republic · South America

United States of Colombia

1863 CE – 1886 CE · capital Bogotá

A radically federal Colombian republic of nine sovereign states, created by the Liberals in 1863 and ended by the centralist constitution of 1886.

Origins

After winning the civil war of 1860 to 1862 against the Granadine Confederation, Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera and the Liberals met at Rionegro in Antioquia and adopted a new constitution in 1863, creating the United States of Colombia, made up of nine sovereign states including Panama.

Rule and society

The Rionegro constitution gave the states their own armies and laws, limited the president to a two-year term and guaranteed broad freedoms, including freedom of the press and of trade in arms. The Radical Liberals separated church and state and promoted secular public schools. The weak central government struggled with frequent regional civil wars, notably the church-backed war of 1876 and 1877.

Decline and legacy

Rafael Núñez led a movement called the Regeneration. After the civil war of 1885, the constitution of 1886 restored a centralised Republic of Colombia with strong ties to the Catholic Church.

Lineage

Granadine Confederation 1858 CE – 1863 CEUnited States of ColombiaRepublic of Colombia 1886 CE – present

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). United States of Colombia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/united-states-of-colombia
MLA
“United States of Colombia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/united-states-of-colombia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “United States of Colombia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/united-states-of-colombia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘United States of Colombia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/united-states-of-colombia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻