American And Mexican Independence example essay topic

The Making of Mexico An Essay about the Mexican Independence Movement In the late 18th century, the Spanish monarchy decided to improve the defenses of its empire because of its many military losses in Europe. Because of this, the Spanish Crown was forced to increase revenues. Between 1765 and 1771, Spain sent Jos'e de G'alvez on an official tour of inspection of New Spain. He restructured the current taxes and their collection methods... In 1778, Spain, attempting to increase its own revenues, lifted restrictions on colonial trade. This allowed more commerce for the colonists and allowed for more trade between the privileged of New Spain and the other Spanish colonies in America.

Since the Spanish monarchy was so determined to improve defenses, it was forced to enlarge the existing colonial militias into armies. The Mexican people were disappointed with the many tax and administrative changes. The Criollos also did not like the fact that they had not been given any of the new administrative positions. Most of the Mexicans felt that they had been prospering under the old system. When the people protested and when riots broke out against the attempts at instituting reforms, they were dissipated through force. This caused Mexicans to become even more upset.

They also had a new economic freedom and began to think that they could benefit more if they ran their own economic system apart from Spain. The Spanish Crown also began to limit the powers of the Catholic Church. It was viewed as a political rival because it had begun to amass large amounts of land and wealth in the colony. The Spanish government ignored the fact that the church did not actually have as much money as it seemed to.

Much of its "wealth" was being loaned to colonists. In 1767, the Spanish Crown expelled the Jesuits from both new and old Spain and confiscated the wealth of the religious order. Even worse in the eyes of the Mexicans was in 1804 when the Spanish monarchy took land and wealth from the Catholic Church. These actions caused the church to reclaim all loans. This greatly affected the middle class, which was made up mostly by the colonial born whites known as the Criollos, and the mixed blooded Spanish or Indian Mestizos. The priests were also greatly affected by the Consolidation decree causing an upset of both the colonists and the priests, and convincing many to start to support Mexican Independence.

The initial causes of the American Revolution were similar in that the colonists felt oppressed by their parent country of England. They felt that the monarchy they once knew as their savior could no longer provide for the best interests of the colonies and that it was taking advantage of them by imposing taxes upon them and using other means to earn revenue they it didn't rightfully deserve. The Proclamation of 1763 restricted colonists from settling the area east of the Appalachian Mountains. This restriction angered colonists who were looking for land to call their own. This was followed by the Currency Act of 1764, then the Sugar Act of the same year, and finally, the Stamp Act of 1765. All of these acts, and subsequent ones, were used as revenue measures by England to regain the large amounts of wealth lost during the previous war.

The colonists were not protesting taxes that were intended primarily to regulate state. They were protesting those designed simply to raise money. Unlike in Mexico's case, there had been over fifty years of salutary neglect causing the new regulations to seriously alarm and upset the colonists. However, similarly, both the Mexican colonists and the American ones were upset by these unexpected economic costs that largely, and, seemingly, adversely affected them. According to Brune Leone's The Mexican War of Independence the Criollo resentment in particular had greatly weakened the relations between New Spain and its mother country by the start of the 19th century.

Another large factor in spurring the independence movement was the influence of the Enlightenment taking place in Europe. This was a large factor working for American Independence as well. Many Criollos in New Spain began to read the works of the Enlightenment writers and then began to question the benefits and reasons for their colonial relationship with Spain. The Mexican colonists were also affected by the examples of the American Revolution and the French Revolution. All of the aforementioned factors contributed to the independence movement of Mexico.

However, the main steps towards independence came because of Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808. The monarchy was greatly weakened when Napoleon gave the crown to his brother causing the people of Madrid to revolt. With Spain's back turned, the leaders of New Spain began to argue amongst themselves. The viceroy was forced to allow the Criollos to participate in administration. Then, a group of Peninsulares, those who had been placed in many of the administrative positions, did not like that the Criollos were gaining any influence in the government. They staged a coup d'etat and overthrew the viceregal government.

On September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Cost illa (depicted in the attached drawing) a priest who had become familiar with the ideas of the Enlightenment, began a revolt in hopes of freeing Mexico from the Spanish colonial government and its Peninsulares. Hidalgo wanted an immediate abolition of slavery and the end of taxes on Native Americans. Tens of thousands of Native Americans near Mexico City joined thousands of Mestizos in their uprising because they had been suffering from rising food prices and their constantly declining wages. Hidalgo was able to recruit and army of 60,000 troops who, when faced with opposition, massacred and looted the city of Guanajuato. Few Criollos joined this rebellion because of the violence and destruction. Many sided with the offering of stability from the Peninsulares instead.

On October 30, 1810, the rebel forces fought royalist forces near Mexico City. Many inexperienced soldiers deserted the force, however, which had suffered large losses even though the royalists did retreat. By January of 1811, the remainder of Hidalgo's army was defeated near Guadalajara. Hidalgo himself was caught when he fled to the north in March of that year. He was executed on July 30, 1811. Jos'e Mar " ia Morelos y Pav " on was the next priest to lead in the way of independence.

He also called for racial and social equality. He was a better military commander than Hidalgo and under him large amounts of territory was captured. He declared Mexican an independent nation in 1813. However, royalist forces still controlled Mexico city. Morelo's continued to fight until 1815 when Morelos was captured and executed. The Spanish revolution of 1820 changed the rebellion in Mexico.

It restored the more liberal constitution of 1812 and emphasized representative government and individual liberty. The Mexican leaders were dismayed by these liberal political tendencies in Spain, but their biggest concern was the instability of Spain. Iturbide met Guerrero in 1821 and they signed an agreement to combine their forces to bring about Mexico's independence. Their plan was called the Plan of Igual a. It guaranteed that Mexico would become an independent country and be ruled as a limited monarchy, that the Roman Catholic Church would be the state church, and that the Criollos would have the same rights as the Peninsulares.

The viceroy did not oppose Iturbide and was thus forced to resign. The last viceroy of New Spain arrived in Mexico in July of 1821 and was made to accept the Treaty of C'ordoba. This marked the formal beginning of Mexican independence. Iturbide became emperor of Mexico. He held that position until 1823 when he was overthrown by military revolt. A republic was then proclaimed and Guadalupe Victoria became the first president.

Mexico was not prepared for creating a new republic. Social stability and the economy had been destroyed because of civil war. There was no one who had the political experience to unite the nation together. Deciding the actual role of the federal government needed time and debate. In 1824, the first constitution was ratified. It allowed state legislators the power to elect both the president and the vice president.

This resulted in a series of weak presidents that were forced to attempt to create as effective government as possible. The American and Mexican revolutions were very similar in their initial reasons for beginning their struggle for independence. The actual revolutions were also less than fifty years apart. Both the American and Mexican revolutionaries lacked the great deal of military force that their mother countries had. Their combatants were supposedly far superior military wise, but they were defeated in both conquests for independence. When Mexico first gained its independence, however, it began as a monarchy.

America had more of sound beginning on paper, but also had many problems in establishing a government best suited for the people, that would be accepted by them. Both America and Mexico suffered economically right after their true declarations of independence. Besides the military aspects, the American and Mexican independence were incredibly similar in the reasons for seeking independence and the first outcomes after independence.