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PRINTER'S NO. 3243
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 487
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, BURGOS, MAYES, SCHLOSSBERG,
RIVERA, FREEMAN, HILL-EVANS, HOHENSTEIN, PARKER, BELLMON,
PASHINSKI, MALAGARI, STEELE, GIRAL, TIBURCIO, PROBST,
BRENNAN, NEILSON AND KENYATTA, APRIL 20, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND
OPERATIONS, APRIL 21, 2026
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing July 20, 2026, as "Colombian Independence Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, On July 20, 1810, patriot leaders in Santafé de
Bogotá set off the famous Florero de Llorente incident, causing
unrest in the capital, and resulting in the creation of a self-
governing junta to replace royal Spanish authorities, an event
commemorated as the beginning of Colombian independence and the
reason Colombia celebrates its Independence Day on July 20; and
WHEREAS, Originally only a movement for local self-
government, the new self-governing junta still pledged loyalty
to the King of Spain, but growing disillusionment with Spanish
rule resulted in a push for full independence by 1811 and led to
many years of complex and violent conflict; and
WHEREAS, At the time, the lands that would become modern-day
Colombia formed the core of the Viceroyalty of New Granada, a
Spanish jurisdiction governed from Santafé de Bogotá that
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included most of present-day Colombia, Panama and Ecuador; and
WHEREAS, The struggle for independence reached a turning
point in 1819, when patriot forces triumphed at the legendary
Battle of Boyacá, liberating New Granada from Spanish control
and laying the foundation for the República de Gran Colombia,
which united the lands of present-day Colombia, Panama, Ecuador
and Venezuela; and
WHEREAS, Following the patriot victory at the Battle of
Carabobo in 1821, which virtually freed Venezuela from Spanish
control, the combined armies and leaders of the República de
Gran Colombia helped secure the liberation of Peru in 1824 and
Upper Peru, the latter of which became Bolivia in 1825; and
WHEREAS, The union of the República de Gran Colombia proved
brief, and after regional rivalries and political conflict,
Venezuela and Ecuador seceded by 1830, leaving the present-day
territories of Colombia and Panama to continue as the sovereign
state of New Granada, which later adopted its current name,
República de Colombia, in 1886; and
WHEREAS, Colombia's long road to independence came at an
enormous human cost, claiming more than 250,000 lives,
underscoring the scale of sacrifice behind the struggle for
independence; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia was an important hub for the Colombian
independence movement, as the city's ports, printers, merchants
and political circles helped circulate Spanish-American
revolutionary ideas that inspired Colombian revolutionary
leaders who encountered ideas of liberty, self-government and
independence promoted by leaders of the American Revolution; and
WHEREAS, A prominent Colombian revolutionary leader located
in Philadelphia helped give shape to the Colombian independence
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movement through his defense of liberty and his call for
separation from Spain in printed publications of the time; and
WHEREAS, In 1822, a prominent Colombian revolutionary figure
was received by President James Monroe as a diplomatic officer
of the República de Gran Colombia, an event that marked the
recognition of the República de Gran Colombia by the United
States, and which is memorialized in Philadelphia with a plaque
honoring the first Latin American diplomatic representative in
the United States; and
WHEREAS, Today, more than 25,000 Colombians reside in this
Commonwealth, and the Colombian community continues to
strengthen the Commonwealth through its contributions to local
business, professional life, civic participation and the social
and cultural richness of communities across Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In Philadelphia especially, Colombian migration from
the 1960s to 1980s helped establish enduring Colombian American
communities in neighborhoods such as Olney and Feltonville; and
WHEREAS, Recognizing Colombia's Independence Day in
Pennsylvania provides an opportunity to honor Colombia's long
struggle for self-determination, remember the sacrifices made in
the cause of independence, acknowledge the historic ties between
Pennsylvania and Colombia and celebrate the Colombians whose
work, traditions and community life enrich the Commonwealth
today; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize July
20, 2026, as "Colombian Independence Day" in Pennsylvania.
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