Who could resist the glorious attraction of the full and absolute enjoyment of sovereignty, independence, and liberty? Retrieved from: http://www.archivodellibertador.gob.ve/escritos/buscador/spip.php?article9987. A political upheaval that took place between 1765 ad 1783 during which colonists in the Thirteen American Colonies rejected the British monarchy and aristocracy, overthrew the authority of Great Britain, and founded the United States of America. Once again, Bolivar had to flee. This thesis was put forth by Argentine historian Ricardo Levene (1951), in an influential treatise, Las Indias no eran colonias. Iberoamericana Nordic Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. the Liberator Simn Bolvar's address to the Congress of Angostura, 200 years after the delivery of this monumental work. The infamous slogan, se acata pero no se cunple (laws are obeyed, but not enforced), became a common standard of criollo administration. 1 (2018): 7482. Bolivars choice of despotic governments, once again, reveals that he was a man of his time. The Congress ultimately decided not to pursue two of Bolivars most controversial proposals in the Angostura Address: a moral power, and a hereditary senate. Latin America in the World Arena, 1990s - Present. Although those people [North Americans], so lacking in many respects, are unique in the history of mankind, it is a marvel, I repeat, that so weak and complicated a government as the federal system has managed to govern them in the difficult and trying circumstances of their past. In that Constitution, it was made clear that Spain would have equal citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. This was by far the most important motive in the struggle for independence amongst the criollo elite, and throughout his writings, Bolivar makes very clear how important this issue is for him. Thus, the Angostura Address is plentiful with passages such as these: Sir! In the Angostura Address, Bolivar engages in some confusing argumentation trying to justify the concentration of power in the executive branch of government: In a republic, the executive ought to be the strongest, because everything conspires against it; and on the other hand in a monarchy the legislative ought to be the most powerful, as everything unites in favor of the sovereign (Bolivar 1819). Mine is done. How does an aristocratic principle, such as hereditary privilege, motivate sharing the peoples interests, opinions and spirit? His praise for division of powers was also only half-hearted. The Viceroyalty of New Granadawhich included present-day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, and parts of Ecuadorachieved independence from the Spanish Empire in a slow and uneven process. To fully grasp the most brilliant thought of the time, some basic context is required. Although some historians still debate this (Damas 1983; Draper 1968) it does not seem to be the case. Argentina: Progress, Stalemate, Discord, Understanding Argentinas Dirty War Through Memoir, The Challenge of Burying the Ley de Caducidad in Uruguay, The Spanish-American Republics, Theodore Child (1891), Document #24: What is Peronism? by Juan Domingo Pern (1948) || The Twenty Truths of the Pernist Justicialism, Juan Domingo Pern (1950), Document #25: Statement by the military upon taking power (1976), Document #26: Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Adolfo Prez Esquivel (1980), Document #27: Speech at a Dinner with the Council of Americas in New York, Nstor Kirchner (2006), Chapter 10. Let us start by saying that by 1819, Simon Bolivar was a very uncertain man who had lived till then a hectic life. Scanned by J. S. Arkenberg, Dept. 1974. Simn Bolvar, "An Address of Bolvar at the Congress of Angostura (February 15, 1819)" Background As a young man, Simn Bolvar (1783-1830), who would become known as "El Libertador" ("The Liberator") in Latin America, spent a few years in Europe. Iberoamericana Nordic Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 47 (1): 7482. Yet, as previously mentioned, his 1826 Bolivian Constitution stipulated a ruler who was basically a king without a crown. In a sense, Bolivars approach is anti-colonial (let us remember that many aspects of colonialism itself were modeled on the universalism of the Enlightenment), inasmuch as he advises colonized peoples not to necessarily copy Eurocentric models. Said, E. 2006. Ciudad Bolvar (Spanish pronunciation: [sjua olia]; Spanish for "Bolivar City"), formerly known as Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana, is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolvar State.It lies at the spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about 1 mile (1.6 km) in width, is the site of the first bridge across the river, and is a major riverport for the eastern regions of . Nevertheless, his main concern was not so much with absolutism itself, but rather, with the exclusion of criollos in the administration of the Spanish Empire. That same year, Bolivar would head towards the Venezuelan plains, assemble an army of llaneros who now supported the Republican Cause- and European mercenaries. But the key difference is this: the governors of Isfahan are Persians, the viziers of the Great Lord in Turkey are Turks, and the sultans of Tartary are Tartars. 1. Yet, despite his admiration for the United States, Bolivar insists that South American nations are not ready for federalism or even North American institutions as a whole, on account of a cultural mismatch: Would it not be extremely difficult to apply to Spain the political, civil, and religious code of Great Britain? Reporters Without Borders. Carrera Damas, G. 2003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670500001534, Andrade, G. and Lugo-Ocando, J., 2018. He makes his first point very quickly in the first sentence, "We are not Europeans.Americans by birth and Europeans by law." Yet, astonishingly, Ferdinand abolished the 1812 Constitution, and imposed a new absolutist regime that, once again, contemplated the American territories as colonies. Timeline for Colonial Latin America, 1492-1824, Colonial Latin American Profiles and Personalities, Moments and Events in Late Colonial Latin America, Analysis of Arthur Syzks Bolvar and Sucre at Junin, oil on canvas (1950), Simn Bolvar and Restrained Republicanism, Document #1: Letter from Jamaica, Simn Bolvar (1815), Document #2: Address at the Congress of Angostura, Simn Bolvar (1819), Chapter 3. Ambition and intrigue abuses the credulity and experience of men lacking all political, economic, and civic knowledge; they adopt pure illusion as reality; they take license for liberty, treachery for patriotism, and vengeance for justice. Retrieved from: https://www.ensayistas.org/antologia/XIXA/bolivar/bolivia.htm. What government is more ancient than that of China? The rationale was that people with any degree of African descent would not be eligible for full representation. The Angostura Address: Cultural identity, ethnic relations Although never formally educated in universities, Bolivar was a self-taught man and had at least two illustrious tutors who were the arguably the leading intellectuals of the region at the time; Simon Rodriguez and Andres Bello. Bolivar's speaking style reflected the values of his epoch. Levenes thesis proposes that the Indies were actually kingdoms with the same legal standing as kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula; the implication is that Bolivars struggle for independence was unjustified. Introduction to Political Thought. His choice of admiration for an ancient Greek city, reveals his militaristic tendency in the Angostura Address: The Republic of Sparta produced more real effects than Solons ingenious creation, even though it seemed a chimerical invention at first. Retrieved from: http://www.archivodellibertador.gob.ve/escritos/buscador/spip.php?article10971. But, he believed that federalism was not suited for the political culture of Spanish America, Indeed, this is the main thesis of his Cartagena Manifesto, in which he places most of the blame for the collapse of Venezuelas First Republic, on federalism. To a certain extent, this implied moving away from its African roots, and some authors made it explicit that, in order to be more civilized, Spain should be less African (Shubert 1999: 2). As he explains it in the Angostura Address: In absolute governments there are no limits to the authority of public functionaries. In his view, federalism may work in some countries, but not in all. Neoliberal Hegemony and the Pink Tide in Latin America. By 1812, liberals in Spain understood that, if the Empire were to survive, some further reforms were required. Some critics have accussed Bolvar of verbosity. 2015. The Cortes, assembled in Cadiz during Napoleons invasion of Spain, redacted a very liberal Constitution by the standards of the time. But, even when it came to the American government, Bolivar had high praises for it in the Angostura Address: And in fact, the example of the United States, with its progressive prosperity, was too flattering not to have been followed. The executive is commander in chief of the army and navy; he makes peace and declares war; but Parliament annually determines what sums are to be paid to these military forces. Orientalism. What I propose is an office for which the candidates must prepare themselves, an office that demands great knowledge and the ability to acquire such knowledge. Unless the executive has easy access to all the administrative resources, fixed by a just distribution of powers, he inevitably becomes a nonentity or abuses his authority. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. Angostura bark, a spice made from the bark of the tree Angostura trifoliata. However, later on, in the Constitution that he wrote for Upper Peru (named Bolivia in his honor) in 1826 and that he attempted to impose on Colombia afterwards, he stipulated the figure of President for Life. Death and Money in the Afternoon: A History of the Spanish Bullfight. The Congress of Angostura was convened by Simn Bolvar and took place in Angostura during the wars of Independence of Colombia and Venezuela, culminating in the proclamation of the Republic of Colombia . Carta a Francisco de Paula Santander. Yale University Press. ; I am even aware, thanks to Montesquieu, that one can be a Persian. El culto a Bolivar: Esbozo para un estudio de la historia de las ideas en Venezuela. Proyecto de Constitucion para la Republica de Bolivia y discurso del Libertador al Congreso Constituyente de Bolivia. Furthermore, by 1814, Napoleons troops retreated from Spain, and Ferdinand VII returned to power. But there is more. Download date: August 25th, 2018. This is his explanation in the Angostura Address: Nevertheless, the North American people are a singular example of political virtue and moral rectitude. By contrast, Counter-Enlightenment authors such as Joseph de Maistre argued thus: In the course of my life, I have seen Frenchmen, Italians, Russians, etc. El caudillismo en Amrica Latina, ayer y hoy. After Spains humiliating defeat in the Seven Years War, Charles III understood the necessity to cleanse the corrupt and inefficient administration of the Spanish Empire. That Constitution, labeled the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, written under the auspices of Hugo Chavez and the self-proclaimed Bolivarian Revolution, went to great lengths in attempting to imitate Bolivarian thinking in every aspect of political organization. This logic is very hard to follow. Across his address, Bolvar But, his concern was, if not legitimate, then at least understandable. Again, Bolivar was certainly a big critic of Spanish imperialism, but he did not seem to mind other empires. Bolivar was given some military assignments in defending the Venezuelan Republic against loyalists of the Spanish monarchy. In political storms this body would arrest the thunderbolts of the government and would repel any violent popular reaction. On the contrary, aristocracy and monarchy have long established great and powerful empires. Yet, despite his obvious ambitions, in 1819 Bolivar still wanted to appear as to be reluctant to become a perpetual dictator. The Congress of Angostura is considered Venezuela's second legislative congress, the first being the one that met in 1811. The congress of the Republic of Venezuela is installed. Indeed, in the 18th Century, a series of reforms began to be undertaken by the new Spanish ruling dynasty, the Bourbons. This question becomes even more important as it was central to the separatist movement against the Great Colombia that finally overthrew him and led to his exile and ultimate death in solitude. Yet, Bolivars point is that Spanish imperialism is even worse than Oriental despotism, inasmuch as the control exercised by the Spanish Crown is even tighter than in Eastern societies. It enjoys all its proper functions, and it requires no essential revision, because the Constitution, in creating it, gave it the form and powers which the people deemed necessary in order that they might be legally and properly represented. In the Angostura Address, he returns to this theme: The more I admire the excellency of the Federal Constitution of Venezuela, the more am I convinced of the impossibility of applying it to our situation (Bolivar 1819). In this regard, despite his flaws, he is to be considered one the great men of South American history. Indeed, Bolivars stance on the moral power coheres well with his authoritarian leanings. What republic has exceeded in duration those of Sparta and Venice? Independence would, nevertheless, prove to be no easy task. But, the Bourbons, and especially Charles III, embraced a program of enlightened despotism and absolutism that by 1810, had fully converted the Indies into colonies. Sparta, of course, is the emblem of militarism in Western imagination. This text is part of the Internet Modern History Sourcebook. . of History, Cal. from the original Spanish by Francisco Javier Ynes) by Bolvar, Simn, 1783-1830; Ynes, Francisco Javier, 1861-1924; Venezuela . hold on the North American continent five. And it is for this very reason that Bolivar believes that federalism works in North America, but it would never work in South America. Helg, A. The hereditary senate will also serve as a counterweight to both government and people; and as a neutral power it will weaken the mutual attacks of these two eternally rival powers. Latin America in the World Arena, 1990s Present, Moments and Events in Contemporary US-Latin American Relations, Document #43: Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) statement on Honduras, Document #42 President Obamas speech at the 2009 Summit of the Americas, Document #44: The Path Forward for Honduras, Document #45 Honduras: The Obama Administrations First Latin American Waterloo (2009), Document #47 Hillary Clintons speech on Opportunity in the Americas (2010), Modern Latin America, 8th Edition Companion Website, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. . Mexico: The Taming of a Revolution. Bolivar remained loyal to his republican convictions, and scolded at the possibility of being crowned as king of Colombia. Scanned by J. S. Arkenberg, Dept. God save Congress! (Bolivar 1819). In the speech, Bolvar lays the foundations for the establishment of democratically governed Gran Colombia that is free from the burden of slavery and racial inequality. This is not to say that Bolivars relationship to people of African descent was totally harmonious. Simon Bolivar was one of the liberators in the time of the revolution in the northern part of South America. Bolivar, S. 1821. The first is very wisely constituted. He had some clear political motivations in doing this, (i.e., as an argument to reject federalism and favor stronger governments leaning towards authoritarianism). Our weak and feeble fellow citizens will have to increase in strength of mind in a very great degree, before they can be permitted to digest freedoms wholesome food (Bolivar 1819). By then, Bolivars movement was seen as one that intended to establish a Republic for the white criollos, which explains partly why Boves savagely occupied Valencia and executed so many of the white elite (Stoan 1974). The Spanish Crown would no longer trust local administrators. The executive power, consisting of two consuls, had the same flaw as Sparta. Bolivar was very eloquent in denouncing the vices of Spanish imperialism in his vociferous anti-colonial stand. Hence, many expect that the 2019 will again be a year of nationalist unexamined joy, celebrating the Angostura Address. Prof. Arkenberg has modernized the text. State Fullerton. Paredes Muante, J. An Address of Bolivar at the Congress of Angostura (February 15, 1819) Reprint Ordered by the Government of the United States of Venezuela, to Commemorate the Centennial of the Opening of the Congress (tr. But, admittedly, it had turned out to be very corrupt. Simn Bolvar, el culto heroico y la nacin. Hispanic American Historical Review, 107145. 1999. Bolivar, typical of his rhetorical style, concluded the Angostura Address with these words: Gentlemen! 1. 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