Act of the Pledge of
Independence on 9th of July
of 18161
Act
In the praiseworthy and most esteemed City of San Miguel del Tucumán, on the ninth day of the month of July, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen: the ordinary session having ended, the Congress of the United Provinces continued its previous discussions on the great and august objective of the independence of the Peoples that form it. There was a universal, constant, and determined clamor of the entire territory for its solemn emancipation from the despotic power of the kings of Spain; the Representatives, however, devoted to such an arduous a matter all the depth of their talents, the rectitude of their intentions, and the interest demanded by the sanction of their fortune, the represented Peoples and posterity; at its end they were asked: If they wanted the Provinces of the Union to be a free Nation, and independent of the kings of Spain, and their Metropolis? They first acclaimed full with the holy ardor of Justice, and one by one they successively reiterated their unanimous and spontaneous determined vote for the independence of the Country, fixing by virtue thereof the following resolution.——
Declaration
We, the Representatives of the United Provinces in South America, assembled in General Congress, invoking the Everlasting One who presides over the universe, in the name and by the authority of the Peoples we represent, protesting to Heaven, to the Nations and all men of the Globe the Justice which governs our votes; solemnly declare upon the face of the earth, that it is the unanimous and indubitable will of these Provinces to break the violent ties which have bound them to the kings of Spain: to recover the rights of which they were deprived; and to invest themselves with the high character of a free Nation and independent of King Ferdinand the Seventh, his successors, and Metropolis2. They remain consequently in fact and in law with ample and full power to give themselves the forms that justice demands, and the totality of their present circumstances imposes. All and each one of them thus publish, declare, and ratify committing themselves by our means to the fulfillment and support of this their will under the assurance and guarantee of their lives, assets, and renown. Let it be communicated to whom it may concern for its publication; and as a compliment of the respect due to the Nations, let detail be given in a Manifesto3 the most serious foundations compelling this solemn declaration. Given in the Chamber of Sessions, signed by our hand, sealed with the seal of the Congress, and countersigned by our Representative Secretaries.
Francisco Narciso de Laprida
Representative for San Juan, President
Mariano Boedo
Vice-President, Representative for Salta
Dr. Antonio Saenz
Representative for Buenos Aires
Dr. José Darragueira
Representative for Buenos Aires
Fray Cayetano José Rodriguez
Representative for Buenos Aires
Dr. Pedro Medrano
Representative for Buenos Aires
Dr. Manuel Antonio Acevedo
Representative for Catamarca
Dr. Jose Ignacio Gorriti
Representative for Salta
Dr. José Andres Pacheco de Melo
Representative for Chichas
Dr. Teodoro Sanchez de Bustamante
Representative for the City of Jujuy and its Territory
Eduardo Pérez Vulnes
Representative for Cordoba
Tomas Godoy Cruz
Representative for Mendoza
Dr. Pedro Miguel Aráoz
Representative for the Capital of Tucumán
Dr. Estevan Agustin Gazcon
Representative for the Province de Buenos Aires
Pedro Francisco de Uriarte
Representative for Santiago del Estero
Pedro Leon Gallo
Representative from Santiago del Estero
Pedro Ignacio Rivera
Representative for Mizque
Dr. Mariano Sanchez de Loria
Representative for Charcas
Dr. Jose Severo Malavia
Representative for Charcas
Dr. Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros
Representative for la Rioja
Licenciado Geronimo Salguero de Cabrera y Cabrera
Representative for Cordoba
Dr. Jose Colombres
Representative for Catamarca
Dr. José Ignacio Tames
Representative for Tucumán
Fr. Justo de Santa Maria de Oro
Representative for San Juan
Jose Antonio Cabrera
Representative for Cordoba
Dr. Juan Agustin Maza
Representative for Mendoza
Tomás Manuel de Anchorena
Representative from Buenos Aires
José Mariano Serrano
Representative from Charcas, Secretary
Juan José Paso
Representative for Buenos Aires, Secretary
Copy = Doctor Serrano, Representative Secretary = amended = Tucumán = agreed
It is copy
Serapion José de Arteaga
Mariano Serrano
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Transcribed from the manuscript copy of the original, recorded on the book of Proceedings of the Congress of Tucumán. See photographic facsimile. ↩︎
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On the 19th of July, in a closed session, the following clause was added: "and any other foreign domination". ↩︎
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The Manifesto was published on 2 October 1816 and a copy is available at the same link as in the first footnote. ↩︎