Isabella Carter
The Constitution of 1917, still in force almost 100 years later, is considered the culmination of the Mexican Revolution. It has 137 articles that define citizenship, organise a government, mandate land reform, and enumerate basic human rights for all Mexicans. The constitution was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in the State of Querétaro, Mexico, by a constituent convention during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constituent Congress on 5 February 1917, and was later amended several times. The constitution conferred dictatorial powers on the president, but it also incorporated the aspirations of the groups involved in the Mexican Revolution, including agrarian reform. It gave the government the right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners, guaranteed workers' rights, and widened the educational base to include availability of primary school for the Mexican masses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Separation of Church and State | Article 3 |
| Land Reform | Article 27 |
| Labor Rights | Article 123 |
| Human Rights | Articles 4, 73, 123 |
| Education | Articles 3, 123, 18 |
| Health Protection | Article 73 |
| Environmental Protection | Article 73 |
| Access to Water | Article 73 |
| Transparency and Accountability in Government | Article 73 |
| Equality | Articles 3, 123 |
| Political Philosophy | Articles 3, 27, 123 |
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What You'll Learn
The constitution established social rights
The Constitution of 1917, still in force almost 100 years later, established social rights in Mexico. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in the State of Querétaro, Mexico, by a constituent convention during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constituent Congress on 5 February 1917 and was later amended several times. The constitution is divided into "Titles" (Títulos), which are a series of articles related to the same overall theme.
The constitution also included provisions for human rights, insisting on the complete separation of Church and State (Article 3), the division of large haciendas into ejidos (Article 27), and the right of labor to organize, strike, and receive compensation for workplace accidents (Article 123). It also established the right to health protection, access to health services, and a healthy environment for personal development and well-being.
In addition, the constitution addressed labor relations, guaranteeing an 8-hour workday, a 6-day workweek, a minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, and the right to collective bargaining and striking. It also included provisions for the protection of privacy and due process, prohibiting the disturbance of a person's family, domicile, papers, or possessions without a written order by a competent authority.
The Constitution of 1917 was considered a legal triumph of the Mexican Revolution, serving as a model for other progressive constitutions around the world, including the Weimar Constitution of 1919 and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Constitution of 1918.
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It guaranteed workers' rights
The Mexican Constitution of 1917, still in force almost 100 years later, has been considered the first socialist constitution. It has 137 articles that define citizenship, organise a government, mandate land reform, and enumerate basic human rights for all Mexicans.
Article 123 of the Constitution of 1917 set a legal basis for unionization and other workers' rights that placed Mexico at the forefront of international labour activism. It established an eight-hour workday, a six-day workweek, a minimum wage, and equal pay for equal work. It also gave both labour and capital the right to organise, and workers could bargain collectively and strike. This article also created government standards to benefit the health and safety of workers and required the states to pass minimum wage laws and other regulations to benefit workers.
The Mexican Constitution of 1917 also introduced other workers' rights. For instance, it abolished debt peonage and recognised the strike as a legitimate tool in labour-management relations. It also established that services of employment placement for workers shall be gratuitous, and that every labour contract made between a Mexican and a foreign employer must be notarized by a competent municipal authority and countersigned by the consul of the nation to which the worker intends to go.
The Constitution of 1917 also included provisions for the right to health protection, the right to a healthy environment, and the right of access to water for personal and domestic consumption.
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It set out land reform
The Mexican Constitution of 1917, which marked the culmination of the Mexican Revolution, set out land reform in Article 27. This article mandated that lands taken from the peasantry during the Porfiriato had to be returned, even if the peasants did not have written titles. The government could also take any land deemed not used "appropriately" and repurpose it for the public good. Additionally, Article 27 forbade foreigners from owning land within 100 km of a national border or 50 km of the sea.
Article 27 also established the division of large haciendas into ejidos, held jointly by local entities and the nation. The ejido system was created in the post-revolutionary period and enshrined in the Mexican Constitution of 1917. The implementation of this system was influenced by Andrés Molina Enríquez, who is considered the intellectual father of Article 27. His 1909 book, "Los Grandes Problemas Nacionales" (The Great National Problems), presented an analysis of Mexico's unequal land tenure system and his vision of land reform.
The Constitution of 1917 conferred dictatorial powers on the president, but it also incorporated the aspirations of the groups involved in the Mexican Revolution, including the agrarian reform advocated by the followers of Emiliano Zapata. It gave the government the right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners, guaranteeing villages' rights to land and the power of the state over subsoil rights.
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It established freedom of religion
The Mexican Constitution of 1917, which marked the culmination of the Mexican Revolution, established freedom of religion. The document, which is still in force today, almost 100 years later, insists on the complete separation of Church and State (Article 3).
Article 3 also established free, obligatory, and secular public education, free from clerical supervision, and secularised the Mexican state. This meant that the government could not dictate laws that established or abolished any given religion.
The Constitution guarantees personal freedoms and civil liberties, and it also establishes economic and political principles for the country. It defines national citizenship, outlines associated rights, and specifies freedoms for foreigners residing in Mexico.
The Constitution also includes provisions relating to human rights, which are to be interpreted according to international treaties on the subject, working in favour of broader protection for people at all times. All authorities are obliged to promote, respect, protect, and guarantee human rights, in accordance with the principles of universality, interdependence, indivisibility, and progressiveness.
As a consequence of these provisions, the Constitution guarantees freedom of ethical convictions, conscience, and religion. Every person has the right to participate, individually or collectively, in both public and private ceremonies, worship, or religious acts of the respective cult, as long as they are not a felony or misdemeanour punished by law.
It is worth noting that while the Constitution of 1917 limited the rights of the Roman Catholic Church, it also incorporated the aspirations of the groups involved in the Mexican Revolution.
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It guaranteed human rights
The Constitution of 1917, still in force almost 100 years later, has 137 articles that define citizenship, organise a government, mandate land reform, and enumerate basic human rights for all Mexicans.
The Constitution is divided into "Titles" (Títulos), which are a series of articles related to the same overall theme. The first Title is "Chapter I: Of Human Rights and their Guarantees" (Capítulo I: de los Derechos Humanos y sus Garantías).
The Constitution guaranteed human rights by including provisions that insisted on the complete separation of Church and State (Article 3), the division of large haciendas into ejidos, held jointly by local entities and national ownership of the subsoil (Article 27), and the right of labour to organise, strike, and receive compensation for workplace accidents (Article 123).
Article 3 established the bases for mandatory and secular public education, free from clerical supervision, and secularised the Mexican state. Article 27 mandated that lands taken from the peasantry during the Porfiriato had to be returned, even if they did not have written titles. It also forbade foreigners from owning land within 100 km of a national border or 50 km of the sea. Article 123 established an 8-hour workday, a 6-day workweek, a minimum wage, and equal pay for equal work. It also gave both labour and capital the right to organise, and workers could bargain collectively and strike.
In addition to these specific articles, the Constitution also included provisions relating to human rights, which were to be interpreted according to the Constitution and international treaties on the subject, working towards the broader protection of people at all times. All authorities were obliged to promote, respect, protect, and guarantee human rights, in accordance with the principles of universality, interdependence, indivisibility, and progressiveness. As a consequence, the State had to prevent, investigate, penalise, and rectify violations of human rights, according to the law.
The Constitution also guaranteed other rights, such as the right to health protection, the right to a healthy environment, and the right to access, provision, and drainage of water for personal and domestic consumption. It also established the right to privacy and due process of law, including the right to be free from arbitrary arrest and detention.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution of 1917, still in force almost 100 years later, brought about profound changes in Mexican political philosophy. It defined citizenship, organised a government, mandated land reform, and outlined basic human rights for all Mexicans. It also established Mexico City as the capital.
Articles 3, 27, and 123 displayed profound changes in Mexican political philosophy. Article 3 established the bases for mandatory and secular education. Article 27 led the foundation for land reform in Mexico, asserting state sovereignty over the nation's subsoil rights. Article 123 was designed to empower the labour sector, giving workers the right to organise, bargain collectively, and strike.
The Constitution of 1917 empowered workers by giving them the right to organise, bargain collectively, and strike. It also established an 8-hour workday, a 6-day workweek, a minimum wage, and equal pay for equal work.
The Constitution of 1917 established that everyone has the right to receive free and secular education. It also widened the educational base to include the availability of primary school for the Mexican masses.
