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Colombian

Independence

Day

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A Brief History, Colombia’s Independence Day: July 20, 1810:

On July 20, 1810, Colombian patriots stirred the population of Bogotá onto the streets

in protest against the Spanish rulers. The Viceroy, under pressure, was forced to agree

to allow for a limited independence which later became permanent. Today, July 20th is

celebrated in Colombia as Independence Day.

A Discontent Population:

The people of New Granada (now Colombia) were unhappy with Spanish rule.

Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808 and imprisoned King Ferdinand VII. Napoleon then

put his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne, infuriating most of the Spanish

in America. In New Granada, Camilo Torres Tenorio in 1809 had written his famous

Memorial de Agravios (“Remembrance of Offenses”) about repeated Spanish abuse

against Creoles, who could not hold high state positions and whose trade was restricted

only with Spain, his sentiments were echoed by many.

“There are no other means to consolidate the union between America and Spain but the just and competent

representation of its people, without any difference amongst its subjects which they do not have because of their laws,

their customs, their origins, and their rights. Equality! The true fraternal union between European Spaniards and

Americans… can never exist except upon the basis of justice and equality. America and Spain are two integral and

constituent parts of the Spanish Monarchy… Anyone who believes otherwise does not love his homeland…

Therefore, to exclude the Americans from such representation, in addition to being the greatest injustice, would

arouse distrust and jealousy, and would forever alienate their desires for such a union”

Camilo Torres

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Pressure for Colombian Independence:

By July of 1810, Bogota was a holdout for Spanish rule in the region. To the south,

leading citizens of Quito had attempted to take control of their Spanish government in

August of 1809: this revolt had been put down and the leaders thrown in a dungeon. To

the east, Caracas had declared a provisional independence on April 19th. Even within

New Granada there was pressure, the important seaside city of Cartagena had declared

independence in May and other small towns and regions had followed suit. All eyes

turned to Bogota, the seat of the Spanish Governor.

Conspiracies and Flower Vases:

Bogota’s patriots had a plan. On the morning of the 20th, they would ask a well-known

Spanish merchant Joaquín Gonzalez Llorente to borrow a flower vase with which to

decorate a table for a celebration in honor of Antonio Villavicencio, a well-known

patriot sympathizer. It was assumed that Llorente, who had a reputation for being

irritable, would refuse. His refusal would be the excuse to provoke a riot and force the

Viceroy to hand power over to the creoles. Meanwhile, Joaquín Camacho would go to

the palace and request an open council: they knew that this, too, would be refused.

The Plan put into Action:

Camacho proceeded to the home of Viceroy Antonio José Amar y Borbón, where the

petition for an open town meeting regarding independence was predictably denied.

Meanwhile, Luís Rubio went to ask Llorente for the flower vase. By some accounts, he

refused rudely, and by others, he declined politely, forcing the patriots to go to plan B,

which was to antagonize him into saying something rude. Either Llorente obliged them

or they made it up: it didn’t matter. Patriots ran through the streets of Bogota, claiming

that both Amar y Borbón and Llorente had been rude.

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Protests in Bogota:

The people of Bogota took to the streets in protest against the Spanish arrogance. The

intervention of Bogota’s Mayor José Miguel Pey was necessary to save the unfortunate

Llorente, who was attacked by a mob. Led by patriots like José María Carbonell, the

lower classes of Bogota made their way to the principal square, where they demanded

an open town meeting to determine the future of the city and New Granada. Once the

people were sufficiently agitated, Carbonell then took some men and surrounded the

local cavalry and infantry barracks, where the soldiers did not dare attack the unruly

mob.

An Open Meeting:

Meanwhile, patriot leaders returned to Viceroy Amar y Borbón and tried to get him to

consent to a peaceful solution, if he agreed to hold a town meeting to elect a local

governing council; they would assure that he would be part of the council. When Amar

y Borbón hesitated, José Acevedo y Gómez made a passionate speech to the angry

crowd, directing them to the Royal Audience, where the Viceroy was meeting with the

Creoles. With a mob on his doorstep, Amar y Borbón had no choice but to sign the act

which permitted a local ruling council and eventually independence.

Legacy of the July 20 Conspiracy:

Bogotá, like Quito and Caracas, formed a local ruling council which supposedly would

rule until such time as Ferdinand VII was restored to power. In reality, it was the sort of

measure that cannot be undone, and as such was the first official step on Colombia's

path to freedom which would culminate in 1819 with the Battle of Boyacá and Simón

Bolívar's triumphant entry into Bogotá.

Viceroy Amar y Borbón was allowed to sit on the council for a while before being

arrested. Even his wife was arrested, mostly to appease the wives of Creole leaders who

detested her.

Many of the patriots involved in the conspiracy, such as Carbonell, Camacho and

Torres, went on to become important leaders in Colombia over the next few years.

Although Bogotá had followed Cartagena and other cities in rebellion against Spain,

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they did not unite. The next few years would be marked by such civil strife between

independent regions and cities that the era would become known as the "Patria Boba"

roughly translated as "Idiot Nation" or "Foolish Fatherland". It wasn't until Colombians

began fighting the Spanish instead of one another that New Granada would continue on

its path to freedom.

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Comprehension Questions:

1. On what day is Colombian Independence day?

2. What was the original name of Colombia before independence?

3. What historic event occurred in 1808?

4. Who was Joaquín Gonzalez Llorente?

5. What was the name of the Spanish governor?

6. Which historical event occurred in 1819?

7. Where did Antonio José Amar y Borbón and his wife end up?

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Vocabulary:

To stir = To agitate (verb)

A viceroy = A governor (noun)

To allow = To permit (verb)

To be discontent = To be unhappy (Adjective)

A creole = A European and African race, the first settlers in South America (Noun)

A dungeon = A prison (Noun)

To follow suit = To copy a behavior or action (Idiom)

A vase = A object to hold flowers (Noun)

To request = To ask for sth (Verb)

To antagonize = To make someone angry

To demand = To request sth firmly (Verb)

To be rude = To be disrespectful (Adjective)

To assure = To guarantee (Verb)

Adapted from:

http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/independenceincolombia/p/10july20colombia.htm

By Christopher Minster

Latin American History Expert