The Calling for Change: The Constitution of 1917

by: Michelle C. & Chloe L.

Table of Contents

The Calling for Change.................................................................................... pg 1

Carranza............................................................................................................ pg 2

Fransisco J Mugica........................................................................................... pg 3

Pastor Rouaix.................................................................................................... pg 4

Article 123....................................................................................................... pg 5-6

Constitution Congress...................................................................................... pg 7

Articles 3 & 27................................................................................................... pg 8

The New Constitution................................................................................. pg 9-10

Constitutions: old vs new............................................................................. pg 10-11

The effects of the Constitution...................................................................... pg 12

Glossary.............................................................................................................. pg 13

Back in the 1900s, you find Mexico following the script as all revolutions do...

At the time, Mexico was being ruled over by Porfirio Diaz,

And though the railroad construction and foreign investment made the economy boom in Mexico...

an unfair Dictator to the poor, who ruled for a total of 34 years!!

...it was at the expense of the laborers.

They would work seven days a week, ten or more hours a day for as little as 25 cents!!

These years of unrest led to uprisings and to the writing of a new constitution. 

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So, in 1917,

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...started to gather a team to write a new constitution!

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...Venustiano Carranza, the leading politician in Mexico...

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a little backstory for Carranza

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Carranza was senator from Coahuila in 1910. And during this time, he joined Francisco Madero in the revolution against Porfirio Díaz.

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And, Carranza was urged by Obregón to accept
the Constitution of 1917, which contained radical reform measures that Carranza disliked. Thankfully, he ultimately did.

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Many just like Venustiano Carranza ...

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... hated Profiro Diaz and wanted Change, just like Francisco J. Múgica. He was a radical leader and was an influence in writing the constitution

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In his lifetime, he served as an assistant to Carranza and in 1913 he joined the constitutionalists

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He also was a general and lieutenant, and led the revolutionary forces.

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Múgica was known as one of the best delegates and fundamentals of the Mexican Revolution

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He worked on part of the constitution concerning matters of religion, politics, economics and education.

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He wrote many articles in Constitution.

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But not only did he work on the constitution....

Another leader not as radical as Múgica, Pastor Rouaix

...was a politician deputy to the Constituent Congress in 1917.

He along with a few others held meetings and decided to choose Mexico's national government as the main responsibility to improve the lives of these Mexican workers.

He wrote and was the main author of Article 123.

Article 123.....

Article 123's importance to its people of Mexico:

The constitution consisted of many things promising for a better future for Mexico.

One of the things it stated was that a workday could not be longer than eight hours.

It also declared that strikes were to be legal means of calling for change.

Not only that but debt peonage, a system of forced labor to get rid of debt, was abolished.

EQUAL WORK=EQUAL SALARY

Furthermore, government standards and regulations had to be set to benefit workers.

However, Carranza didn’t enforce Article 123 immediately,

He first called for the formation of a congress to draft the new constitution.

“Buenvenidos, Buenvenidos” -Carranza

It was a call to name deputies who will represent everyone states of the country.

Each state would have the right of one deputy for every 60,000 inhabitants.

There was many representatives of many political factions which gave the opportunity to independent spokespersons to express their demands.

¡Congreso Constituyente!

This call had a huge demand and a vast majority prepared to send their representatives.

People were peasants, teachers, miners, etc...

... Having people from all these social backgrounds talk about their needs gave a “social tint” to the drafting of the constitution. 

After two months of work the congress presented the constitution proposal and the congress was given power to establish the articles and on February 5th, 1917 the constitution was promulgated 

The Mexican constitution was the first in the world including labor rights in their articles !!!

Legaslating in such a way on workers rights was innovative for this time.

The goal was to get all the social demands that were made during the armed struggle to be reflected in constitutional articles (like articles 123, 3, 27 etc..)

ARTICLE #3:

Teaching is free!!

ARTICLE #27:

The nation has full right over the land and waters of its territory and will only be granted the exploitation of rescources under the conditions that the republic establishes.

Schools cant do as they please

It will be secular --non religous and free in all official establishments of the government.

Article 27 mandated that lands taken from the peasantry during the Porfiriato had to be returned, even if they did not have written titles.