On August 29, 1810, Juan Bautista Alberdi was born in San Miguel de Tucumán. He was one of Argentina’s leading political thinkers and a key figure in the institutional organization of the nation. His ideas on freedom, order, progress, and the building of a republic had a decisive influence on the process that culminated in the adoption of the National Constitution of 1853.

A lawyer, writer, journalist, and diplomat, Alberdi was a member of the Generation of ’37, through which he participated in intellectual debates on the country’s political future. His thinking was characterized by his defense of individual freedoms, private enterprise, immigration, education, and economic development as pillars for building a modern nation.

In 1852, following the fall of Juan Manuel de Rosas, he wrote *Bases and Starting Points for the Political Organization of the Argentine Republic*, a work in which he outlined the principles that, in his view, should guide the country’s organization. The text was sent to Justo José de Urquiza and exerted a central influence on the drafting of the National Constitution enacted in 1853.

Throughout his life, Alberdi also carried out extensive diplomatic work and continued to participate in major debates on Argentina’s political and economic organization. His work transcended the circumstances of his time and became a fundamental reference for understanding the principles that shaped the Republic.

On the 216th anniversary of his birth, we remember Juan Bautista Alberdi and his contribution to national thought, whose ideas on freedom, institutions, and progress continue to be part of the debates on Argentina’s present and future.