In 1816, representatives from all the Argentine provinces assembled in Tucumán and declared themselves independent of Spain, forming a nation they called the United Provinces of the River Plate; however, peace and tranquility did not return to the war-ravaged region. The hastily written constitution for Argentina established a national congress, states’ rights, an anemic executive branch (with a “director” at its helm), and an even weaker judiciary. Everyone ignored it.