Independence

Independence:

Independence for the Argentinian people was achieved through their persistence and motivation. Jose de San Martin remains a hero to this day because of his sacrifice to gain independence for his country. Although it was difficult afterward to create a nation again, the Constitution of 1853 settled all disputes and created Argentina. In 1806 and 1807, British troops tried to seize Buenos Aires to establish a foothold for trade, and the people of Argentina fought them off without the help of the Spaniards, and it made their confidence grow. In 1807 and 1808, France invaded Spain. The criollos of Spain took advantage of Spain’s vulnerability and fought for their independence. They declared their independence on May 25, 1810 but King Ferdinand of Spain refused to acknowledge their plea. However, Jose de San Martin led the fight to formally declare independence from the Spaniards. They did so in Tucuman on July 9, 1816 and they became the United Provinces of La Plata. Jose de San Martin was not done though. He wanted to expel Spain from all of South America, so he led troops across the Andes Mountains and surprised the Spanish in Chile, and they won Independence in Peru. Jose de San Martin is known as the greatest hero in Argentina. (7)

As a result of Argentinian Independence, the Constitution of 1853 was created. The constitution established a confederation of the Provinces, Justo Jose de Urquiza was elected as confederation president in 1853. President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who ruled from 1868-1874, promoted education. Now Argentina has 96 percent literacy rate. Indian Wars of 1870s and 1880s, pressure to get more land. Indians in the Pampas and in Patagonia were exterminated and lands were taken by officers. In 1880, Buenos Aires became a federal district. (8)  Jose de San Martin took advantage of Spain’s vulnerability and led the fight against the Spanish and started revolutions that soon lead to victory and Independence.

Also, in the 18^th century, Argentina faced extreme urbanization. Such examples of urbanization included, architectural activity, massive human movement, income from building trades had attracted the notice of the public, pulperias (a free-flowing combination of dry-goods store, bar, gambling house, information center, and hostel. By the second half of the 18^th century, no city could compare to commercial city of Buenos Aires. (9) At the end of creating this nation, Argentina was the most productive commercial city in the world.