MEMORIAL OF GRIEVANCES: BACKGROUND, CONTENT, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The Grievance Memorial was a document prepared in November 1809 by Camilo Torres Tenorio, who held the position of advisor to the Cabildo de Santafé, in New Granada. The writing of the document took place after the Napoleonic invasion of Spain and at a time when the first independence movements were emerging in America.

The trigger that led Camilo Torres to draft the Grievance Memorial was the limited presence of representatives of the American colonies in the Supreme Board of Seville, one of those created to fight the French invaders on behalf of the king.

Camilo Torres Tenorio - Source: Camilo Torres - National Museum of Colombia.

Torres, who as a Creole had suffered from the limitations imposed on this group to occupy important positions in the administration, decided to send a letter to Fernando VII. In it, he complained about the lack of equality between those born in America and the peninsular, despite being all Spanish.

The Grievance Memorial did not reach its destination, nor was it published until after the author's death. However, it did come to the attention of the people of New Granada, who took it as a reference in their claims towards Spain.

Background

The malaise in Latin America over the Spanish way of governing had grown a lot during the 18th century.

The most underprivileged classes had been joined by the Creoles, sons of Spaniards born in America. Despite their origin and the fact that they had gained much economic weight, the Spanish did not allow them to access the most important positions in the administration and the Church.

Camilo Torres

The author of the Grievance Memorial, Camilo Torres Tenorio, belonged to a Creole family, for which he suffered the limitations imposed by the laws of the Viceroyalty.

One of Torres' first approaches to the world of politics in the then New Kingdom of Granada occurred in 1793. That year, Antonio Nariño had translated the Rights of Man and of the Citizen into Spanish, which caused the authorities to send him to jail or several citizens suspected of participating in exile.

In addition, the viceregal government initiated a process against several students from the Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, among whom was Camilo Torres. When the authorities entered the center's library they found several French books. His reaction was to send those publications to the Inquisition to check their content.

Napoleonic invasion

Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain in 1808, imprisoned the king, and appointed his brother José Bonaparte as the new monarch. These facts would be decisive for the future of the American colonies.

When the news of the king's removal reached New Granada, already in early 1809, the citizens, including Camilo Torres, took a position in favor of the imprisoned monarch and against the French.

A few months later, in August, several Creoles formed a Governing Board based in Quito. As happened in other areas of the continent, at first the Junta swore allegiance to Fernando VII.

Content

As has been pointed out, the reaction of the New Granada to learning that the Spanish king had been deposed from his post by the French was supportive of the monarch.

The Spaniards who resisted Napoleon organized themselves into various Government Boards. In their attempt to resist, they requested help from the inhabitants of the colonies and announced that they would invite their representatives to attend the meetings of the Supreme Central Board of Seville.

The Creoles saw this gesture as a change in the attitude that the Viceroyalty authorities had had up to that moment.

Disappointment

Despite what was announced by the Spaniards, in the end only one representative from each colonial territory was invited to participate in the Supreme Board. This contrasted with the presence of two representatives for each province of the peninsula.

The feeling of discrimination spread throughout the Viceroyalty, prompting Camilo Torres to write the Memorial of Grievances. This was addressed to King Ferdinand VII, still a prisoner of Napoleon.

The text of the Memorial reflects the feelings that the decision of the Supreme Board had caused in Torres:

“(…) The City Council of the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada, has not been able to see without deep pain that, when from the Provinces of Spain, even those of lesser consideration, two members have been sent to the Supreme Central Board, to the vast, rich and populous dominions of America, only ask for one deputy from each of their kingdoms and captaincy generals, so that there is such a notable difference, as the one that goes from nine to thirty-six ”.

Criticism of the Spanish government

Torres called for a liberal and fair government to be established, in addition to requesting that their attitudes be more humane. In addition, it demanded that equality of opportunity be established between the peninsular Spaniards and the Creoles.

Finally, at a point that has been considered by many experts as a call to establish a non-absolutist government, Torres demanded that the people assume national sovereignty.

As a sign of the general spirit of the document, Torres ended by asking for equality between European Spaniards and what he called Latin American Spaniards:

"Equality! Holy right of equality; Justice, which is based on this and on giving each one what is theirs, inspires in European Spain these sentiments of American Spain: it strengthens the bonds of this union; May it be eternally lasting, and may our children, shaking hands with each other, from one continent to another, bless the happy time that brought them so much good.

Oh! May heaven hear the sincere votes of the council and that its feelings are not interpreted badly! Heaven forbid that other less liberal principles and ideas do not produce the dire effects of an eternal separation!

Consequences

Although it did reach the hands of many New Granadans, the Grievance Memorial was never sent to Spain. It was the Cabildo de Santafé itself that decided to file it, since it considered it too harsh with the Crown.

It took more than twenty years for the document to be published in 1832, when the Republic of New Granada was born.

Next years of Torres

Camilo Torres had an important participation in the Governing Board that was created in his area. Among their activities, they highlighted the drafting of the legal decree that reduced the tax advantages enjoyed by the indigenous people and the one that granted the right to vote to the poor.

When the first Congress of Nueva Granada was created, Torres became the representative of the province of Pamplona.

President of the United Provinces of New Granada

Camilo Torres became president of the United Provinces of New Granada in November 1815. However, this first attempt at independence did not last long.

The disagreements between the provinces and the struggles between the different currents that fought for power made it easier for the Spanish to recover the territory.

References

1. La Caja: history of Colombia. Camilo Torres Grievance Memorial. Obtained from rinconhistoriacolombia.blogspot.com
2. Memory signal. The Grievance Memorial. Obtained from senalmemoria.co
3. Gómez Latorre, Armando. The Grievance Memorial. Obtained from eltiempo.com
4. Revolvy. Camilo Torres Tenorio. Retrieved from revolvy.com
5. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Viceroyalty of New Granada. Retrieved from britannica.com
6. Wikipedia. Colombian Declaration of Independence. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org
7. Wikisource. Grievance Memorial. Retrieved from es.wikisource.org