![Frases de Artigas5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Frases_de_Artigas5.jpg)
Artiguism is the set of political ideas, economic and social, of
José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a political leader, military general, statesman and national hero of Uruguay and the broader Río de la Plata region.
He fought in the Latin American wars of in ...
, the main leader of the Oriental Revolution held in the
Oriental Province
Banda Oriental, or more fully Banda Oriental del Uruguay (Eastern Bank), was the name of the South American territories east of the Uruguay River and north of Río de la Plata that comprise the modern nation of Uruguay; the modern state of Rio Gra ...
of the
United Provinces of the Río de la Plata
The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata ( es, link=no, Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata), earlier known as the United Provinces of South America ( es, link=no, Provincias Unidas de Sudamérica), was a name adopted in 1816 by the Co ...
, which was a predecessor of the modern Republic of
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
.
Sources of Inspiration
Artiguism has two main sources: the works of American authors such as
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...
(supporters of
federalism) and the French authors of the Enlightenment as
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
. Artigas read books in his teens as "''
Common Sense
''Common Sense'' is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine collected various moral and political arg ...
''" by Paine and "''
The Social Contract
''The Social Contract'', originally published as ''On the Social Contract; or, Principles of Political Right'' (french: Du contrat social; ou, Principes du droit politique), is a 1762 French-language book by the Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques ...
''" by Rousseau. As such, the first "Caudillo" or Founding Father of the La Plata territory seems to have been inspired more by the English enlightenment than the French.
The ideology of Artigas is partially taken from the U.S. legal texts. American political liberalism exerted strong influence him. Other Hispanic independence leaders, however, were more influenced by the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
and the authors of France. Some historians, such as Eugenio Petit Muñoz and Ariosto González, have shown that paragraphs of artiguist documents were taken directly from "''The Independence of the Mainland Justified by Thomas Paine, Thirty Years Ago,''" a work which was published by Paine in Philadelphia in 1811 and translated immediately into Spanish. Another source for artiguist writing was the "Concise History of the United States" by
John McCulloch. Artigas had both books.
The first of the works cited contained a large appendix of documents with the
United States Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...
, the
Federal Constitution of 1787 and the State Constitutions of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Artigas was educated at a Franciscan Catholic school, from which he retired to the ranches of his father, which were located in the current land bordering Villa de Casupá. In the first stage of his life he was not influenced by revolutionary ideas. His education was not very orthodox, although he showed flashes of brilliance. They chroniclers at the time of purification, when he had 3 or 4 secretaries, reported that he dictated letters simultaneously to the four, with surprising clarity. Those were related to administrative and political organization, through diplomatic letters and minor issues as refunds of goods to villagers, or set pensions for widows and children of its fighters killed in action. During his association with the campaign he gained experience for the revolution which took place later.
In the opinion of author
Carlos Maggi, Artigas was influenced in his teens by his relationship with the natives, black peoples and gauchos. He mixed his roots, his readings and his contact with high society in Montevideo and the outcasts.
Ideas
The Artiguist ideology consisted of political ideas, which were expressed in the
Instructions of the Year XIII
The Instructions of the Year XIII ( es, Instrucciones del año XIII) were the mandate brought by the representatives from the Oriental Province to the Assembly of the Year XIII of the United Provinces of the River Plate.
In 1813, a meeting calle ...
and the establishment of the
League of the Free Peoples. His socioeconomic ideas were expressed in the Regulation of Land, the Provisional Regulations of the Eastern Province for the Promotion of Safety Campaign and its Planters and the Provisional Regulation on Tariffs for the Confederated Provinces of the
Banda Oriental
Banda Oriental, or more fully Banda Oriental del Uruguay (Eastern Bank), was the name of the South American territories east of the Uruguay River and north of Río de la Plata that comprise the modern nation of Uruguay; the modern state of Rio Gra ...
del Paraná. Other sources of Artiguist thought are the speech to the Congress in Tres Cruces, the Mercedes Proclamation, General Ordinance Corso and the "Treaty on the Security of Free Trade between England and the Ports of the Banda Oriental del Rio de la Plata" signed between Artigas and Britain in August 1817.
Artigas' primary ideals included:
* Independence from the Spanish and Portuguese Empire.
* Formation of a confederation between the former provinces of the
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ( es, Virreinato del Río de la Plata or es, Virreinato de las Provincias del Río de la Plata) meaning "River of the Silver", also called " Viceroyalty of the River Plate" in some scholarly writings, i ...
.
* Political organization as a republic with separation of the three powers.
* Organization embodied in a written
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
.
* Civil and religious liberty.
* Government focused on the preservation of equality, liberty and the security of citizens.
* An independent capital outside of Buenos Aires.
*
Free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...
among the provinces of the confederation.
* Freedom of the port of Maldonado and
Colonia del Sacramento
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = Basilica del Sanctísimo Sacramento.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento
, pushpin_map = Uruguay
, subdivisio ...
for all ships.
* Solution to the Countryside Agreement by:
** Distribution of land to
free negros, free Zambos, natives, poor criollos and needy widows with children.
** Expropriation of the land of emigrants that have not been pardoned for having their old properties and land sold or donated by Montevideo between 1810 and 1815.
** Reformation of ranching practices.
** Ban on livestock exports to Brazil.
** Obligation of landowners to register their workers and the prosecution of those who did not have registration from their employers.
See also
*
Instructions of the Year XIII
The Instructions of the Year XIII ( es, Instrucciones del año XIII) were the mandate brought by the representatives from the Oriental Province to the Assembly of the Year XIII of the United Provinces of the River Plate.
In 1813, a meeting calle ...
References
{{reflist
Political movements in Uruguay
Artigas
History of Uruguay
Classical liberalism
José Gervasio Artigas