 In 1851, a civil war broke out when conservative and pro-slavery groups from Cauca and Antioquia departments, led by Manuel Ibánez, Julio Arboleda, and Eusebio Borrero, revolted against liberal president José Hilario López, in an attempt to prevent emancipation of disenfranchised groups and abolishment of slavery, in addition to a number of religious issues.One of the prime features of the political climate of the republic was the position of the Roman Catholic Church and the level of autonomy for the federal states.In 1839, a dispute arose over the shutting down of monasteries by the Congress of New Granada.