Constituent Congress of Peru, 1822 facts for kids

The Constituent Congress of Peru of 1822 was the first group of elected leaders in Peru. Its members, called deputies, were chosen by the people. This happened after José de San Martín, who was then the Protector of Peru, called for elections. The main job of this Congress was to create Peru's first constitution, which became the liberal Constitution of 1823.

Before San Martín left Peru, the Congress also chose three leaders to form a group called the Supreme Governing Board. General José de la Mar was in charge of this group. Later, the Congress also approved the next presidents of Peru: José de la Riva Agüero and José Bernardo de Tagle (also known as the Marquis of Torre Tagle).

Why the Congress Was Formed

After Peru declared its independence in Lima on July 28, 1821, General José de San Martín took control of the free parts of Peru. He was called the Protector.

San Martín helped set up Peru's first symbols, like the flag, national anthem, and money. He also started the government and its first groups. But Peru still needed a proper Constitution. For a while, temporary rules were used.

On December 27, 1821, San Martín asked the people to freely choose members for a Constituent Congress. Their main job was to decide what kind of government Peru would have and to write a constitution.

Setting Up the Congress

On September 20, 1822, the first Constituent Congress of Peru officially began. It had 79 elected members and 38 backup members for areas still controlled by Spain. Many important people from the church, law, and science were part of it. After the Congress started, San Martín resigned as Protector and left Peru.

For the first meetings, the Congress chose Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza as president. He was a key figure in Peru's independence movement. He had also been the head of a school where many future independence leaders learned about new ideas. Many of his former students were now members of the Congress.

The elected president of the Congress was Francisco Xavier de Luna Pizarro from Arequipa. The secretaries were José Faustino Sánchez Carrión, who wrote famous letters supporting a federal republic, and Francisco Javier Mariátegui, who was also a liberal.

Choosing New Leaders

The Congress decided to give the executive power (the power to run the country) to a group of three members. This group was called the Supreme Governing Board. José de la Mar was its head, and it also included Manuel Salazar and Antonio Alvarado and Felipe Baquíjano. The Board started its work on September 21, 1822.

On November 4, the Congress thanked important people and groups who helped with independence. This included Lord Thomas Cochrane, Colombia, the Liberation Army, and Chile. They also thanked the local fighters and even the people from the forests for their help. The Congress also offered a general pardon to almost everyone, even the Spanish. The only exception was a former minister, Bernardo de Monteagudo, who was not allowed to live freely in Peru.

On November 22, the Congress decided that Peru would not have a king. They canceled the mission that had been sent to Europe to find a king. On December 22 of that year, the Congress set the "Bases of the Constitution." One important change was ending the trade of enslaved people.

The Congress also worked on organizing the country into departments, provinces, and districts.

Challenges and Changes in Leadership

The main job of the Congress was to write Peru's first Constitution. But this was difficult because of many problems in late 1822 and early 1823. There wasn't enough money to pay soldiers and government workers. Also, areas around the capital were unsafe because of bandits.

The war against the Spanish, who still held parts of southern Peru, continued. The Governing Board decided to follow San Martín's plan to attack the Spanish from southern ports. But they needed military help from outside Peru.

Simón Bolívar, the leader of Gran Colombia, was already on his way to help. He had offered military support to Peru. Colombian troops arrived in July 1822. Later, Bolívar offered more troops, but the Governing Board only accepted 4,000 rifles. Relations between Peru and Gran Colombia became difficult, partly because a city called Guayaquil joined Gran Colombia.

The military campaign in the south failed after the patriot army lost battles in Torata and Moquegua in January 1823. This made the Congress and the Governing Board very unpopular. The Spanish soldiers even made fun of the Congress with a song:

(This roughly means: "Little Congress, how are we doing after the mess in Moquegua? Lima is just a league away. Are you leaving? Are you coming? Are we going?")

Army officers guarding Lima worried about a Spanish attack. On February 23, 1823, they asked Congress to choose a single strong leader to replace the Governing Board. They even suggested Colonel José de la Riva Agüero.

The situation got worse with more demands for change. On February 27, troops led by General Andrés de Santa Cruz marched to Balconcillo, near Lima. They demanded that the Governing Board be removed. This event is known as the Balconcillo Mutiny, and it was the first military takeover in Peru's history as a republic.

Under pressure, Congress agreed to remove the Governing Board that day. They temporarily put José Bernardo de Tagle in charge. On February 28, Congress officially named Riva Agüero as President. He was also promoted to Grand Marshal.

These events caused a split in Congress. Some members felt that the military had forced Congress to make decisions, which they thought was wrong. Many of them stopped attending sessions. The Congress president, Francisco Xavier de Luna Pizarro, left in protest. From this time, there were two main groups: those who wanted to stay with Spain (realists) and those who wanted independence (patriots). The patriot group later split into those who wanted a republic and those who wanted a strong leader.

Riva Agüero became the first President of Peru, though he was chosen because of military pressure. He tried to finish the war of independence without outside help, but his military campaigns also failed.

Soon, disagreements broke out between Congress and Riva Agüero. Congress decided that the government should move to Trujillo. They also gave military power to Venezuelan General Antonio José de Sucre, who had arrived in Peru in May 1823. Congress also sent a group to Colombia to ask Simón Bolívar to personally help in the war against Spain (June 19, 1823). Congress then gave Sucre the same powers as the President during the crisis. On June 23, they removed Riva Agüero from supreme command.

Riva Agüero did not obey this order. He sailed to Trujillo with some government officials. He continued to act as President, ordered Congress to be dissolved (July 19), created a small Senate, and organized troops. Meanwhile, in Lima, Congress was called back by the temporary President, José Bernardo de Tagle, on August 6, 1823. This Congress recognized Tagle as the President.

During this serious crisis, with two presidents fighting for power, Tagle officially announced the Constitution on November 12, 1823. But the day before, Congress had suspended parts of it that conflicted with the powers given to Bolívar, who was on his way to establish a strong rule. So, the Constitution was not fully in effect during Bolívar's time.

Later, the Constitution was brought back on June 11, 1827, after Bolívar's rule ended. It was in effect until March 18, 1828, when a new liberal Constitution replaced it.

The Constitution of 1823

The most important work of the Constituent Congress was creating Peru's first Constitution. It was based on liberal ideas.

First, a committee of Congress members wrote the "Bases of the Constitution." These members included Justo Figuerola, Francisco Xavier de Luna Pizarro, José Joaquín de Olmedo, Manuel Perez de Tudela, and Hipólito Unanue. The Governing Board released these "bases" on December 17, 1822. They had 24 points. They stated that all the provinces of Peru would form one nation called the "Republic of Peru." They also said that the power belonged to the nation, and Peru would be independent from Spain and any other foreign rule. The Catholic religion would be the only official religion. The government would be divided into three parts: Legislative (making laws), Executive (carrying out laws), and Judicial (interpreting laws).

After discussions, the Constitution was approved and announced by President Torre Tagle on November 12, 1823. However, Congress had already decided to suspend parts of it that gave too much power to Bolívar. So, it wasn't fully used during Bolívar's time in power.

After a few years, the Constitution was brought back on June 11, 1827, after Bolívar's rule ended. It remained in effect until March 18, 1828, when a new Constitution replaced it.

Presidents of the Congress

• Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza, president of the Preparatory Meetings (1822).
• Francisco Xavier de Luna Pizarro, first president (September 20, 1822).
• José de Larrea y Loredo (October 21, 1822).
• Juan Antonio de Andueza (November 21, 1822).
• Hipólito Unanue
• Nicholas Araníbar
• Carlos Pedemonte y Talavera
• Justo Figuerola
• Manuel Arias
• Manuel Salazar y Baquíjano
• José de la Mar
• Felipe Antonio Alvarado
• José María Galdiano
• José Gregorio Paredes

See also

In Spanish: Congreso Constituyente del Perú (1822) para niños

• Peruvian War of Independence
• Constitution of Peru
• Miraflores Conferences
• Freedom Expedition of Perú
• Landing in San Martín

Images for kids

• José de San Martín.jpg

  José de San Martín, the Protector of Peru, called for the first Constituent Congress.