Pact of San José de Flores
Encyclopedia
The Pact of San José de Flores (Pacto Unión San José de Flores, or Pacto de Unión Nacional) was a treaty signed between the Argentine Confederation
and the State of Buenos Aires
on November 11, 1859. It established guidelines for the entry of the latter into the Confederation, and Buenos Aires' acceptance of the Argentine Constitution of 1853.
, consisting of thirteen provinces in the interior, and the State of Buenos Aires
, formed by the Province of Buenos Aires had divided what today is Argentina since the 1852 Battle of Caseros
removed the paramount Governor of Buenos Aires, Juan Manuel de Rosas
(who had wielded the sum of public power
since 1835, thereby keeping the nation tenuously united). The division was caused by the refusal of Buenos Aires to endorse the San Nicolás Agreement
of 1853 or to recognize the Constitution of Argentina
, promulgated that year.
The most contentious issue remained the Buenos Aires Customs
, which remained under the control of the city government and was the chief source of public revenue. Nations with which the Confederation maintained foreign relations
, moreover, kept all embassies in Buenos Aires
(rather than in the capital, Paraná
).
The Buenos Aires government also enjoyed numerous alliances in the hinterland, including that of Santiago del Estero Province
(led by Manuel Taboada), as well as among powerful Liberal Party governors in Salta
, Corrientes
, Tucumán
and San Juan
. The 1858 assassination of San Juan's Federalist
governor, Nazario Benavídez, by Liberals inflamed tensions between the Confederation and the State of Buenos Aires. Relations deteriorated further with the signing of a free trade agreement between the Port of Rosario
(the chief Confederate port) and the Port of Montevideo
to the detriment of Buenos Aires. The election of Valentín Alsina
as Governor of Buenos Aires made hostilities imminent, culminating in the Battle of Cepeda
of October 23, 1859.
Buenos Aires forces, led by General Bartolomé Mitre
, were defeated by those led by the President of the Confederacy, Justo José de Urquiza
. Ordered to subjugate Buenos Aires separatists by force, Urquiza instead invited the defeated to a round of negotiations. The son of the President of Paraguay
, General Francisco Solano López, had attempted to prevent the Battle of Cepeda, persuaded Governor Alsina to accept Urquiza's offer, and a meeting place was soon arranged in the village of San José de Flores (west of the capital), by Buenos Aires emissaries Juan Bautista Peña (Minister of the Economy) and jurist Carlos Tejedor
.
Vice President Tomás Guido
, Urquiza, San Luis Province
Governor Juan Esteban Pedernera
(who had played a decisive military role at Cepeda), and Jujuy Province
Governor Daniel Aráoz.
The negotiations were guarded by Urquiza's forces, despite objections to this by Buenos Aires delegates. Urquiza, furthermore, demanded the resignation of Buenos Aires Governor Alsina and his cabinet. Faced with the threat of invasion, Alsina's government resigned, and he was replaced by Vice Governor Felipe Llavallol
.
Following an impasse, General López succeeded in restarting talks on November 9, and on November 11,the Pact of National Union was signed.
(who had administered San Juan Province following the Benavídez assassination, and whom Urquiza trusted) and General Pedernera. The influence of the new governor of Buenos Aires, Bartolomé Mitre
, on the Derqui presidency was strong, and Mitre obtained numerous important bills from Derqui, including an extension on the province's customs house concession and measures benefiting the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires
, whose currency was authorized for use as legal tender at the customs house (thereby controlling much of the nation's foreign trade). These concessions would strain Derqui's relations with Urquiza, who had been returned as governor of Entre Ríos
, though the enactment of the new constitution on October 8 temporarily placated ongoing tensions.
This impasse continued until, on November 16, Domingo Sarmiento organized a revolt in his native San Juan Province, leading to Governor José Antonio Virasoro's murder and renewed hostilities. The insurrection spread to neighboring Córdoba Province
, which the president (who was from Córdoba) attempted to quell by personally assuming the governor's post.
The absence of the president from the nation's capital led to Mitre's abrogation of the Pact of San José, and inevitably to renewed civil war. These hostilities culminated in the September 17, 1861, Battle of Pavón
, and to victory on the part of Mitre and Buenos Aires over Urquiza's national forces. President Derqui resigned, and the Argentine Confederation was replaced by the Argentine Republic on December 17; Mitre, who despite victory reaffirmed his commitment to the 1860 constitutional amendments, was elected the republic's first president
on September 4, 1862.
Argentine Confederation
The Argentine Confederation is one of the official names of Argentina, according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35...
and the State of Buenos Aires
State of Buenos Aires
The State of Buenos Aires was a secessionist republic resulting from the overthrow of the Argentine Confederation government in the Province of Buenos Aires on September 11, 1852. The State of Buenos Aires was never recognized by the Confederation or by foreign nations; it remained, however,...
on November 11, 1859. It established guidelines for the entry of the latter into the Confederation, and Buenos Aires' acceptance of the Argentine Constitution of 1853.
Background
The Argentine ConfederationArgentine Confederation
The Argentine Confederation is one of the official names of Argentina, according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35...
, consisting of thirteen provinces in the interior, and the State of Buenos Aires
State of Buenos Aires
The State of Buenos Aires was a secessionist republic resulting from the overthrow of the Argentine Confederation government in the Province of Buenos Aires on September 11, 1852. The State of Buenos Aires was never recognized by the Confederation or by foreign nations; it remained, however,...
, formed by the Province of Buenos Aires had divided what today is Argentina since the 1852 Battle of Caseros
Battle of Caseros
The Battle of Caseros was fought near the town of Caseros, more precisely between the present-day train stations of Caseros and Palomar in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, on 3 February 1852, between the Army of Buenos Aires commanded by Juan Manuel de Rosas...
removed the paramount Governor of Buenos Aires, Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas , was an argentine militar and politician, who was elected governor of the province of Buenos Aires in 1829 to 1835, and then of the Argentine Confederation from 1835 until 1852...
(who had wielded the sum of public power
Sum of public power
The sum of public power is a legal figure from Argentina, included in its constitution. It represents the sum of the three powers, and deems the complete delegation of them into the executive power as a crime of high treason....
since 1835, thereby keeping the nation tenuously united). The division was caused by the refusal of Buenos Aires to endorse the San Nicolás Agreement
San Nicolás Agreement
The San Nicolás Agreement was a pact signed on May 31, 1852 and subscribed by all but one of the 14 provinces of the United Provinces of the River Plate . The treaty consisted of 19 articles, and its goal was to set the bases for the national organization of the young Argentine state...
of 1853 or to recognize the Constitution of Argentina
Constitution of Argentina
The constitution of Argentina is one of the primary sources of existing law in Argentina. Its first version was written in 1853 by a Constitutional Assembly gathered in Santa Fe, and the doctrinal basis was taken in part from the United States Constitution...
, promulgated that year.
The most contentious issue remained the Buenos Aires Customs
Buenos Aires Customs
The Buenos Aires Customs House is a government building and architectural landmark in the Montserrat section of Buenos Aires.-Overview:...
, which remained under the control of the city government and was the chief source of public revenue. Nations with which the Confederation maintained foreign relations
Foreign relations of Argentina
This article deals with the diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and international relations of Argentina.At the political level, these matters are officially handled by the Ministry of Foreign Relations, also known as the Cancillería, which answers to the President...
, moreover, kept all embassies in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(rather than in the capital, Paraná
Paraná, Entre Ríos
Paraná is the capital city of the Argentine province of Entre Ríos, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, opposite the city of Santa Fe, capital of the neighbouring Santa Fe Province...
).
The Buenos Aires government also enjoyed numerous alliances in the hinterland, including that of Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...
(led by Manuel Taboada), as well as among powerful Liberal Party governors in Salta
Salta Province
Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
, Corrientes
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
, Tucumán
Tucumán Province
Tucumán is the most densely populated, and the smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the capital is San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neighboring provinces are, clockwise from the north: Salta, Santiago del Estero and...
and San Juan
San Juan Province (Argentina)
San Juan is a province of Argentina, located in the western part of the country. Neighbouring provinces are, moving clockwise from the north, La Rioja, San Luis and Mendoza. It borders with Chile at the west....
. The 1858 assassination of San Juan's Federalist
Federales (Argentina)
Federales was the name under which the supporters of federalism in Argentina were known, opposing the Unitarios that claimed a centralised government of Buenos Aires Province, with no participation of the other provinces of the custom taxes benefits of the Buenos Aires port...
governor, Nazario Benavídez, by Liberals inflamed tensions between the Confederation and the State of Buenos Aires. Relations deteriorated further with the signing of a free trade agreement between the Port of Rosario
Port of Rosario
The Port of Rosario is an inland port and a major goods-shipping center of Argentina, located in the city of Rosario, province of Santa Fe, on the right-hand shore of the Paraná River, about 550 km upstream from the Atlantic Ocean.-Overview:...
(the chief Confederate port) and the Port of Montevideo
Port of Montevideo
The Port of Montevideo , in the northern part of the Old City of Montevideo, Uruguay, is one of the major ports of South America and plays a very important role in the economy of Uruguay.-History:...
to the detriment of Buenos Aires. The election of Valentín Alsina
Valentín Alsina
*For the city, see Valentín Alsina, Buenos Aires.Valentín Alsina was an Argentine lawyer and politician.Alsina was born in Buenos Aires and studied law at the University of Córdoba. He occupied diverse posts in government, and had a successful civil career as an advocate and professor of law at...
as Governor of Buenos Aires made hostilities imminent, culminating in the Battle of Cepeda
Battle of Cepeda (1859)
The Battle of Cepeda of 1859 took place on October 23 at Cañada de Cepeda, Santa Fe, Argentina. The Republic of the Argentine Confederation army, led by Federal Justo José de Urquiza defeated the Province of Buenos Aires forces, led by Unitarian Bartolomé Mitre.-The battle in context:Before the...
of October 23, 1859.
Buenos Aires forces, led by General Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre Martínez was an Argentine statesman, military figure, and author. He was the President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868.-Life and times:...
, were defeated by those led by the President of the Confederacy, Justo José de Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza y García was an Argentine general and politician. He was president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860.He was governor of Entre Ríos during the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas, governor of Buenos Aires with powers delegated from the other provinces...
. Ordered to subjugate Buenos Aires separatists by force, Urquiza instead invited the defeated to a round of negotiations. The son of the President of Paraguay
President of Paraguay
The President of Paraguay is according to the Paraguayan Constitution the Chief of the Executive branch of the Government of Paraguay...
, General Francisco Solano López, had attempted to prevent the Battle of Cepeda, persuaded Governor Alsina to accept Urquiza's offer, and a meeting place was soon arranged in the village of San José de Flores (west of the capital), by Buenos Aires emissaries Juan Bautista Peña (Minister of the Economy) and jurist Carlos Tejedor
Carlos Tejedor (politician)
Carlos Tejedor was an Argentine jurist and politician, Governor of Buenos Aires Province between 1878 and 1880. Tejedor was a prominent figure in the movement against the Federalization of Buenos Aires.-Life and times:...
.
Negotiations
Buenos Aires was represented by Peña, Tejedor and Antonio Cruz Obligado. The Confederation was represented by SenateArgentine Senate
The Argentine Senate is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress. It has 72 senators: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires...
Vice President Tomás Guido
Tomás Guido
Tomás Guido. was a General in the Argentine War of Independence a diplomat and a politician.-Early life:...
, Urquiza, San Luis Province
San Luis Province
San Luis is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country . Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan.-History:...
Governor Juan Esteban Pedernera
Juan Esteban Pedernera
Juan Esteban Pedernera was interim President of Argentina during a brief period in 1861.Born in 1796 in San Luis Province, he studied in a Franciscan monastery when young, and left his studies to join the Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers being summoned by José de San Martín to fight in the War of...
(who had played a decisive military role at Cepeda), and Jujuy Province
Jujuy Province
Jujuy is a province of Argentina, located in the extreme northwest of the country, at the borders with Chile and Bolivia. The only neighboring Argentine province is Salta to the east and south.-History:...
Governor Daniel Aráoz.
The negotiations were guarded by Urquiza's forces, despite objections to this by Buenos Aires delegates. Urquiza, furthermore, demanded the resignation of Buenos Aires Governor Alsina and his cabinet. Faced with the threat of invasion, Alsina's government resigned, and he was replaced by Vice Governor Felipe Llavallol
Felipe Llavallol
Felipe Esteban Llavallol was an Argentine merchant, philanthropist, lawmaker and briefly Governor of the secessionist State of Buenos Aires.-Life and times:...
.
Following an impasse, General López succeeded in restarting talks on November 9, and on November 11,the Pact of National Union was signed.
Treaty and terms
The final text closely followed President Urquiza's stipulations, though with a number of concessions toward Buenos Aires. The principal terms were:- Buenos Aires was declared part of the Argentine Confederation.
- The city government would convene a provincial convention to review and propose amendments to the National Constitution.
- Any amendments would be discussed by a National Constitutional Convention, meeting in Santa FeSanta Fe, ArgentinaSanta Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
, with the participation of all provinces. - The territory of Buenos Aires could not be divided without the consent of the Provincial Legislature. This was prescient because of the Constitutional stipulation that the nation's capital was the city of Buenos Aires as a federal district; the creation of such as district would by definition separate it from the surrounding province.
- Buenos Aires would forfeit any diplomatic relations.
- The Province of Buenos Aires would retain all public properties and buildings, with the exception of the Customs, which would be nationalized.
- Blanket amnesty would be declared for all participants in the past disputes, and for any actions pursuant to those disputes.
- The occupying Argentine ArmyArgentine ArmyThe Argentine Army is the land armed force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of the country.- History :...
would withdraw from the Province of Buenos Aires.
Aftermath
The constitutional convention ultimately met on September 14, 1860, and approved the amendments outlined in the treaty on September 23. Elections on March 6, 1860, resulted in victory for the incumbent Federalist Party, electing Santiago DerquiSantiago Derqui
Santiago Rafael Luis Manuel José María Derqui Rodríguez was president of Argentina from March 5, 1860 to November 5, 1861. He was featured on the 10 Australes note, which is now obsolete....
(who had administered San Juan Province following the Benavídez assassination, and whom Urquiza trusted) and General Pedernera. The influence of the new governor of Buenos Aires, Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre Martínez was an Argentine statesman, military figure, and author. He was the President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868.-Life and times:...
, on the Derqui presidency was strong, and Mitre obtained numerous important bills from Derqui, including an extension on the province's customs house concession and measures benefiting the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires
Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires
The Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires is a publicly-owned Argentine bank and the second-largest in the nation, by value of assets and deposits.-History:...
, whose currency was authorized for use as legal tender at the customs house (thereby controlling much of the nation's foreign trade). These concessions would strain Derqui's relations with Urquiza, who had been returned as governor of Entre Ríos
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
, though the enactment of the new constitution on October 8 temporarily placated ongoing tensions.
This impasse continued until, on November 16, Domingo Sarmiento organized a revolt in his native San Juan Province, leading to Governor José Antonio Virasoro's murder and renewed hostilities. The insurrection spread to neighboring Córdoba Province
Córdoba Province (Argentina)
Córdoba is a province of Argentina, located in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are : Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, La Rioja and Catamarca...
, which the president (who was from Córdoba) attempted to quell by personally assuming the governor's post.
The absence of the president from the nation's capital led to Mitre's abrogation of the Pact of San José, and inevitably to renewed civil war. These hostilities culminated in the September 17, 1861, Battle of Pavón
Battle of Pavón
The Battle of Pavón was a key battle of the Argentine civil wars fought in Pavón, in Santa Fé Province, Argentina, on September 17, 1861, between the Army of Buenos Aires, commanded by Bartolomé Mitre, and the National Army, commanded by Justo José de Urquiza...
, and to victory on the part of Mitre and Buenos Aires over Urquiza's national forces. President Derqui resigned, and the Argentine Confederation was replaced by the Argentine Republic on December 17; Mitre, who despite victory reaffirmed his commitment to the 1860 constitutional amendments, was elected the republic's first president
President of Argentina
The President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
on September 4, 1862.