Hope And Change: Mexicans' Post-1917 Constitution Aspirations

The Mexican Constitution of 1917, still in force almost a century later, was a landmark document that enshrined several rights and freedoms for Mexicans. It was the culmination of the Mexican Revolution, legitimizing it and incorporating the aspirations of the groups involved. The constitution mandated a complete separation of church and state, outlined land reform, and established social rights and guarantees for all Mexicans. It also laid the foundation for free and compulsory secular education, guaranteed workers' rights, and empowered the labor sector. With this constitution, Mexicans hoped for a more active national government that would promote their social, economic, and cultural well-being, while also respecting their personal freedoms and civil liberties.

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The constitution would guarantee personal freedoms and civil liberties

The 1917 Constitution of Mexico, still in force almost a century later, contains 137 articles that define citizenship, organise a government, mandate land reform, and enumerate basic human rights for all Mexicans. The constitution guarantees personal freedoms and civil liberties, as well as establishes economic and political principles for the country.

Article 3 of the constitution established free, obligatory, and secular public education, free from clerical supervision, and secularised the Mexican state. It also insisted on the complete separation of church and state. Article 14 reaffirmed the sanctity of private property and contracts, but Article 27 interjected concepts of social utility and national benefit to limit the untrammeled use of private property. Article 27 also 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 all land not used "appropriately" and repurpose it for the public good. It also forbade foreigners from owning land within 100 km of a national border or 50 km of the sea.

Article 123, the Magna Carta of labour and social welfare, established an 8-hour workday, a 6-day workweek, a minimum wage, and equal pay for equal work. It gave both labour and capital the right to organise, and workers could bargain collectively and strike. It also outlined a comprehensive system of social security, including public health and welfare programs.

The constitution also included a general guarantee of equality, regardless of gender, social status, origin, religion, age, creed or belief, or sexual orientation. It prohibited any form of discrimination that violates human dignity or seeks to diminish the rights and freedoms of the people. It also protected the right to privacy, stating that no person shall be disturbed in their private affairs, family, papers, properties, or invaded at home without a written order from a competent authority.

The constitution also guaranteed the human rights granted by international treaties signed by Mexico, as well as the guarantees for the protection of these rights. All authorities are obliged to promote, respect, protect, and guarantee human rights, in accordance with the principles of universality, interdependence, indivisibility, and progressiveness.

The government would take an active role in promoting the social, economic, and cultural well-being of its citizens

The Constitution of 1917 was a radical departure from the previous belief that the Mexican government should only play a limited, passive role. Instead, it asserted that the government had a duty to actively promote the social, economic, and cultural well-being of its citizens. This was a significant shift, and the constitution laid out several ways in which the government would fulfil this new role.

Firstly, the constitution provided for a free, compulsory, and secular education system. Article 3 established the basis for free, mandatory, and secular education, which was to be free from clerical supervision. This widened the educational base to include primary school for all Mexicans, and was a vast plan to educate the masses.

Secondly, the constitution addressed land reform and indigenous rights. Article 27 mandated that land taken from the peasantry during the Porfiriato had to be returned, and that the government could take land not used for public good and repurpose it. It also outlined alternative land reform and agrarian programs, and asserted national ownership of subsoil resources. The constitution recognised the multicultural nature of the nation, with roots in its indigenous peoples, and guaranteed the rights of indigenous communities and their self-determination within a constitutional framework.

Thirdly, the constitution included several provisions to promote the economic well-being of citizens. Article 123, often considered the Magna Carta of labour and social welfare, guaranteed minimum wages, the right to organise and strike, and outlined a comprehensive system of social security, including public health and welfare programs. It also gave social status to labour, removing the concept of labour as a mere economic commodity.

Finally, the constitution guaranteed personal freedoms and civil liberties, including privacy, equality, and human dignity. It also established economic and political principles, such as the separation of church and state, and restricted the rights of the Roman Catholic Church.

Overall, the Constitution of 1917 was a significant document that empowered the Mexican government to actively promote the well-being of its citizens, and it continues to shape the country even today.

The rights of the Roman Catholic Church would be limited

The Mexican Constitution of 1917, still in force today, was a culmination of the Mexican Revolution. It was drafted by a group of young, ambitious, and relatively apolitical middle-class reformers, who were largely twentieth-century liberals. The constitution addressed several issues, including the rights of the Roman Catholic Church, which had previously held significant influence in Mexico.

The Constitution of 1917 limited the rights of the Roman Catholic Church in Mexico. Article 3 of the Constitution established a free, compulsory, and secular public education system, free from clerical supervision. This secularisation of the education system was a significant shift, as it removed the Church's influence from the schooling of children and youth.

The Constitution also asserted the complete separation of Church and State. This separation meant that the Church no longer had direct influence over government policies and decisions. Additionally, the government gained the right to confiscate land from the Church, similar to what occurred during the French Revolution, when church lands were confiscated and sold as "national goods."

The limitation of the Church's rights in Mexico was part of a broader movement towards secularisation and modernisation. The Constitution's focus on secularisation and the separation of Church and State reflected the revolutionary values of the time and the desire to create a more equal society.

The limitations placed on the Roman Catholic Church by the Mexican Constitution of 1917 were significant in reducing the Church's influence in the country. These limitations aligned with the broader goals of the Mexican Revolution, which sought to promote social, economic, and cultural well-being for all citizens, moving away from the previous belief in a limited, passive role for the government.

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There would be a comprehensive system of social security

The Mexican Constitution of 1917, still in force almost 100 years later, was a landmark document that enshrined several rights for Mexicans and overhauled the role of the government. It was the culmination of the Mexican Revolution, and its 137 articles define citizenship, organise a government, mandate land reform, and enumerate basic human rights for all Mexicans.

Article 123, the Magna Carta of labour and social welfare, guaranteed minimum wages and the right to organise and strike. It also gave social status to labour and destroyed the concept of it as an economic commodity to be bought at the lowest rates to maximise profits.

Article 123 also outlined a comprehensive system of social security, including public health and welfare programs. This was the first constitution to discuss social rights, and many historians view it as the first socialist constitution. It directly influenced later socialist revolutions and constitutions, including the Weimar Constitution of 1919 in Germany and the Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Constitution of 1918 in Russia.

The social security system was to be organised on the following minimum bases:

• Cover for work accidents and occupational diseases, non-occupational illness, and maternity.
• Provisions for retirement, disability, old age, and death.
• In the case of accident or illness, the right to work would be retained for the time specified by law.
• Women would be entitled to one month's leave prior to the approximate date indicated for childbirth and two months' leave after that date. During the nursing period, they would have two extra rest periods a day, of half an hour each, for nursing their children.

The Constitution also established the basis for a free, mandatory, and secular education, and limited the power of the Catholic Church. It recognised the rights of organised labour and gave the government the right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners.

The government would have the right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners

The Mexican Constitution of 1917 was a result of the Mexican Revolution and the Civil War that preceded it. It was drafted by a group of young, ambitious, and relatively apolitical middle-class reformers, many of whom held university degrees. The constitution was a radical shift from the previous understanding of the role of the Mexican government, which was previously seen as limited and passive. Instead, the 1917 Constitution argued that the national government had an obligation to take an active role in promoting the social, economic, and cultural well-being of its citizens.

One of the key demands of the revolutionaries was land reform. In the years leading up to the revolution, most of the Mexican territory had come under the control of Mexican and foreign investors. Wealthy hacienda owners had consolidated their holdings at the expense of small holders, and under the influence of the powerful Terrazas-Creel family, laws were passed forcing military colonies to sell their lands, which were then bought by the family and their allies.

The 1917 Constitution gave the government the right to confiscate land from these wealthy landowners. This was a direct response to the demands of the revolutionaries, including Emiliano Zapata, who led peasants in the central state of Morelos to divide large sugar haciendas into plots for subsistence agriculture. The Plan of Ayala, drafted by Zapata and others in Morelos, called for land reform and put the region in rebellion against the government.

Article 27 of the 1917 Constitution 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 land that was not being used "appropriately" and repurpose it for the public good. This article also reasserted national ownership of subsoil resources and outlined alternative land reform and agrarian programs.

The Constitution of 1917, with its emphasis on land reform and the government's right to confiscate land from wealthy landowners, was a significant step towards addressing the unequal land distribution in Mexico and empowering the peasantry.

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