Pacto Federal
Encyclopedia
The Federal Pact was a treaty first signed by the Argentine
provinces
of Buenos Aires
, Entre Ríos
and Santa Fe on 4 January 1831, for which a Federal
military alliance was created to confront the Unitarian
Liga Unitaria. Other provinces would later join the treaty.
, led and inspired by José Gervasio Artigas
, the first meeting between the Provinces of Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Buenos Aires, with the purpose of an alliance, took place on July 20, 1830, in Santa Fe. It had the following representatives: Domingo Cullen
for Santa Fe, Diego Miranda for Entre Ríos, Pedro Ferré for Corrientes and José María Roxas y Patrón for Buenos Aires. The treaty was to be written by Ferré and Roxas. Ferré insisted in the organization of the state at the national (river navigability, provincial powers, national organization) and international level (foreign commerce
, customs taxes). Roxas y Patrón opposed to such ideas claiming that they did not have the attributions to decide over all those topics. The conflict grew around the topic of the centralism of the Buenos Aires port, with Ferré supporting the creation of other port for international commerce, such as in Santa Fe, and the distribution among the provinces of customs taxes. Seeing Roxas y Patrón remained inflexible about those topics, he decided to quit the negotiations for the treaty. Thus the treaty was signed by the remaining three provinces on January 4, 1831 in the city of Santa Fe
. Corrientes Province
joined the treaty on August 19 of the same year.
of 1853 starts by justifying its creation "with the purpose of fulfilling pre-existent pacts", which refers to this and other agreements. The creation of a Constitutional Assembly was planned long before 1853, but the negative of Juan Manuel de Rosas
, governor of Buenos Aires and strong member of the treaty, delayed it. The members of the Pacto Federal joined the United Provinces of the River Plate in the founding of the modern state of Argentina.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
provinces
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, 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....
and Santa Fe on 4 January 1831, for which a Federal
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...
military alliance was created to confront the Unitarian
Unitarian Party
Unitarianists or Unitarians were the proponents of the concept of a Unitary state in Buenos Aires during the civil wars which shortly followed the Declaration of Independence of Argentina in 1816. They were opposed to the Argentine Federalists, who wanted a federation of independent provinces...
Liga Unitaria. Other provinces would later join the treaty.
Background
After the demise of the Liga FederalLiga Federal
The Federal League or League of Free Peoples was a confederal state based around Montevideo from 1815 to 1820...
, led and inspired by José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas is a national hero of Uruguay, sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan nationhood".-Early life:Artigas was born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764...
, the first meeting between the Provinces of Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Buenos Aires, with the purpose of an alliance, took place on July 20, 1830, in Santa Fe. It had the following representatives: Domingo Cullen
Domingo Cullen
Domingo Cullen was the governor of province of Santa Fe, Argentina during 1838.Cullen was born in Tenerife, Canary Islands, but moved to Argentina in the 1820s after establishing commercial activities in the area. He met Santa Fe's caudillo Estanislao López when serving as a deputy of the Cabildo...
for Santa Fe, Diego Miranda for Entre Ríos, Pedro Ferré for Corrientes and José María Roxas y Patrón for Buenos Aires. The treaty was to be written by Ferré and Roxas. Ferré insisted in the organization of the state at the national (river navigability, provincial powers, national organization) and international level (foreign commerce
Foreign trade of Argentina
-Modern history:Agriculturally productive and thinly populated, Argentina recorded trade surpluses for most of the period between 1900 and 1948, including a cumulative US$1 billion during World War I and US$1.7 billion during World War II. Record taxes on grain exports imposed by the...
, customs taxes). Roxas y Patrón opposed to such ideas claiming that they did not have the attributions to decide over all those topics. The conflict grew around the topic of the centralism of the Buenos Aires port, with Ferré supporting the creation of other port for international commerce, such as in Santa Fe, and the distribution among the provinces of customs taxes. Seeing Roxas y Patrón remained inflexible about those topics, he decided to quit the negotiations for the treaty. Thus the treaty was signed by the remaining three provinces on January 4, 1831 in the city of Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa 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...
. Corrientes Province
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:...
joined the treaty on August 19 of the same year.
The Pact
The main topics of the pact were:- It obligated the signer provinces to resist any foreign invasion to an Argentine provinceProvinces of ArgentinaArgentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
, whether this was a member of the treaty or not. - It formed a defensive and offensive alliance against the integrity and independence of the signing parties against attacks from other provinces.
- The signing provinces were not to sign other treaties without the previous acceptance of the rest of the provinces.
- It forbade asylum to criminals wanted in another province.
- It allowed the unrestricted circulation of people and fruits between provinces by road or river free of any kind of taxes.
- All inhabitants of the provinces were granted the same rights, except the right to be governors (only given to people born in the province).
- Other provinces could join the treaty under the same terms, given the acceptance of the founding members.
- If one of the signing provinces were attacked, it would be helped by the others, with their forces under the control of the local government.
Later adhesions
- MendozaMendoza ProvinceThe Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
: August 9, 1831 - Córdoba: August 21, 1831
- Santiago del EsteroSantiago del Estero ProvinceSantiago 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:...
: March 12, 1832 - La Rioja: August 12, 1832
- TucumánTucumán ProvinceTucumán 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...
: October 18, 1832 - SaltaSalta ProvinceSalta 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...
: July 4, 1832 - San LuisSan Luis ProvinceSan 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:...
: July 12, 1832 - CatamarcaCatamarca ProvinceCatamarca is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. The province has a population of 334,568 as per the , and covers an area of 102,602 km². Its literacy rate is 95.5%. Neighbouring provinces are : Salta, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Córdoba, and La Rioja...
: September 1, 1832 - San Juan: May 3, 1832 (indirectly)
The treaty as a constitution
In several ways, the Federal Pact acted as a constitution. In fact, the Argentine ConstitutionConstitution 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...
of 1853 starts by justifying its creation "with the purpose of fulfilling pre-existent pacts", which refers to this and other agreements. The creation of a Constitutional Assembly was planned long before 1853, but the negative of 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...
, governor of Buenos Aires and strong member of the treaty, delayed it. The members of the Pacto Federal joined the United Provinces of the River Plate in the founding of the modern state of Argentina.
See also
- Confederación Argentina
- Juan Manuel de RosasJuan Manuel de RosasJuan 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...
- Liga FederalLiga FederalThe Federal League or League of Free Peoples was a confederal state based around Montevideo from 1815 to 1820...
- List of treaties
Resources
- Historical analysis (Spanish)