National Sovereignty Day
National Sovereignty Day | |
---|---|
Official name | Día de la soberanía nacional |
Observed by | Argentina |
Significance | The day the Argentine Confederation fought against an Anglo-French navy in the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado, during the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata |
Date | November 20 |
Frequency | annual |
The National Sovereignty Day (Spanish: Día de la Soberanía Nacional) is a national public holiday of Argentina, celebrated during November 20.[1] It commemorates the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado, which took place on 20 November 1845 during the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata. Argentine Confederation forces, led by Juan Manuel de Rosas, were attacked by a combined Anglo-French fleet. Although the attackers broke through Argentine defenses and routed Rosas' forces, the heavy losses they suffered proved that foreign ships could not safely navigate Argentina's internal waters against its government's wishes. The battle also changed political attitudes toward the Argentine Confederation among other South American nations by increasing support for Rosas and his regime. The day was enacted as a national observance in 1974, following a request from the revisionist historian José María Rosa, and promoted into a national holiday in 2010.
History
José María Rosa was the first one to make reference to November 20 as the Argentine's National Sovereignty day. It was in 1950, during the second administration of
In 1954 José María Rosa and Ernesto Palacio created the "Popular organization for the repatriation of the remains of General Rosas". Rosas died in 1877 in Southampton, and his body hadn't been returned to Argentina.[5] Law 20.769 was proposed to both repatriate the body of Rosas and create a Day of National Sovereignty by Senator Cornejo Linares. The proposal was approved on November 14, 1973 by the Senate. It was approved with amendments by the Chamber of Deputies, and returned to the Senate. The new version did not include the new observance but just the repatriation. As a result, deputy Gallo proposed a new law, law 20.770, specifically for the new observance. Both laws were approved on September 25 and 26, 1974. Law 20.770 was promulgated by executive power the following October 3.[citation needed]
In 2010, year of the Argentina Bicentennial, president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who openly supports the Argentine historical revisionism,[6] made a new proposal to increase the number of holidays in Argentina. One of the proposals was to turn the Day of National Sovereignty into a national holiday, instead of just an observance. The proposal was later promulgated by a Necessity and Urgency Decree on November 3.[citation needed]
First celebration
The new holiday was first celebrated in 2010 at Obligado, the site of the battle, in an act with the presence of the president, revisionist historian Pacho O'Donnell and other politicians. The celebration included the inauguration of a monument of the event, created by Rogelio Polesello.[7]
The
The new holiday did not generate any political controversy.[9]
References
Citations
- ^ "Feriados Nacionales – Ministerio del Interior y Transporte". 26 November 2020.
- ^ a b Hernández, pp. 28–29
- ^ Galasso, pp. 63–64
- ^ Spanish: Demasiado problema tengo con los vivos, para pelearme también con los muertos Cited by Hernández, p. 23
- ^ Hernández, p. 45
- ^ Hernández, p. 69
- ^ Hernández, p. 39
- ^ Hernández, pp. 21–22
- ^ Hernández, p. 9
Sources
- ISBN 950-581-399-6.
- Hernández, Pablo José (2011). Cristina, los setenta y la Vuelta de Obligado. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Fabro. ISBN 978-987-1677-28-3.