Venezuelan Declaration of Independence
| Act of the Declaration of Independence of Venezuela | |
|---|---|
1876 study by Martín Tovar y Tovar depicting the signing of the declaration | |
| Created | July 5, 1811 |
| Ratified | July 20, 1811 |
| Location | Federal Legislative Palace (since 1908) |
| Author(s) | Juan Germán Roscio and Francisco Isnardi |
| Signatories | 40 deputies of the First National Congress of Venezuela |
| Purpose | To declare the absolute independence of Venezuela from the Spanish Crown |
The Venezuelan Declaration of Independence (Spanish: Acta de la Declaración de Independencia de Venezuela) is a document drafted and adopted by Venezuela on July 5, 1811, through which Venezuelans made the decision to separate from the Spanish Crown in order to establish a new nation based on the premises of equality of individuals, abolition of censorship and dedication to freedom of expression. These principles were enshrined as a constitutional principle for the new nation and were radically opposed to the political, cultural, and social practices that had existed during three hundred years of colonization.