The Assembly of the Year XIII, () also known as the General Constituent and Sovereign Assembly of the Year 1813 (''Asamblea General Constituyente y Soberana del Año 1813''), was a congress of deputies of the

United Provinces of the Río de la Plata The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (), earlier known as the United Provinces of South America (), was a name adopted in 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán for the region of South America that declared independence in 1816, with the Sove ...

convened by the

Second Triumvirate The Second Triumvirate was an extraordinary commission and magistracy created at the end of the Roman republic for Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian to give them practically absolute power. It was formally constituted by law on 27 November ...

, which met in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

from 31 January 1813 to 24 January 1815. Its objectives were for the representatives of the "free peoples" to recognise the sovereignty of the people, proclaim the independence of the United Provinces and draft a constitution that would define the institutional system of the new state. Although these last two objectives were not met, the assembly established a significant number of reforms in the Rioplatense institutions and among other measures established the celebration of 25 May as a civic holiday, remove the image of

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

from coins and official documents, declared the principle of the sovereignty of the people, commissioned the composition of a national anthem, dictated the abolition of slavery, removed nobility titles, and proclaimed freedom of the press among other things.

Accomplishments

During the assembly, different interests delayed the

declaration of independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

, but a number of common points were successfully established: * The national coat of arms was chosen. * The

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

was adopted, including the lines, "O hear the sounds of broken chains! / See noble equality enthroned!" * The freedom of wombs law (''Libertad de vientres''), which ultimately put an end to slavery, was passed, dictating that children born from slaves since the passing of the law were automatically free citizens. * All titles of nobility (from the colonial period) were voided and suppressed. * The creation of the

national currency Fiat money is a type of government-issued currency that is not backed by a precious metal, such as gold or silver, nor by any other tangible asset or commodity. Fiat currency is typically designated by the issuing government to be legal tender, ...

was ordered. * The

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

and the practice of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

were abolished. * A statute was approved that replaced as Executive Power the ''Second Triumvirate'' for a unipersonal ''Supreme Directorship''.

References

Argentine War of Independence Argentine historical congresses 1813 in Argentina Defunct unicameral legislatures 1815 disestablishments {{Argentina-hist-stub

Accomplishments

See also

References