The Mexican Constitution of 1917

The Constitution of 1917 is one of the most revolutionary documents of the 20th century. Carranza, after the fall of Huerta, invited all revolutionary leaders to a military conference at Aguascalientes to discuss Mexico's future. During this time there was a split in the delegates. On one side were Carranza, Obregon and they supported the plans of San Luis Potosí and Guadalupe; on the other side were Zapata, Villa, and the supporters of the Plan of Ayala. These splits caused a small time of civil war in Mexico until Carranza emerged as the victorious commander of the revolutionary forces. Carranza then presented his draft of the constitution to the congress. It was similar, in ways, to the old constitution of 1857, but gave way more powers to the executive and to the Mexican people. It was extremely revolutionary because it guaranteed civil liberties, no presidential succession, and protection from foreign and domestic exploitation to all Mexicans.

The new Constitution had three main new articles, one of which was Article 27. Article 27 was the land article. This article made it the law that all land and water within national territory belonged to the Nation. It made private property a privilege to have and stopped foreigners from owning any land. Foreign citizens could not own land within 100km of the borders and 50km of the sea. The state also had the right to impose on private property and do whatever they wanted and say it is for the "public interest." Article 27 also dealt with natural resources. The article said that all natural resources found within the borders are property of the nation. This new article made sure that nobody could take advantage of the resources that Mexico had to offer and was a revolutionary new idea.

Another article that was added to the old constitution to make the new one is Article 123. This article dealt with labor. It gave laborers the right to a stable minimum wage and a maximum 8-hour workday. It also gave them the right to strike, the right to a day's rest per week and the right to a proper questioning after an employer fired them without notice or reason. This article was extremely revolutionary because it catered to the interest of the workingman and intended to give working class relief from uncontrolled labor.

The last of the three main new articles is Article 130. This article dealt with the church relations and regulations. It stated that church and state had to remain separate. It also placed a series of restrictions on the priests and ministers. It said that priests and ministers could not be foreign, could not vote, couldn't hold office, couldn't criticize the government, and could not issue a primary education. This was revolutionary because before this, the church was in charge of everything and the church and the state were almost one and the same.

The new Constitution of 1917 was a positive revolutionary