to break the union in 1830. Consequently, the first two became independent states. Panama, for its part, suffered a series of military regimes that did not develop to organize the institutions of a State.

On October 20, 1831, the state of Nueva Granada was legally created. Its first president was Francisco de Paula Santander.

References

1. EcuRed. Congress of Cúcuta. Obtained from ecured.cu
2. Notimeric. La Gran Colombia: Simón Bolívar's dream. Obtained from notimerica.com
3. Restrepo Riaza, William. Constitution of Cúcuta. Obtained from colombiamania.com
4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Great Colombia. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Cúcuta, Congress Of. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
6. US Library of Congress. Great Colombia. Recovered from countrystudies.us
7. Gascoigne, Bamber. History of Colombia. Retrieved from historyworld.net
8. Revolvy. Colombian Constitution of 1821. Retrieved from revolvy.com