San Nicolás Agreement
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The San Nicolás Agreement () was a pact signed on May 31, 1852 and subscribed by all but one of the 14 provinces of the United Provinces of the River Plate (the exception was Buenos Aires). The treaty consisted of 19 articles, and its goal was to set the bases for the national organization of the young Argentine state. It also served as precedent to the sanction of the Argentine Constitution of 1853. The agreement named Justo José de Urquiza as provisional ''Supreme Director'' of the
Argentine Confederation The Argentine Confederation (Spanish: ''Confederación Argentina'') was the last predecessor state of modern Argentina; its name is still one of the official names of the country according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35. It was the name ...
, established the application of the Pact of 1831, and set the gathering for a General Constitutional Congress in the city of Santa Fe.


Background

On 6 April 1852 the was signed after a meeting between the governors of Buenos Aires and Corrientes, and the representatives of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos. The protocol named Justo José de Urquiza in charge of the foreign relationships of the republic as long as the National Congress did not decide who would take the position. Two days after, Urquiza invited the governor of the provinces to a meeting that would take place on May 20 in San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires.


Deliberations and signature of the pact

On May 29 began the deliberations to determine the bases of the national organization. The ''Acuerdo de San Nicolás'' was signed on May 31, and consisted of 19 dispositional articles and an additional one. The representatives of the different provinces that adhered to the Pact were Justo José de Urquiza (Entre Ríos), (Corrientes),
Domingo Crespo Domingo Crespo (1791–1871) was an Argentine politician who was governor of the province of Santa Fe from 1851 to 1854. Crespo was a landowner born in Santa Fe City. In 1851 he supported the movement of the ''Federales'' led by the ''caudill ...
(Santa Fe),
Pascual Segura Pedro Pascual Segura (1802 - 1865) was an Argentina, Argentine soldier and politician who served as Governor of Mendoza Province three times. Early years Pedro Pascual Segura Corvalán was born in Mendoza in 1802. In his youth he was winemaker ...
( Mendoza), Nazario Benavides (
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
),
Pablo Lucero Pablo Lucero (c. 1800 - 12 September 1856) was an Argentine soldier, a leader of the Federalist Party, and governor of San Luis Province throughout the 1840s. Early years Pablo Lucero was born near San Luis, Argentina around 1800, son of a ranc ...
(
San Luis San Luis (Spanish for "Saint Louis") may refer to: Places Argentina * San Luis Province * San Luis, Argentina, capital of San Luis Province Belize * San Luis, Belize, in Orange Walk District Colombia * San Luis, Antioquia, a town and municipality ...
), (
Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surf ...
), ( Tucumán) and ( La Rioja). Catamarca designated Urquiza as its representative. The provinces of
Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
, Jujuy and Córdoba signed their adhesion later. Buenos Aires, whose representative was
Vicente López y Planes Alejandro Vicente López y Planes (May 3, 1785 – October 10, 1856) was an Argentine writer and politician who acted as interim President of Argentina from July 7 to August 18, 1827. He also wrote the lyrics of the Argentine National Anthe ...
, did not ratify the agreement.


Dispositions of the agreement

In the first article, of a total of 19 in the agreement, the Federal Pact signed on January 4, 1831 was declared Fundamental Law of the Republic, and had to be followed and put in execution by the Responsible of Foreign Relationships of the Nation. Articles 4 and 5 refer to the General Constituent Congress that was to start on August of the following year, with the previous election of the deputies that would take part in it. The rules established by the Electoral Law would be used to select the deputies of the provincial legislatures. All provinces were declared equal in rights, with two representative deputies for each province. Articles 6 and 7 mention that the Congress would sanction the
National 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 princip ...
, consent by the majority of the suffrages, putting the national interest above that of the provinces. Article 8 declares that the deputies could not be judged for their opinions, not accused under any motive nor authority until the sanction of the constitution, though the provinces could withdraw their own deputies and replace them if considered opportune. According to Article 11, the Congress would take place in the city of Santa Fe. Article 15 granted executive attributions to Urquiza, and named him Provisional Director of the
Argentine Confederation The Argentine Confederation (Spanish: ''Confederación Argentina'') was the last predecessor state of modern Argentina; its name is still one of the official names of the country according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35. It was the name ...
. The additional article invited the provinces that did not sign the agreement to adhere to it through the provisional Director of the Confederation.


Buenos Aires' rejection

Buenos Aires rejected the project mainly because of the consequences of articles 5, 11, 15, 18 and 19. It refused to the provinces to have the same number of deputies and that the congress had seat in Santa Fe, since it could not control it nor impose an almost majority for its own benefit, and the idea of Urquiza, merely a provincial caudillo, assuming as Supreme Director of the Confederation. It also refused to share the foreign commerce tax collection of the port for the federal government.


Consequences of the agreement

The most relevant consequences of the agreement were two. First the sanction on May 1 of the Argentine Constitution of 1853, that was placed in force in the Argentine Confederation, and who in 1854 saw Justo José de Urquiza assuming as the first elected president of the Republic, for a period of 6 years. The second was the separation of the Buenos Aires Province from the rest of the Confederation until 1859, after Urquiza military defeated
Bartolomé Mitre Bartolomé Mitre Martínez (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of unified Argentina. Mitre is known as the most versatile ...
at the Battle of Cepeda.


See also

*
Argentine Confederation The Argentine Confederation (Spanish: ''Confederación Argentina'') was the last predecessor state of modern Argentina; its name is still one of the official names of the country according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35. It was the name ...
* Pacto Federal * Argentine Constitution of 1853 * Battle of Caseros {{DEFAULTSORT:San Nicolas Agreement Argentine Civil War History of Argentina (1852–1880) Treaties between Argentine provinces 1852 in Argentina May 1852 events