Editor’s note: \u00a0Argentina’s struggle for independence from Spain had begun a decade before the adoption\u00a0of this Declaration of Independence, approved on July 9, 1816, six years after the Argentine War for Independence was launched and led by the likes of\u00a0Juan Jose Castelli, Manuel Belgrano, and Jose de San Martin. The declaration represented a complete break with Spanish authority for the United Provinces of South America (also known as the Argentine Republic).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We, the representatives of the United Provinces of South America, assembled in a general congress, invoking the Eternal who presides over the Universe, in the name and by the authority of the people we represent, protesting to Heaven, to the nations, and to all men of the globe the justice that dominates our votes, declare solemnly in the face of the world, that it is the unanimous and unquestioned will of these Provinces to break those unnatural bonds which have bound them to the kings of Spain, to recover the rights of which they have been despoiled, and to invest themselves of the high qualities of a nation free and independent of King Ferninand VII, his successors and the mother country. They are therefore, in fact and by right with ample and full power to give themselves those forms that justice demands in response to the state of their present circumstances.<\/p>\n
All and each of them so proclaim, declare, and ratify, engaging themselves by means of us to the accomplishment and support of this their will, under the security and guaranty of their lives and possessions and reputation. Let it be communicated to whomsoever that it may be published, and out of respect due to the nations let be set out in a manifest, the weighty reasons driving us to this solemn declaration.<\/p>\n
Given in the hall of sessions, signed with our hands, sealed with the seal of the Congress and countersigned by our secretary deputies.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Spanish Text (texto en espanol):<\/p>\n
ACTA DE LA DECLARACI\u00d3N DE LA INDEPENDENCIA ARGENTINA<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n 9 de julio de 1816<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n En la benem\u00e9rita y muy digna Ciudad de san Miguel de Tucum\u00e1n a nueve d\u00edas del mes de Julio de mil ochocientos diez y seis. Terminada la sesi\u00f3n ordinaria el Congreso de la Provincias Unidas continu\u00f3 sus anteriores discusiones sobre el grande, augusto, y sagrado objeto de la independencia de los Pueblos que lo forman. Era universal, constante y decidido el clamor del territorio entero por su emancipaci\u00f3n solemne del poder desp\u00f3tico de los reyes de Espa\u00f1a; los Representantes, sin embargo consagraron a tan arduo toda la profundidad de sus talentos, la rectitud de sus intenciones e inter\u00e9s que demanda la sanci\u00f3n de la suerte suya, la de los Pueblos representados y la de toda la posteridad. A su t\u00e9rmino fueron preguntados: Si quer\u00edan que las Provincias de la Uni\u00f3n fuesen una Naci\u00f3n libre e independiente de los Reyes de Espa\u00f1a y su Metr\u00f3poli. Aclamaron primero llenos del santo ardor de la justicia, y uno a uno reiteraban sucesivamente su un\u00e1nime y espont\u00e1neo decidido voto por la independencia del Pa\u00eds, fijando en su virtud la determinaci\u00f3n siguiente:<\/span><\/p>\n Nos los Representantes de las Provincias Unidas en Sud Am\u00e9rica, reunidos en Congreso General, invocando al Eterno que preside al universo, en el nombre y por la autoridad de los Pueblos que representamos, protestando al Cielo, a las naciones y hombres todos del globo, la justicia que regla nuestros votos: Declaramos solemnemente a la faz de la tierra que, es voluntad un\u00e1nime e indudable de estas Provincias romper los violentos v\u00ednculos que las ligaban a los Reyes de Espa\u00f1a, recuperar los derechos que fueron despojadas, e investirse del alto car\u00e1cter de una Naci\u00f3n libre e independiente del Rey Fernando VII sus sucesores y Metr\u00f3poli. Quedan en consecuencia de hecho y de derecho con amplio y pleno poder para darse las formas que exija la justicia, e impere el c\u00famulo de sus actuales circunstancias. Todas y cada una de ellas as\u00ed lo publican, declaran y ratifican, comprometi\u00e9ndose por nuestro medio al cumplimiento y sost\u00e9n de esta su voluntad, bajo el seguro y garant\u00eda de sus vidas haberes y fama. Comun\u00edquese a quienes corresponda para su publicaci\u00f3n, y en obsequio del respeto que se debe a la Naciones, det\u00e1llense en un Manifiesto los grav\u00edsimos fundamentos impulsivos de esta solemne declaraci\u00f3n.<\/span><\/p>\n Dada en la sala de sesiones, firmada de nuestra mano, sellada con el sello del Congreso y refrendada por nuestros Diputados Secretarios. <\/span>Francisco Narciso de Laprida, diputado por San Juan, presidente; Mariano Boedo, vice-presidente, diputado por Salta; Doctor Antonio Saenz, diputado de Buenos Ayres, Fran Cayetano Josef Rodr\u00edguez, diputado por Buenos Ayres; Doctor Pedro Medran, diputado por Buenos Ayres; Doctor Manuel Antonio Acevedo, diputado por Catamarca; Doctor Josef Ignacio de Gorriti, diputado por Salta; Doctor Josef Andr\u00e9s Pacheco de Melo, diputado por chichas; Doctor Teodoro S\u00e1nchez de Bustamente, diputado por la Ciudad de Jujuy y su Territorio; Eduardo P\u00e9rez Vulnez, diputado por C\u00f3rdoba; Tom\u00e1s Godoy Cruz, diputado por Mendoza; Doctor Pedro Miguel Araoz, diputado por la Capital del Tucum\u00e1n; Doctor Esteban Agust\u00edn Gazc\u00f3n, diputado por la Provincia de Buenos Ayres; Pedro Francisco de Uriarte , diputado por Santiago del Estero; Pedro Le\u00f3n Gallo, diputado de Santiago del Estero; Pedro Ignadio Rivera, diputado de Mizque; Doctor Mariano S\u00e1nchez de Loria, diputado por Charcas; Doctor Josef Severo Malavia, Diputado por Charcas, Doctor Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, diputado por la Rioja; Licenciado Jer\u00f3nimo Salguero de Cabrera y Cabrera, diputado por C\u00f3rdoba; Doctor Josef Colombres, diputado por Catamarca; Doctor Josef Ignacio Tamez, diputado por Tucum\u00e1n; Fray Justo de Santa Mar\u00eda de Oro, diputado por San Juan; Josef Antonio Cabrera, diputado por C\u00f3rdoba; Doctor Juan Agust\u00edn Maza, diputado por Mendoza; Tom\u00e1s Manuel de Anchorena, diputado de Buenos Ayres, secretario.<\/span><\/p>\n Source for English translation:<\/p>\n https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=VFgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA456&lpg=PA456&dq=%22we+the+representatives+of+the+united+provinces+of+south+america%22&source=bl&ots=wtGwirnX05&sig=bFNVfzsUk-7wLYCWh2zvRABfD94&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ym5zVY2TGdOoyAS524OQAw&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22we%20the%20representatives%20of%20the%20united%20provinces%20of%20south%20america%22&f=false<\/p>\n Source for Spanish: \u00a0http:\/\/www.fmmeducacion.com.ar\/Historia\/Documentoshist\/1816independenciaargentina.htm<\/p>\n Image source:<\/p>\n http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Argentine_Declaration_of_Independence#\/media\/File:Acta_Independencia_argentina_quechua.jpg<\/p>\n Further reading:<\/p>\n Colonial Spanish America: A Documentary History<\/em>, William B. Taylor, Kenneth Mills, Eds., Lanham, MD: \u00a0SR Books, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Editor’s note: \u00a0Argentina’s struggle for independence from Spain had begun a decade before the adoption\u00a0of this Declaration of Independence, approved on July 9, 1816, six years after the Argentine War for Independence was launched and led by the likes of\u00a0Juan Jose Castelli, Manuel Belgrano, and Jose de San Martin. The declaration represented a complete break […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,21,35,27],"tags":[234,90,235,64],"class_list":["post-383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-19thcentury","category-declaration-collection","category-declaration-of-independence","category-declarations-from-abroad","tag-argentina","tag-independence","tag-south-america","tag-spain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=383"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":960,"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383\/revisions\/960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declarationproject.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}