CONSTITUTIONALISM AND SUFFRAGE: ORIGIN, CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The constitutionalism and suffrage in Mexico of the nineteenth century were the principles of democracy that built the foundation for the political future of Mexico. They began to form when Mexico still belonged to New Spain, and its first official Constitution was promulgated in 1824, which established the federal organization of the Mexican State.

Suffrage in the 19th century was a slightly more delicate subject than the constitutional one. A great majority of the elections were fixed and were only used as a mechanism to legitimize power. However, electoral practices had a purpose in the country and served as a space for political negotiation between government members.

Constitution of Mexico of 1824

Mexican constitutionalism was adapting to the political changes that occurred in the 19th century in Mexico. The changes to the laws and the differences between federalism and centralism were the main causes of the creation of new legal documents in the country.

Origin

The Constitution of 1814

This Constitution, called the Constitution of Apatzingán, is considered the first attempt at constitutionalism that occurred in Mexican territory.

By this time, Mexico still belonged to the viceroyalty of New Spain, but independence was near; The nation's Sentiments program had already been written, which declared the country's independence.

In November of that same year, the Mexican Congress signed the first document declaring the independence of Mexico. This Constitution was supposed to serve as the first legal document of the Mexican legislature, but it never officially went into effect.

A year after the Constitution was written, its main source of inspiration, José María Morelos, was imprisoned and killed by Spanish forces.

They went on to take control of the country, but could not prevent the independence of Mexico and the formation of the First Mexican Empire at the hands of Iturbide.

Feelings of the nation

The leader of Mexican independence, José María Morelos y Pavón, presented a document in 1813 where he presented his vision about the future of Mexico.

Within this document were a series of laws that were supposed to be part of the first Mexican legislation after its official independence.

The establishment of a liberal government was one of the main points of this document. In addition, the expulsion of all Spaniards from Mexican territory was decreed. Similarly, entry to foreigners was restricted and jobs were exclusively limited to locals.

While these ideas were not applied to the letter, they were fundamental to the subsequent formation of the Mexican constitutive documents and its first official Constitution, promulgated in 1824.

Causes

The Iguala Plan

The Iguala Plan was the independence movement carried out by Agustín de Iturbide, who after the liberation of Mexico became emperor of the nation.

The execution of the plan led to the creation of the independent Mexican state, which in turn led to the formation of its first official Constitution.

This plan was complemented by another constitutive document that served as legal support for the independence of Mexico.

This document became known as the Treaties of Córdoba, by means of which the last ruler of New Spain recognized the independence of Mexico before Iturbide.

Constitution of 1824

In 1824, after the fall of Agustín de Iturbide as emperor of Mexico, the publication of the first Constitution of Mexico as a free nation became official.

This had strong influences from the Constitution of Cádiz of 1812, as it also received inspiration from the first Constitution of the United States of America.

From this document, the Mexican constitutionalism and the political movement (mainly democratic) that has characterized the history of the country officially began.

Through this document, Mexico began to organize itself federally; Official recognition was given to all the states that make up the country and Roman Catholicism was recognized as the official religion of the nation.

19th century suffrage

One of the main political weapons in the 19th century was votes. By then, elections were usually held every 4 years for the president, but municipal and local government representatives were also often elected.

However, suffrage in Mexico did not begin as a democratic tool. Not all inhabitants could vote, and the creation of this system served as a political tool used by militants from various parties to obtain benefits in exchange for votes.

Voting as a democratic tool is a 20th century concept in almost all of South America, since it was then that most of the American countries developed a universal suffrage system.

Consequences

Current Constitution of Mexico

The Constitution of 1917 is the product of a series of political changes originating from the 19th century in Mexico. It was created from political experiences, ranging from the promulgation of the first Constitution of the country until the end of the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz.

This document is considered one of Mexico's most important contributions to world politics, as it was the first Constitution in the world that included the social rights of the country's citizens.

The Constitution of 1917 was created mainly based on the laws promulgated in the Constitution of Apatzingán (which never came into force), and the constitutions of 1824 (after the fall of Iturbide) and that of 1857 (promulgated during the presidency of Comonfort).

Universal suffrage in Mexico

Although the nineteenth century suffrage did not have democratic purposes in its entirety, this century was the first period in history in which Mexico had elections as a free country.

These elections served to establish electoral principles and institutions, which later gave way to universal suffrage and democracy in Mexico.

Universal suffrage in Mexico was officially established in 1953, although in 1947 it had already begun to be applied at the municipal level.

References

1. The Federal state of the Mexican Constitution: An introduction to its problematic, MC Sánchez, 2005. Taken from unam.mx
2. The Mexican Constitution That Never Was, J. Irwin, 2014. Taken from gwu.edu
3. Constitution of 1824, Stanford University Libraries, 1824. From Stanford.edu
4. Interview with Fausta Gantús and Alicia Salmerón, Letras Libres, 2017. Taken from letraslibres.com
5. Iguala Plan, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018. Taken from britannica.com
6. History of the Mexican Constitution, F. Macías for the Library of Congress, 2011. Taken from loc.gov
7. How were the elections in the 19th century ?, AL Guerrero, 2016. Taken from conacytprensa.mx