Venezuela Declares Independence from Spain

On July 5, 1811, delegates meeting in Caracas took the formal step of ending their allegiance to the Spanish monarchy. Convening at the Santa Rosa de Lima Chapel, representatives of the first National Constituent Congress had gathered two days earlier to resolve the question of national sovereignty. The assembly resolved the debate when 40 deputies voted for complete separation from the Spanish Crown, making Venezuela the first Spanish American province to approve a formal declaration of independence and establish an independent republic.

On the day of the vote, the congress assigned the drafting of the final text to Juan Germán Roscio, a deputy for Calabozo, and Francisco Isnardi, the congress secretary. The act was dated July 5, 1811, but its text was not finished until two days later.