Caro Tobar, Miguel Antonio

Miguel Antonio Caro was born in Bogota in 1845 ^[1] , his father - Jose Eisebio Caro - was one of the founders of the Colombian Conservative Party ^[2] . Miguel’s father, for criticizing President Jose Ilario Lopez, was expelled from the country and lived in exile in New York ^[3] , but soon returned to Colombia and died in 1853 at the age of 35.

Miguel Antonio Caro, left without a father, was engaged in self-education and already at a young age possessed great knowledge in economics, world history and literature, social sciences, jurisprudence and linguistics. In addition, Caro had excellent oratorical abilities. Despite the lack of a university diploma, he was appointed director of the National Library, elected to parliament, and in 1871, at the age of 35, along with Rufino, Jose Cuervo acted as co-founder of the Colombian Academy of Language ^[4] .

Miguel Antonio Caro played an important role in the preparation and adoption of the new Constitution of Colombia, adopted in 1886. This created Miguel's great authority in the political circles of the country ^[5] .

In the presidential election of 1892 in the Colombian Conservative Party there were two trends: traditionalists and nationalists. Nationalists nominated Rafael Nunez and Caro as vice presidents, and traditionalists nominated Marcelino Veles and José Joaquin Ortiz respectively as presidents and vice presidents. The nationalists prevailed, and thus Nunez and Caro were elected for the presidency of 1892-1898 ^[6] . But Nunez, being seriously ill, did not at all seek power, but expressed a desire to resign and go home, to the city of Cartagena . However, Caro insisted that Nunez officially take office as president before resigning. Nunez agreed, held an inauguration ceremony in Cartagena, and then immediately resigned. Thus, Caro, as vice president, became the acting president in accordance with the Constitution ^[6] . While in this position, Caro never used the title “president” in his activities as a sign of respect for his mentor Nunez ^[7] . Caro became president de jure after the death of R. Nunez on September 18, 1894.

During his 6-year tenure in office, Karo thwarted three coup attempts undertaken by the liberals ^[4] . In connection with the active opposition to his course by the opposition, Karo took a number of harsh legislative measures. On August 4, 1893, he passed a decree restricting the freedom of the press, in particular, of opposition newspapers ^[6] . Following a decree, Caro closed down the main opposition newspapers, El Redactor and El Contenporáneo, and expelled their editors Santiago Perez and Modesto Garces from the country. Other opposition leaders were imprisoned. ^[4]

On January 22, 1894, under the leadership of the Liberal Party , an uprising was organized against the Karo government, which resulted in a civil war. The uprising quickly spread throughout the country, encompassing the departments of Boyac , Cauca , Kundinamarca , Bolivar , Tolima and Northern Santander . Despite support from abroad, the rebels were quickly defeated by government troops loyal to Karo. March 15, 1895 after the battle of Encico, in Santander, the war was over ^[7] .

A year later, in January 1896, a group of conservative politicians sent Caro a message known as “Manifesto 21”, in which they expressed their disagreement with the policies of the Caro government and demanded the introduction of martial law, restore civil liberties and soften the attitude towards liberals ^[7] . Caro took Manifesto 21 as a personal insult and resigned as president on March 12, 1896, appointing General Guillermo Quintero Calderon as acting president. Having received these powers, General Calderon appointed opposition representative Abraham Moreno as Minister. This provoked a sharp reaction from Karo, and on March 17, 1896, Karo returned to the office of president and remained in this position until the end of his presidential term, August 7, 1898.

Caro did not have a university diploma, but for his work as a linguist, legislator and publicist, he was awarded the honorary doctorate of literature and doctor of law at the universities of Chile and Mexico , in 1878 Caro was elected an honorary member of the Mexican Academy of Language , and was also elected a corresponding member Royal Academy of the Spanish Language ^[8] , and in 1871 he was one of the founders (and subsequently president) of the Colombian Academy of Language .

Caro was fluent in Latin and translated Virgil's poems into Spanish with his own commentaries (1873-1876). Caro made a great contribution to the literary criticism of Hispanic authors, among his articles there are materials devoted to Don Quixote Cervantes, as well as essays on the philosophical interpretation of history. A striking example of the latter is his introduction to the publication of The History by Lucas Fernandez de Piedraita, which addresses the theme of the conquest of America.

Among Caro’s poetic heritage, the poem “The Statue of the Liberator” and the sonnet “Homeland”, as well as translations of verses by Sully-Prudom, are of particular interest.

Most of Caro's work has been published in newspapers and magazines. He also published several books: The Study of Utilitarianism, Latin Grammar (co-authored with Rufino Jose Cuervo), Virgil's Works (three volumes), and others.

After Caro’s death in 1909, the Colombian government instructed his son Victor Eduardo to collect and publish his father’s works. Thus, eight volumes of the complete works (1918-1945) and three volumes of Caro's poetic works (1928-1933) were published.

• Miguel Antonio Caro, Carlos Valderrama Andrade. Obra selecta. Fundación Biblioteca Ayacuch, 1993 isbn = 9789802762439
• Miguel Antonio Caro, Poesías. Foción Mantilla, 1866

• The 1893 Bogotazo: Artisans and Public Violence in Late Nineteenth-Century Bogota. D Sowell - Journal of Latin American Studies , 1989
• Limits of Power: Elections Under the Conservative Hegemony in Colombia, 1886-1930. E Posada-Carbo - The Hispanic American Historical Review , 1997
• Rodríguez-García, José María “The Regime of Translation in Miguel Antonio Caro's Colombia.” Diacritics - Volume 34, Number 3/4, Fall-Winter 2004, pp. 143-175
• The Political Economy of the Colombian Presidential Election of 1897. CW Bergquist - The Hispanic American Historical Review, 1976