Isabella Carter
The Constitution of 1917, still in force almost 100 years later, is the fundamental law of the Mexican federal republic. It was drafted in Querétaro, Mexico, by a constituent convention during the Mexican Revolution and approved by the Constituent Congress on 5 February 1917. The constitution conferred dictatorial powers on the president but also incorporated the aspirations of the groups involved in the Mexican Revolution, including agrarian reform, workers' rights, and the separation of church and state. It also outlined economic plans, including the promotion of private sector growth and competitiveness, and established individual rights, such as the right to a free, secular education, healthcare, decent housing, and labor regulation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Territorial organization | Defined citizenship, organized government, mandated land reform, and outlined basic human rights for all Mexicans |
| Civil liberties | Guaranteed personal freedoms, established economic and political principles, and outlined workers' rights |
| Democratic forms | Established a federal republic, outlined democratic renewal, and prohibited presidential reelection |
| Anticlerical and anti-monopoly clauses | Established separation of church and state, limited the rights of the Roman Catholic Church, and outlined free, secular public education |
| National ownership | Reasserted national ownership of subsoil resources and outlined land reform |
| Economic plans | Consult indigenous peoples' opinions and recommendations while preparing national, state, and local plans |
| Social rights | Established rights to a free, secular education, healthcare, decent housing, and labor regulation |
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What You'll Learn
Establish a federal republic and define citizenship
The Constitution of 1917, or the Constitución Politíca de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos de 1917, was the result of a long struggle of the Mexican nation to unite as a nation. 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 of 1917 aimed to establish a federal republic in Mexico and define citizenship. It was the first social constitution of the early 20th century, setting out social rights and serving as a model for the Weimar Constitution of 1919 and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Constitution of 1918. It was founded on seven fundamental ideals, which were divided into "Titles" or chapters, each related to an overall theme.
Chapter IV: On Mexican Citizens (Capítulo IV: de los Ciudadanos Mexicanos) outlined the rights and obligations of Mexican citizens. It defined national citizenship, outlined associated rights, and specified the freedoms of foreigners residing in Mexico.
The Constitution also established the government, public service, and social welfare, with Mexico City as the capital. It separated church and state, secularizing the Mexican state, and guaranteeing personal freedoms and civil liberties. It also established economic and political principles, including the promotion of private sector growth and national economic development, and the protection of economic activities carried out by private parties.
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 agrarian reform. It gave the government the right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners and return it to the peasantry, and guaranteed workers' rights, including the right to decent work, an eight-hour workday, a six-day workweek, a minimum wage, and equal pay for equal work.
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Outline economic plans and national development
The Constitution of 1917, the fundamental law of the Mexican federal republic, outlines economic plans and national development. 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 later amended several times.
The constitution conferred dictatorial powers on the president but 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 masses.
Article 27 mandated that lands taken from the peasantry during the Porfiriato had to be returned, even if they did not have written titles. The government could also take any land not used "appropriately" and repurpose it for the public good. Article 27 also reasserted national ownership of subsoil resources and outlined alternative land-reform and agrarian programs.
Article 123 established an 8-hour workday, a 6-day workweek, a minimum wage, and equal pay for equal work. It gave both labor and capital the right to organize, and workers gained the right to bargain collectively and strike.
The constitution also included the social rights of citizens, such as the right to decent work, working hours, and salary payments. It was the first social constitution of the early 20th century, as it was the first to include the social rights of citizens, including the labor rights of women, which ensured equality, respect, and adequate working conditions.
The constitution outlines that the State shall command the development of the Nation to be integral and sustainable, strengthen national sovereignty and democracy, and, through competitiveness, foster economic growth, employment rates, and a fair distribution of income and wealth. The State shall also promote the stability of public finances and of the fiscal system to create favorable conditions for economic growth and employment.
The State shall organize a democratic planning system to support national development, providing solidity, dynamism, competitiveness, continuity, and equity to economic growth for the political, social, and cultural independence and democratization of the nation. National planning shall be democratic and deliberative, collecting the different aspirations and demands from society through democratic participation mechanisms.
The constitution also mandates that indigenous peoples' opinions and recommendations be consulted while preparing the National Development Plan, State plans, and local plans, and, if appropriate, their recommendations and proposals shall be incorporated.
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Protect civil liberties and guarantee personal freedoms
The Constitution of 1917, or the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constituent Congress on 5 February 1917 and has been amended several times since. The constitution aimed to protect civil liberties and guarantee personal freedoms in several ways.
Firstly, it established individual rights, such as the right to a free, secular, compulsory public education, as outlined in Article 3. This article also prohibited clerical supervision in schools and secularized the Mexican state, separating church and state. The constitution also guaranteed workers' rights, including the right to decent work, working hours, and salary payments, and the right to strike, as outlined in Articles 123 and 127. It established an 8-hour workday, a 6-day workweek, a minimum wage, and equal pay for equal work.
Secondly, the constitution limited the rights of the Roman Catholic Church, continuing and expanding upon the restrictions outlined in the liberal Constitution of 1857. There were lengthy and heated debates over anticlericalism during the 1916-1917 constitutional congress, with Constitutionalists viewing it as a nationalist issue.
Thirdly, the constitution guaranteed the right to freedom of research, academic freedom, freedom to apply exams, and freedom to discuss ideas. It also established the right to health care, decent housing, and agrarian distribution.
Finally, the constitution outlined basic human rights for all Mexicans and defined national citizenship, outlining the associated rights and specifying the freedoms of foreigners residing in the country. It also established the government, public service, and social welfare, with Mexico City as the capital.
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Mandate land reform and limit private property
The Mexican 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 was drafted in Querétaro, not the capital, 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.
Article 27 of the Constitution of 1917 mandated land reform and limited private property. It stated that lands taken from the peasantry during the Porfiriato had to be returned, even if they did not have written titles. The government could also take all land 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. It also reasserted national ownership of subsoil resources and outlined alternative land reform and agrarian programs.
The 1917 Constitution was the result of a long struggle of more than 200 years of the Mexican nation to conform as a nation. It managed to capture in its pages the diverse and divergent revolutionary ideals in matters of land distribution, labour rights, secular and free education, as well as democratic renewal by prohibiting presidential reelection. The Constitution was considered the legal triumph of the Mexican Revolution, incorporating the aspirations of the groups involved, including the agrarian reform advocated by the followers of Emiliano Zapata.
The Constitution gave the government the right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners, guaranteed workers' rights, limited the rights of the Roman Catholic Church, and widened the educational base to include the availability of primary school for the Mexican masses. It established free, obligatory, and secular public education free from clerical supervision, and secularised the Mexican state. The Constitution is considered the first social constitution of the early 20th century, as it includes the social rights of citizens, such as the right to decent work, working hours, and salary payments.
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Provide free, secular, compulsory public education
The Constitution of 1917, or the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constituent Congress on 5 February 1917, and has been amended several times since. The Constitution was the culmination of Mexico's long struggle to conform as a nation, and it incorporated the aspirations of the groups involved in the Revolution.
Article 3 of the Constitution of 1917 established free, obligatory, and secular public education, free from clerical supervision. This was a significant development in Mexico's history, as it widened the educational base to include primary school availability for the masses. It also asserted the right of all people to education, and the right to academic freedom, freedom to apply exams, and to discuss ideas.
The Constitution's provisions for education were part of its broader goals of promoting social, economic, and cultural well-being for its citizens. It gave the government an active role in these areas, including the right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners and re-distribute it for the public good.
The Constitution also included important labour rights, such as the right to decent work, working hours, and salary payments, and the right to strike. It limited the rights of the Roman Catholic Church and prohibited presidential re-election, further asserting its commitment to democratic renewal.
The Constitution of 1917 was considered a triumph of the Mexican Revolution, setting out social rights and serving as a model for other constitutions, such as the Weimar Constitution of 1919.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution of 1917, the fundamental law of the Mexican federal republic, incorporated the major features of the 1824 and 1857 charters regarding territorial organization, civil liberties, democratic forms, and anticlerical and anti-monopoly clauses. It also included revolutionary ideals in matters of land distribution, labor rights, secular and free education, and democratic renewal by prohibiting presidential reelection.
The Constitution of 1917 planned to promote and protect economic activities carried out by private parties and generate conditions necessary to foster private sector growth, leading to the benefit of national economic development. It also established an 8-hour workday, a 6-day workweek, a minimum wage, and equal pay for equal work.
The Constitution of 1917 planned to guarantee personal freedoms and civil liberties, as well as establish social rights for citizens, including the right to a free, secular education, healthcare, and decent housing. It also mandated land reform, giving the government the right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners.
