THE MEXICAN CONSTITUTION


On February 5, 1917 is promulgated, in the city of Querétaro, the Constitution that was considered like one of the most advanced in its time. The Constitution of 1917 came to be the crystallization of the revolutionary ideals that were elevated to the category of constitutional norms. On it, were included advanced principles of social reforms and rights in favor of peasants and workers, in addition, it was formulated to govern all the Mexicans without distinction of race, creed, social or political condition, since in it were elevated to the rank of constitutional norms the freedom of thought and of belief.
 
Nevertheless many years were spent before consolidating a Constitution according to the times and circumstances of the Mexicans. Throughout our history different fundamental laws were emanated of a Constituent Congress:

·Constituent Act of the Federation and the Federal Constitution of theUnited  Mexican States of 1824.
·The Seven Constitutional Laws, from 1835 to 1836.
·Organic Bases of the Mexican Republic of 1843.
·Constituent Act  and The Reforms of 1847.
·Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1857.
 
The Constitution of 1824 discarded for the first time, all type of foreigner legislation, establishing the absolute exercise of the sovereignty and self-determination of the Mexican town. The antecedents of that constitution are found in the Spanish of Cadiz of 1812, at the "Feelings of the Nation" of Jose Maria Morelos and in the Constitutional Decree for the Freedom of the Mexican America or Constitution of Apatzingán of 1814.
 
After signing the Plan of Ayutla on February 1856 (same that did not know the government of Antonio Lopez of Santa Anna), as a result of the revolutionary movement headed by Juan Alvarez, was summoned an Extraordinary Congress reunited in the City of Mexico. A year later on February 5, 1857  the President Ignacio Comonfort and the Constituent Congress approved the new constitution, which conserved the federalism, the liberties of work, of property, expression of ideas, the press, association, of request and of commerce, as well as the abolition of the slavery. On it, were established as citizen with right to vote all the Mexican men who had turned 18 years if they were married and 21 if they were not.

Months later, considering that the new ordering did not have obtained stability in the country, the same Comonfort did not recognize it and was added to the rebellion of Ignacio Zuloaga. The rebellion had as consequence the called War of Three years or War of the Reformation, between the conservatives who they did not know the constitution and the liberal ones that defended it. The liberal prevailed headed by Benito Juárez and during the course of the war they emitted a series of orderings known as Laws of the Reformation, between them emphasize those that establish the separation between the Church and the State. The Constitution of 1857 was a fundamental legal element in defense of the French invasion and the empire of Maximiliano of Hapsburg, having complete validity after the expulsion of the foreigners.

In 1910 begin the Mexican Revolution, year in which President Porfirio Diaz occupied the power. The first head of the Constitutionalist Army, Venustiano Carranza, summoned the Congress, on December 1916, to present a project of reforms to the Constitution of 1857. The document went through a numerous series of modifications, revisions and additions, in an effort to create in its content the new reality of the country. In the Theater of the Republic of the city of Querétaro, it was promulgated on February 5, 1917 the new Constitution that at present govern us. On it,  the revolutionary ideals of the Mexican town were established with a noticeable social content and a government was created for all the Mexicans without distinction of race, creed, social or political condition.
 
The Carta Magna completely established the individual guarantees and recognized the social rights, as the one of strike and the organization of workers, the right to the education, freedom of worship,layand free education, an eight-hour work day, besides recognizing as fundamentals the freedom of expression and the association of the workers. It established a way of a republican Government, representative, democratic and federal. The divisions of powers were endorsed in Executive, Judicial and Legislative. The latter turned into a bicameral system, constituted by one Chamber of Deputies and one of Senators. The Constitution decreed the non re-election and ratified the system of direct elections, suppressed the vice-presidency, granted a greater autonomy to the Judicial Power and more sovereignty to the states. The Carta Magna created the free municipality and established an agrarian regulation relating to land property.

Since itappears, the Constitution of 1917 has experienced multiple modifications to respond to the political, social and economic surroundings of our country. Example of these modifications are the 1953 reforms in which the right of vote to the women was granted and 1969 in which the citizenship was granted to all Mexican over 18 years. Other electoral reforms took place in 1977, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1996, destined to guarantee legal and respectful elections of the popular will.
The United Mexican States, pluricultural nation thanks to the indigenous root who nourishes it, celebrates one more year of freedom and self-determination, one more year of sovereignty granting to the Mexican, rights and obligations: reflected concepts on the Carta Magna, our Mexican Constitution.