The Constitution of Cúcuta, also known as Constitution of the Gran Colombia and Constitution of 1821, was the founding document and

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

of the Republic of Colombia (historiographically called

Gran Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...

), unifying the territories of the

Viceroyalty of New Granada The Viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada ( ), also called Viceroyalty of New Granada or Viceroyalty of Santa Fe, was the name given on 27 May 1717 to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in northern South America, corresponding to modern ...

as part of a federation. It was signed during the Congress of Cúcuta on August 30, 1821.

History

The Congress elected in Angostura reassembled in Cúcuta after the June 24, 1821

Battle of Carabobo The Battle of Carabobo, on 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by Venezuelan General Simón Bolívar, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal Miguel de la Torre. Bolívar's decisive victory at Carabobo led ...

, which gave independence to Venezuela. After liberating

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, Cartagena, Popayán and

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

, on July 18, the Congress resumed efforts to draft a new Constitution to include the liberated regions. The final draft was approved on August 30, 1821, and expedited on July 12, 1822. The Constitution was structured into 10 chapters and 91 articles. Simón Bolívar was elected President of the Republic, and Francisco de Paula Santander, Vice-President. This is considered the first constitution of Colombia, and lasted until the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1831.

References

Bibliography

*Bushnell, David (1970). ''The Santander Regime in Gran Colombia''. Westport: Greenwood Press. * Gibson, William Marion (1948). ''The Constitutions of Colombia''. Durham: Duke University Press.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constitution of Cucuta Constitution of Colombia Constitutions of Venezuela Independence of Colombia Independence of Venezuela Cúcuta Simón Bolívar Francisco de Paula Santander 1821 in Gran Colombia 1821 in Colombia 1821 in Venezuela

History

See also

References

Bibliography

External links