Junta () during
Spanish American
Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in th ...
independence was the type of self government as patriotic alternative to the central government of Spain during the first phase of
Spanish American wars of independence
The Spanish American wars of independence (25 September 1808 – 29 September 1833; es, Guerras de independencia hispanoamericanas) were numerous wars in Spanish America with the aim of political independence from Spanish rule during the early ...
. The formation of juntas was usually an urban movement. Most juntas were created out of the already-existing ''
ayuntamientos'' (municipal councils) with the addition of other prominent members of
society
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...
.
Overview
Juntas emerged in Spanish America as a result of Spain facing a political crisis due to the
kidnapping and abdication of
Ferdinand VII and Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion. Spanish Americans reacted in much the same way the Peninsular Spanish did, legitimizing their actions through traditional law, which held that there was a
retroversion of the sovereignty to the people
The Retroversion of the sovereignty to the people, which challenged the legitimacy of the colonial authorities, was the principle underlying the self-government temporarily in the absence of the legitimate king.
But, in both Spain and Spanish Ame ...
in the absence of a legitimate king.
Once adopted the same principle of
Popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. Popular sovereignty, being a principle, does not imply any ...
in the
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
there was a conflict between those who wanted the unity or the independence. The juntas were declared illegal by the governments of Spain. The Spanish government deny him absolutely no legitimacy and fought for preserve the integrity of the Spanish monarchy. The juntas did not accept the
Spanish regency, which was
under siege in the city of Cadiz. They also rejected the
Spanish Constitution of 1812
The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy ( es, link=no, Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz ( es, link=no, Constitución de Cádiz) and as ''La Pepa'', was the first Constituti ...
.
The juntas in the Americas did not accept the governments of the Europeans, neither the
government set up for Spain by the French nor the various Spanish governments set up in response to the French invasion. The majority of Spanish Americans continued to support the idea of maintaining several independent monarchies under Ferdinand VII, but did not support retaining
absolutism
Absolutism may refer to:
Government
* Absolute monarchy, in which a monarch rules free of laws or legally organized opposition
* Absolutism (European history), period c. 1610 – c. 1789 in Europe
** Enlightened absolutism, influenced by the En ...
. In the end, the triumph of the
republic
A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
an ideas such as Bolivar's were imposed over
Constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
as San Martin's proposed.
Chronology
See also
*
Junta (Peninsular War)
*
Retroversion of the sovereignty to the people
The Retroversion of the sovereignty to the people, which challenged the legitimacy of the colonial authorities, was the principle underlying the self-government temporarily in the absence of the legitimate king.
But, in both Spain and Spanish Ame ...
*
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Spain began colonizing the Americas under the Crown of Castile and was spearheaded by the Spanish . The Americas were invaded and incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, British America, and some small regions ...
References
*John Lynch. ''The Spanish American Revolutions, 1808–1826'' (2nd edition). New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 1986. {{ISBN, 0-393-95537-0
Spanish American wars of independence
1810s in the Spanish Empire
Spanish colonization of the Americas