Granadine Confederation
Encyclopedia
The Granadine Confederation was a short-lived federal republic
established in 1858 as a result of a constitutional change replacing the Republic of New Granada
. It comprised the present day nations of Colombia
and Panama
. It was replaced by the United States of Colombia
after another constitutional change in 1863.
and the Liberal Party
, which ended in a Civil War
. It also was a period of hostility against the Catholic Church, and of divided Regionalism
.
The political atmosphere that allowed the federal political system of the Granadine Confederation to happen, came to be since the Constitution of 1853, considered pro-Federalism
or Centro-Federalist
because it gave more autonomy to the provinces, who multiplied reaching 35 Provinces during the administration of Manuel María Mallarino
(1855–1857), each with its own provincial constitution.
, Panamá
, and Veraguas
, who were demanding an autonomous status. The Constitution of 1853 opened the way so that on February 27, 1855 the Panamá State
could be created within the Republic of New Granada.
Soon others followed suit, regionalism was too strong, and in order to prevent a breakup like the one Greater Colombia had, with Venezuela
and Ecuador
leaving the union, congress allowed the creation of other sovereign states:
The Law of June 15, 1857, created the other states that would go on to form the Granadine Confederation:
The nation was formed by the union of these Sovereign States which were confederated in perpetuity to form a Sovereign Nation, free and independent under the name of the “Granadine Confederation”.
In 1858 the new constituency, made up in its majority of conservatives, convened and signed the Constitution for the Granadine Confederation of 1858, confirming Bogotá
as its Federal Capital.
On July 12, 1861, after raising in arms against the constitutional government of the president Mariano Ospina Rodríguez
, the general Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera
created the Sovereign State of Tolima, carved out of the State of Cundinamarca. This was confirmed and legalized by the rest of the states of the Colombian Union, by means of Article 41 of the Pact of the Union on September 20, 1861, reaffirming the legality of the institutionalism of Tolima.
, Congress
passed and approved a new Constitution for the country on May 22, 1858.
In this constitution
the country was officially named as the Granadine Confederation and conformed by eight Sovereign States.
More power and representation was given to the provinces, as each State could have its own legislature
and elect its own president
.
The Vice presidency was abolished, and replaced with a dignitary named by the Congress
.
The President and Senators could be elected to serve a period of four years and the Representatives of the House for two.
The Constitution also listed the powers and obligations of the States and of the Central Government, gave parameters to creating new laws, and amending the constitution. It included the basic freedoms, and rights of the people. The constitution was important as it signaled the official beginning of the Confederacy, and set legal parameters for the leaders.
Even though the Constitution of 1858 had legalized federalism, the politics of the president Mariano Ospina Rodríguez
leaned to centralism. This conservative outlook clashed with the wishes of the States who wanted more power and autonomy.
This led to some leaders to see the administrative base of the Federation as a notion to underestimate the authority of the States, and led the National Government to view the Independent aspirations of the States as a threat to the overall nation.
The political tension came to its pinnacle in 1859 when Congress passed two controversial laws. On April 8, 1859, Congress passed a law giving the President the right to remove the duly appointed Governors of the States and appoint one of his choosing. With this law, the President secured the power of the Conservative Party
.
On May 10, 1859, another law was passed, this one giving the President the power to create Administrative Departments in states so to control their resources and how would they be used.
These laws angered many Liberal leaders, specially general Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
, an Ex-President
of the New Granada, and a powerful and influential politician in the country. He denounced these laws unconstitutional, and made contact with other Liberal leaders in other states, who gave him their support to revolt against the president, even though not all agreed with his ideas, they supported him and accepted to allow him to become Supreme Director of War, because they saw no other way to get back their autonomy than to revolt against the government.
By a Decree of May 8, 1860, Mosquera broke relations with the National Government, declared himself Supreme Director of War, and declared a separated state, the Sovereign State of Cauca. From that moment the country entered a civil war
.
In retaliation, the government of Ospina Rodríguez supported insurrections against the liberal governments in some states, the first of this armed conflicts in Santander, against the government of Eustorgio Salgar
in 1859; the Granadine Confederacy declared war on the State of Santander, and sent its army to subdue Eustogio Salgar, who was taken prisoner along with other important figures like Aquileo Parra
.
Civil War then spread to other States like Bolívar, Antioquía, Magdalena and Cauca. In an unexpected move, Mosquera captured Bogotá
on June 18, 1861, declared himself President of the provisional government, and arrested Ospina Rodríguez, his brother Pastor Ospina, and Bartolomé Calvo
the newly elected president of the Confederacy.
The war ended in 1862 when the last leaders of the conservative opposition died or gave up.
, the Captaincy General of Guatemala
, and the Portuguese positions in Brazil
. In the west, the limits would be those provisionally marked by the Treaty with the Government of Ecuador
on July 9, 1856, and all those treaties that on those days divided that republic.
divided the country into 3 distinct regions, the Magdalena River
the main artery of navigation in the country, divided some of the states, and the Isthmus of Panama
was isolated in its region. The deep jungles in the south only added to the confusion. The unclear borders were never definitively marked and the terrain secluded its residents, mostly natives, from the rest of the country.
Four isolated regions divided the country; the Oriental Region included Cundinamarca, Tolima, Boyacá and Santander; the Cauca Region, which included Chocó and extended to Marmato; the Region of Antioquía, that extended down to the River Chinchiná near Manizales
; and the Atlantic Region.
Each of these regions behaved like a separate country without relations to the others. This isolation and lack of roads was a severe restraint on the economy, as its already distant nuclei were too far off each other for trade to grow, and investment to take place.
During the first presidency of general Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
in 1849, Mosquera adopted a radical position with the church, passing laws confiscating religious property and subjecting the clergy to government rules. He banished and expelled the Society of Jesus
from the Republic of New Granada
, expelled the Archbishop of Bogotá. The closure of convents and monasteries drove nuns into poverty, although many were taken into homes by citizens. All of this drew direct criticism from the Vatican
, even leading the Pope Pius IX
to directly condemn the government of Colombia for its actions.
After the creation of the Granadine Confederation, during the government of Mariano Ospina Rodríguez
, the Jesuits were once again welcomed into the country and religious tensions eased.
This short period of religious calm ended when Mosquera, who assumed the presidency a second time, continued with his anticlerical attitude driving once again the Jesuits off the Confederacy giving them only seventy-two hours to leave the country or face imprisonment, as he blamed them of supporting the insurgency.
He passed a couple of anticlerical laws. One of these was the Tuition of Cults, a law that prohibited religious leaders to exercise their functions without authorization from the government, thus requiring special licenses to preach. Through another law, he confiscated the property of religious communities and organizations such as schools, hospitals, monasteries, churches, land, houses and other properties that could be sold. Those organizations that opposed were banned and abolished.
These laws were not passed as a direct attack on the Church, but what was pretended was to improve the situation of the National Treasury which was severely depleted because of the Civil War currently being waged. The Church assets were sold to the best buyer, improving industry and investment while putting money in the hands of the State. However the laws provided little assistance to the farmers who finished up owning little of the land as Mosquera intended, with his slogan of “Land for those who work it”.
, consisting of nine Sovereign States, and where new rules and powers were given to the States and Presidents. The Liberals had come to fear the great power Mosquera held, and they drafted the new constitution to limit his power and prevent him from turning against them, as he had done with the Conservatives. The Radical Liberals defended a federal government
based on a laissez-faire
policy, in which the regional and local autonomy were protected, where there was no National Army, a society with the basic rights and freedoms, based on education and Open Market
values, with no intervention by the Church.
Federal republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...
established in 1858 as a result of a constitutional change replacing the Republic of New Granada
Republic of New Granada
The Republic of New Granada was a centralist republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Ecuador, and Venezuela. It was created after the dissolution in 1830 of Gran Colombia. It was later abolished in 1858 when the Granadine Confederation was...
. It comprised the present day nations of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. It was replaced by the United States of Colombia
United States of Colombia
The United States of Colombia was the name adopted in 1861 through the Rionegro Constitution for the nation which had been known as the Republic of New Granada since the dissolution of the federation of Gran Colombia in 1830-1831....
after another constitutional change in 1863.
History
The short but complicated life of the Granadine Confederation was marked by harsh opposition from the Conservative PartyColombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...
and the Liberal Party
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
, which ended in a Civil War
Colombian Civil War (1860–1862)
The Colombian Civil War of May 8 1860 to November 1862 was an internal conflict between the newly formed conservative Grenadine Confederation and a more liberal rebel force from the newly seceded region of Cauca, composed of dissatisfied politicians commanded by General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera,...
. It also was a period of hostility against the Catholic Church, and of divided Regionalism
Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
.
The political atmosphere that allowed the federal political system of the Granadine Confederation to happen, came to be since the Constitution of 1853, considered pro-Federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
or Centro-Federalist
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
because it gave more autonomy to the provinces, who multiplied reaching 35 Provinces during the administration of Manuel María Mallarino
Manuel María Mallarino
Manuel María Mallarino Ibargüen was a Colombian politician, lawyer and Member of Congress, who served as Vice-President of the New Granada, and as such he occupied the presidency of the country between 1855 and 1857....
(1855–1857), each with its own provincial constitution.
States
The centralist structure that came to be in the Republic of the New Granada after the disestablishment of the Greater Colombia and that was ratified by the constitution of 1843, was soon challenged by the independentist feelings of the different regions; particularly the provinces of Azuero, ChiriquíChiriquí Province
Chiriquí is a province of Panama, it is located on the western coast of Panama, and it is also the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population of 416,873 as of the year 2010...
, Panamá
Panamá Province
Panamá is a major province of the country of Panama, containing the capital city, Panama City. The governor of the province is Mayin Correa, a former mayor of Panama City and elected by President Martinelli after being sworn in on July 1, 2009.-Districts:...
, and Veraguas
Veraguas Province
Veraguas is a province of Panama, located in the centre-west of the country. The capital is the city of Santiago de Veraguas. The province covers 10,677.2 km² and is divided into twelve districts.-History:...
, who were demanding an autonomous status. The Constitution of 1853 opened the way so that on February 27, 1855 the Panamá State
Panama State
Panamá State was one of the states of Colombia. Created 27 February 1855 under the name Estado Federal de Panamá...
could be created within the Republic of New Granada.
Soon others followed suit, regionalism was too strong, and in order to prevent a breakup like the one Greater Colombia had, with Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
leaving the union, congress allowed the creation of other sovereign states:
- Federal State of Antioquia was created from Antioquia Province on June 11, 1856.
- Federal State of Santander, which included the provinces of SocorroSocorro ProvinceSocorro Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. It belonged to the Boyacá Department which was created in 1824....
and PamplonaPamplona ProvincePamplona Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. It belonged to the Boyacá Department which was created in 1824....
, was created May 13, 1857.
The Law of June 15, 1857, created the other states that would go on to form the Granadine Confederation:
- Federal State of Bolívar (Estado Federal de Bolívar), which included the Cartagena ProvinceCartagena ProvinceCartagena Province was a province of Gran Colombia. With the 1824 changes in the subdivisions of Gran Colombia, it became part of Magdalena Department....
. - Federal State of Boyacá (Estado Federal de Boyacá), which included the provinces of TunjaTunja ProvinceTunja Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. It belonged to the Boyacá Department which was created in 1824....
, Tundama, CasanareCasanare ProvinceCasanare Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. It belonged to the Boyacá Department which was created in 1824....
, and the cantons of ChiquinquiráChiquinquiráChiquinquirá is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the subregion of the Western Boyacá Province. Located some 115 km north of Bogotá, Chiquinquirá is 2570m above sea level and has a yearly average temperature 58°F....
and VélezVelez- Places :* Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, Spain* Vélez de Benaudalla, Spain* Vélez Sársfield , Buenos Aires, Argentina* Vélez-Blanco, Spain* Vélez-Málaga, Spain* Vélez-Rubio, Spain* Vélez, Santander, Colombia- Sports clubs :...
. - Federal State of Cauca (Estado Federal de Cauca), which included the provinces of BuenaventuraBuenaventura, ColombiaBuenaventura is a port city and municipality located in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia . Buenaventura is the main port of Colombia in the Pacific Ocean....
, ChocóChocó DepartmentChocó is a department of Colombia known for its large Afro-Colombian population. It is in the west of the country, and is the only Colombian department to have coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It also has all of Colombia's border with Panama. Its capital is...
, PastoPastoPasto, officially San Juan de Pasto, is the capital of the department of Nariño, located in southwest Colombia. The city is located in the "Atriz Valley", on the Andes cordillera, at the foot of the Galeras volcano, at an altitude of 8,290 feet above sea level...
and PopayánPopayánPopayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between Colombia's Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range...
and the region of Caquetá. - Federal State of Cundinamarca (Estado Federal de Cundinamarca), which included the province of Mariquita, BogotáBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, NeivaNeivaNeiva is the Capital of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 378,857 inhabitants...
, and Tolima. - Federal State of Magdalena (Estado Federal de Magdalena), which included the provinces of El Banco, Padilla, Santa MartaSanta Marta ProvinceSanta Marta Province was a province of Gran Colombia. With the 1824 changes in the subdivisions of Gran Colombia, it became part of Magdalena Department....
, Tenerife and Valledupar.
The nation was formed by the union of these Sovereign States which were confederated in perpetuity to form a Sovereign Nation, free and independent under the name of the “Granadine Confederation”.
In 1858 the new constituency, made up in its majority of conservatives, convened and signed the Constitution for the Granadine Confederation of 1858, confirming Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
as its Federal Capital.
On July 12, 1861, after raising in arms against the constitutional government of the president Mariano Ospina Rodríguez
Mariano Ospina Rodríguez
Mariano Ospina Rodríguez was a Colombian politician, journalist and lawyer, founder of the Colombian Conservative Party and later President of Colombia between 1857 and 1861 during the Granadine Confederation.- Biographic data :...
, the general Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera
Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda was a Colombian general and political figure. He was president of Colombia four times. The first time was as president of Republic of New Granada from 1845 to 1849. During the Colombian Civil War of 1860-1862 he led liberal forces in a civil war against...
created the Sovereign State of Tolima, carved out of the State of Cundinamarca. This was confirmed and legalized by the rest of the states of the Colombian Union, by means of Article 41 of the Pact of the Union on September 20, 1861, reaffirming the legality of the institutionalism of Tolima.
Constitution of 1858
Under the conservative mandate of Mariano Ospina RodríguezMariano Ospina Rodríguez
Mariano Ospina Rodríguez was a Colombian politician, journalist and lawyer, founder of the Colombian Conservative Party and later President of Colombia between 1857 and 1861 during the Granadine Confederation.- Biographic data :...
, Congress
Congress of Colombia
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.The Congress of Colombia consists of the 102-seat Senate , and the 166-seat Chamber of Representatives ...
passed and approved a new Constitution for the country on May 22, 1858.
In this constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
the country was officially named as the Granadine Confederation and conformed by eight Sovereign States.
More power and representation was given to the provinces, as each State could have its own legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
and elect its own president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
.
The Vice presidency was abolished, and replaced with a dignitary named by the Congress
Congress of Colombia
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.The Congress of Colombia consists of the 102-seat Senate , and the 166-seat Chamber of Representatives ...
.
The President and Senators could be elected to serve a period of four years and the Representatives of the House for two.
The Constitution also listed the powers and obligations of the States and of the Central Government, gave parameters to creating new laws, and amending the constitution. It included the basic freedoms, and rights of the people. The constitution was important as it signaled the official beginning of the Confederacy, and set legal parameters for the leaders.
Civil War
Mariano Ospina Rodríguez
Mariano Ospina Rodríguez was a Colombian politician, journalist and lawyer, founder of the Colombian Conservative Party and later President of Colombia between 1857 and 1861 during the Granadine Confederation.- Biographic data :...
leaned to centralism. This conservative outlook clashed with the wishes of the States who wanted more power and autonomy.
This led to some leaders to see the administrative base of the Federation as a notion to underestimate the authority of the States, and led the National Government to view the Independent aspirations of the States as a threat to the overall nation.
The political tension came to its pinnacle in 1859 when Congress passed two controversial laws. On April 8, 1859, Congress passed a law giving the President the right to remove the duly appointed Governors of the States and appoint one of his choosing. With this law, the President secured the power of the Conservative Party
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...
.
On May 10, 1859, another law was passed, this one giving the President the power to create Administrative Departments in states so to control their resources and how would they be used.
These laws angered many Liberal leaders, specially general Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda was a Colombian general and political figure. He was president of Colombia four times. The first time was as president of Republic of New Granada from 1845 to 1849. During the Colombian Civil War of 1860-1862 he led liberal forces in a civil war against...
, an Ex-President
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
of the New Granada, and a powerful and influential politician in the country. He denounced these laws unconstitutional, and made contact with other Liberal leaders in other states, who gave him their support to revolt against the president, even though not all agreed with his ideas, they supported him and accepted to allow him to become Supreme Director of War, because they saw no other way to get back their autonomy than to revolt against the government.
By a Decree of May 8, 1860, Mosquera broke relations with the National Government, declared himself Supreme Director of War, and declared a separated state, the Sovereign State of Cauca. From that moment the country entered a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
.
In retaliation, the government of Ospina Rodríguez supported insurrections against the liberal governments in some states, the first of this armed conflicts in Santander, against the government of Eustorgio Salgar
Eustorgio Salgar
Eustorgio Salgar Moreno was a lawyer, Colombian general and political figure, who was president of the Granadine Confederation from 1870 until 1872. Elected at age 39, was one of the youngest Presidents of the nation.- Biographic data :...
in 1859; the Granadine Confederacy declared war on the State of Santander, and sent its army to subdue Eustogio Salgar, who was taken prisoner along with other important figures like Aquileo Parra
Aquileo Parra
José Bonifacio Aquileo Elias Parra Gómez was a Colombian soldier, businessman and political figure. He was the president of Colombia between 1876 and 1878.- Biographic data :Aquileo Parra was born in Barichara, Santander, on May 12, 1825...
.
Civil War then spread to other States like Bolívar, Antioquía, Magdalena and Cauca. In an unexpected move, Mosquera captured Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
on June 18, 1861, declared himself President of the provisional government, and arrested Ospina Rodríguez, his brother Pastor Ospina, and Bartolomé Calvo
Bartolomé Calvo
Bartolomé Calvo Díaz de Lamadrid was a Colombian lawyer, journalist, and statesman, who became President of the Granadine Confederation, in what is now Colombia, in 1861 in his role as Inspector General, because no elections were held on that year to the decide the presidency...
the newly elected president of the Confederacy.
The war ended in 1862 when the last leaders of the conservative opposition died or gave up.
Borders
According to the Constitution of 1858, the limits of the territory of the Granadine Confederation were to be the same that in the year 1810 divided the territory of the Viceroyalty of the New Granada, from the Captaincy General of VenezuelaCaptaincy General of Venezuela
The Captaincy General of Venezuela was an administrative district of colonial Spain, created in 1777 to provide more autonomy for the provinces of Venezuela, previously under the jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of New Granada and the Audiencia of Santo Domingo...
, the Captaincy General of Guatemala
Captaincy General of Guatemala
The Captaincy General of Guatemala , also known as the Kingdom of Guatemala , was an administrative division in Spanish America which covered much of Central America, including what are now the nations of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas...
, and the Portuguese positions in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. In the west, the limits would be those provisionally marked by the Treaty with the Government of Ecuador
Politics of Ecuador
Politics of Ecuador takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Ecuador is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the...
on July 9, 1856, and all those treaties that on those days divided that republic.
Regions
The Granadine Confederation occupied a vast region, sharply divided by its geography. The three CordillerasAndes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
divided the country into 3 distinct regions, the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
the main artery of navigation in the country, divided some of the states, and the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
was isolated in its region. The deep jungles in the south only added to the confusion. The unclear borders were never definitively marked and the terrain secluded its residents, mostly natives, from the rest of the country.
Four isolated regions divided the country; the Oriental Region included Cundinamarca, Tolima, Boyacá and Santander; the Cauca Region, which included Chocó and extended to Marmato; the Region of Antioquía, that extended down to the River Chinchiná near Manizales
Manizales
Manizales is a city and municipality in central Colombia, capital of Department of Caldas and part of the region of Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis, near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano....
; and the Atlantic Region.
Each of these regions behaved like a separate country without relations to the others. This isolation and lack of roads was a severe restraint on the economy, as its already distant nuclei were too far off each other for trade to grow, and investment to take place.
Religion
In the short life of the Granadine Confederacy, the Church was a constant target for the government. Although its population was still very highly Roman Catholic, and religion formed an essential part of every citizen, the government passed a number of laws directed at controlling the clergy and church property during this time.During the first presidency of general Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda was a Colombian general and political figure. He was president of Colombia four times. The first time was as president of Republic of New Granada from 1845 to 1849. During the Colombian Civil War of 1860-1862 he led liberal forces in a civil war against...
in 1849, Mosquera adopted a radical position with the church, passing laws confiscating religious property and subjecting the clergy to government rules. He banished and expelled the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
from the Republic of New Granada
Republic of New Granada
The Republic of New Granada was a centralist republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Ecuador, and Venezuela. It was created after the dissolution in 1830 of Gran Colombia. It was later abolished in 1858 when the Granadine Confederation was...
, expelled the Archbishop of Bogotá. The closure of convents and monasteries drove nuns into poverty, although many were taken into homes by citizens. All of this drew direct criticism from the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, even leading the Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
to directly condemn the government of Colombia for its actions.
After the creation of the Granadine Confederation, during the government of Mariano Ospina Rodríguez
Mariano Ospina Rodríguez
Mariano Ospina Rodríguez was a Colombian politician, journalist and lawyer, founder of the Colombian Conservative Party and later President of Colombia between 1857 and 1861 during the Granadine Confederation.- Biographic data :...
, the Jesuits were once again welcomed into the country and religious tensions eased.
This short period of religious calm ended when Mosquera, who assumed the presidency a second time, continued with his anticlerical attitude driving once again the Jesuits off the Confederacy giving them only seventy-two hours to leave the country or face imprisonment, as he blamed them of supporting the insurgency.
He passed a couple of anticlerical laws. One of these was the Tuition of Cults, a law that prohibited religious leaders to exercise their functions without authorization from the government, thus requiring special licenses to preach. Through another law, he confiscated the property of religious communities and organizations such as schools, hospitals, monasteries, churches, land, houses and other properties that could be sold. Those organizations that opposed were banned and abolished.
These laws were not passed as a direct attack on the Church, but what was pretended was to improve the situation of the National Treasury which was severely depleted because of the Civil War currently being waged. The Church assets were sold to the best buyer, improving industry and investment while putting money in the hands of the State. However the laws provided little assistance to the farmers who finished up owning little of the land as Mosquera intended, with his slogan of “Land for those who work it”.
Rionegro Convention
The Granadine Confederation came to an end on May 8, 1863, with the signing of the Constitution of 1863 by the Rionegro Convention, who officially changed the name of the country to the United States of ColombiaUnited States of Colombia
The United States of Colombia was the name adopted in 1861 through the Rionegro Constitution for the nation which had been known as the Republic of New Granada since the dissolution of the federation of Gran Colombia in 1830-1831....
, consisting of nine Sovereign States, and where new rules and powers were given to the States and Presidents. The Liberals had come to fear the great power Mosquera held, and they drafted the new constitution to limit his power and prevent him from turning against them, as he had done with the Conservatives. The Radical Liberals defended a federal government
Federal government
The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...
based on a laissez-faire
Laissez-faire
In economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies....
policy, in which the regional and local autonomy were protected, where there was no National Army, a society with the basic rights and freedoms, based on education and Open Market
Open market
The term open market is used generally to refer to a situation close to free trade and in a more specific technical sense to interbank trade in securities.-Use of the term in economic theory:...
values, with no intervention by the Church.
See also
- Tomás Cipriano de MosqueraTomás Cipriano de MosqueraTomás Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda was a Colombian general and political figure. He was president of Colombia four times. The first time was as president of Republic of New Granada from 1845 to 1849. During the Colombian Civil War of 1860-1862 he led liberal forces in a civil war against...
- United States of ColombiaUnited States of ColombiaThe United States of Colombia was the name adopted in 1861 through the Rionegro Constitution for the nation which had been known as the Republic of New Granada since the dissolution of the federation of Gran Colombia in 1830-1831....
- ConfederalismConfederationA confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
- History of ColombiaHistory of ColombiaThis article deals with the history of Colombia, a country in South America.-Pre-Colombian period:Approximately 10,000 years BC hunter-gatherer societies existed near present-day Bogotá , and they traded with one another and with cultures living in the Magdalena River valley...