Opinion Archive

What to Make of 1776 and Mexico

July 2, 2008

This Friday, July 4th, your correspondent will lead a discussion on channel 40's "Pensar México" on what American Independence Day means for Mexico. Most Mexicans, even relatively learned ones, know very little about the birth of the US as 13 "Free and Independent States" on the eastern fringe of North America. People are so used to seeing the US as a unitary, continent-wide whole, that they would be hard pressed to name the original colonies of New Hampshire, Massachussetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.

But the 4th of July is full of significance for Mexico. It can be seen as the birth of our own independence movement: a beacon that would showcase the grandure of the Enlightenment for all Americans to witness. Or is is the ominous start of a continental power that would soon take half of this country and consistently meddle in its neighbor's affairs? Which is it?

An inspiration to us all...

On the one hand, there is no doubt that the Thirteen Colonies' rebellion, the first in the New World, was a major source of inspiration for future independence movements throughout the continent. Insofar as one believes that the emancipation of the Americas from Europe was a good thing, something that is generally accepted, the 4th of July, 1776, is to be revered. This reverence can easily dovetail with further admiration for the liberal (in the classical sense) democratic tradition that continues to inspire the world with its universal values. Who doesn't get goose-bumps upon hearing the awesome words of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"?

Then there's the fact that the system of government that would arise in an independent United States would be copied throughout the Americas. Within a few years of the Declaration of Independence, the new Republic would enshrine such fundamental concepts as the separation of Church and State and the system of checks and balances. Its concept of a presidential head of the Executive, separate from Congress (the ultimate repository of a nation's sovereignty) is the system Mexico uses today.

The beginning of the end...

On the other hand, Mexico would come to rue the birth of the United States. With its self-conscious superiority, the new country, which would cheekily take the name of the entire continent ("America") as its own, would establish its "elbow room" on half of Mexico's territory. It would take nearly a century to abolish slavery and another century after that to completely abjure the institutional racism that underscored it. Seeing Mexico as an unworthy "mongrel nation", the US would intervene economically and militarily as it saw fit. Beyond the taking of its capital, it would send "punitive expeditions" against its revolutionary leaders and, perhaps most tragically, be an accomplice to the assassination of Mexico's first democratically-elected President. All pretty nasty stuff.

Compare and contrast

The upshot is that Americans see their history as a triumphal tale that culminates in a happy ending (today), while Mexicans see history as the Cross they bear. Given the profound interconnectedness of the two countries in the past and in the present, both peoples need to start understanding the other's point of view. Despite the fact that so many pivotal events are shared, they are seen differently, which can lead to conflict. It is no longer practical to see the the past as an island inhabited by "me and mine".

In particular, Mexicans would gain much by studying what the 4th of July meant to the Founding Fathers of the United States. By studying the Declaration of Independence, we can all learn about humanity's place in the world. We can see how the citizenry should be treated by its government, as well as witness some of the sources of tyranny. Mexicans have yet to resolve many of these issues.

Further, the Declaration of Independence begat the Articles of Confederation. By studying that document we can understand key issues in federalism, related to the rights of the states vis-à-vis the central government. This is especially relevant as Mexico tries to shake off the legacy of an overly centralized federal govermnent.

Finally, there's the Constitution of 1787. With four glorious pages of momentous brevity, it is the world's oldest functioning Magna Carta. It has 27 amendments, while ours is about 1/3rd as old and has been changed 376 times. Why?

In sum, what does the 4th of July mean to you? Discuss.

For the latest thought-provoking article by Agustin Barrios Gomez please go to our Opinion Column page

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