WHAT WERE THE NEERLAND AND WISCONSIN TREATIES? - HISTORY - 2025

The Treaties of Neerlandia and Wisconsin were two peace accords that ended the Thousand Day War in Colombia. This conflict, which pitted liberals and conservatives against each other, lasted for three years and ended with the victory of the latter in 1902.

The war had started in October 1899, motivated by a series of political events, such as the promulgation of the centralist Constitution of 1886 or the accusations of the liberals about the cleanliness of the elections. Thus, after some previous insurrection attempts, the conflict broke out when the Liberals attacked Bucaramanga.

American battleship Wisconsin, where the Treaty of the same name was signed - Source: http://www.greatwhitefleet.info under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

The war was divided into several fronts. In central Colombia, the Liberals led by Uribe Uribe were outnumbered by the Conservatives. For this reason, they began peace negotiations that culminated in the signing of the Treaty of Neerlandia, on October 24, 1902.

On the other hand, the Liberals had a better position in Panama, then Colombian territory. The American intervention, however, forced them to negotiate another agreement, the Treaty of Wisconsin, signed on November 21, 1902.

Thousand Day War

The Thousand Day War, also known as the three-year war, was a civil conflict that developed in Colombia from October 17, 1899 to November 21, 1902.

Before the outbreak of war, the country was going through a period of great political instability. In the government were the Nationalists, a faction of the Conservatives. It was a group that had totally excluded the Liberal Party, one of the most important in the country.

Besides, there were the so-called historical conservatives, less belligerent with the liberals.

Causes of the conflict

According to historians, the three-year civil war was caused by the conflicts that dragged the country from the moment of independence. Among them, the difficult relations between liberals and conservatives, relations with the Church, economic problems or suspicious electoral processes.

Within this last factor, the electoral one, the 1885 votes represented another element of tension. The conservatives took the victory, but the liberals did not accept the results, considering that there was fraud.

This was aggravated when the government approved the Constitution of 1886, of a centralist nature and which replaced the federalist Rionegro.

Finally, the Liberals took up arms. The first battle took place in Bucaramanga, in November 1899. A month later, they managed to defeat the conservatives in Peralonso, in what is considered the greatest liberal victory in the conflict.

After that victory, the conflict spread throughout the territory, including Panama, then under Colombian sovereignty.

End of the war

As has been pointed out, the conflict led to a guerrilla war, with poorly trained but very violent troops. His performance took place, especially, in rural areas.

The Conservatives, despite their military superiority, were unable to control these rural areas. Even though they were winning the war, they offered a deal on June 12, 1902.

To this must be added the delicate situation of the most important liberal leader in the center of the country, Rafael Uribe Uribe. After not being able to achieve his goals, he began to be questioned within his side. Finally, he agreed to start negotiating with the Conservatives.

Neerlandia and Wisconsin

Although in Panama, the liberal troops of Benjamín Herrera were advancing, in the center of the country the situation was the opposite.

For that reason, Uribe Uribe began to negotiate with the conservatives. Despite this, he still tried to launch a last offensive in Tenerife, defeating the garrison that was there. This allowed him to block the Magdalena riverbed.

However, the conservatives responded by sending reinforcements to the area and Uribe ordered the city evacuated on October 2.

On the 13th, Uribe Uribe attacked Ciénaga with the aim of having Santa Marta within reach. Despite succeeding, he soon saw how they were being bombed from a small ship.

These last campaigns were not enough to change the course of the war and the conservatives were proclaimed victors.

Treaty of Neerlandia

The conservatives, from their position of strength, offered Uribe Uribe a treaty to end the war. The liberal leader accepted, so representatives from both sides met to negotiate.

The result was the Treaty of Neerlandia, signed on October 24, 1902. The name comes from the homonymous farm where the talks and the final signing took place, a banana farm owned by a wealthy Dutchman, Ernesto Cortissoz.

The agreement contained the withdrawal of the liberal troops from Magdalena and Bolívar, as well as their willingness to return to peaceful life. The government, for its part, offered an amnesty to all who disarmed.

Both sides agreed to change the demarcation of the electoral districts, to facilitate a better representation of all parties. Likewise, the Treaty included the intention of allowing liberals to participate in all electoral bodies, to ensure equitable representation in government bodies.

Treaty of Wisconsin

In Panama, General Benjamín Herrera, a liberal, was emerging victorious from the conflict. Given this, the Colombian government requested help from the United States, clearly interested in the area for the construction of the Canal.

Roosevelt, the US president, responded to the Colombian request by sending his navy to the Panamanian coast. Given this, Herrera had no choice but to agree to sign a new agreement, with clauses similar to that of Neerlandia.

The Treaty of Wisconsin owes its name to the American battleship that served as the venue for the negotiations. The signing took place on November 21, 1902.

Treaty of Chinácota

Although less well known, there was a third peace agreement to end the civil war in Colombia. It was the Treaty of Chinácota, signed on the same day as that of Wisconsin.

In this case, the agreement focused on the hostilities taking place in Santander, an area where some of the toughest fighting took place.

Consequences

These three treaties marked the end of the long civil war that had faced liberals and conservatives in Colombia. The agreement was the basis for the delivery of arms and for the combatants to return to their homes.

Despite the fact that the subsequent coexistence between the two parties was far from perfect, the peace was to last four decades.

Fighting until 1903

The signing of the Treaties did not mean that peace would come immediately to the entire country. The lack of communications and the remoteness of Panama meant that a good part of Colombia did not find out what was signed until later.

In the following months, some violent actions still took place. Among the most prominent, the execution of Victoriano Lorenzo by order of Pedro Sicard Briceño, in 1903. This death is considered one of the triggers that led to Panamanian independence.

It was not until early June 1903, when the government declared an absolute cessation of hostilities in the country.

Situation after the war

After the war, Colombia had been devastated and plunged into a serious economic crisis. Furthermore, the situation worsened with the separation of Panama. The debt caused by military spending was one of the triggers of this crisis that left the country impoverished.

References

1. Covo, Adelina. The Historical Commission and the Thousand Day War. Obtained from las2orillas.co
2. Jaramillo Castillo, Carlos Eduardo. The Wisconsin Treaty: November 21, 1902. Retrieved from banrepcultural.org
3. Wikisource. Wisconsin Treaty. Retrieved from es.wikisource.org
4. Minster, Christopher. The Thousand Days' War. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
5. Liquisearch. Thousand Days' War - Treaties of Neerlandia and Wisconsin. Retrieved from liquisearch.com
6. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. The War of a Thousand Days. Retrieved from britannica.com
7. Celerier, Luis R. The War of a Thousand Days (1899-1902) - Part 2. Retrieved from panamahistorybits.com