Texas History
Fort Burrows
4.4 - Mexican Independence
READpgs 97-99
Main Idea:
In New Spain, the dream of an Independent Mexico united opposing forces. The nation of Mexico was born.
Vocabulary:
republic- a society where citizens elect representatives to make laws
conservatives – people that want to limit new changes and keep their old ways
Setting the Scene:
To free their land from Spanish rule, Mexicans had to work together. In 1821, Agustin de Iturbide ( a soldier ) and Vincente Guerrero ( a rebel ) brought powerful Mexican groups together under the ‘Plan of Iguala’, which was a compromise between the peninsulares and criollos classes of people.
Four Articles of The Plan of Iguala:
Article 1 – The Mexican nation is independent of the Spanish nation and of every
other nation, even on its own continent
Article 2 – Its religion shall be Catholic, which all its inhabitants profess
Article 3 – They shall be all united, without any distinction between Americans
(criollos) and Europeans (peninsulares)
Article 4 – The government shall be a constitutional monarchy
Mexico Works for Independence
In 1814 a priest named José María Morelos y Pavón issued a declaration of independence for Mexico from Spain
In 1814, Morelos y Pavón led a movement for freedom from Spain; drew up plans for a Mexican republic
He won control of large areas of Southern New Spain
Most of his supporters were people from the lower classes
He was killed by government forces in 1815
It would be several years before Mexico’s rebel spirits would rise again
Spanish Events Influence Mexico
Peace in Spain
People rose up against KingFerdinand and demanded
representation in the
government
He agreed and accepted the Constitution of 1812
He became king again and took back his promise and disregarded the people’s Constitution / When French troops were driven from Spain, King Ferdinand IV took back his throne
For several years, people in New Spain seemed willing to accept the old ways of royal rule
In 1816, the king cancelled the Constitution of 1812
That constitution limited his power and gave rights to the Spanish people
Changes in Spain
Because of these changes, the upper class in Mexico feared that they too would lose powerThey wanted Spain to leave them alone so they could rule Mexico how they wanted / Spanish people demanded the return of the constitution
This forced the king to accept a new system of government in Spain
Now, some of the power rested with the people
The upper classes in New Spain worried what would happen if the common people gained too much power
These conservatives wanted to limit changes and keep the old ways
Independent Mexico
The Plan of Iguala
The conservatives’ leader, Agustín de Iturbide and rebel leader
Vicente R Guerrero agreed on the Plan of Iguala in 1821
Mexico would become an independent nation
Peninsulares (upper-class) and criollos (middle-class) joined together and would be equal to declare their independence
The Catholic Church would keep its power
With this plan, Spain lost control of New Spain
On August 24, 1821, the Treaty of Córdoba made Mexico an independent nation
Issues to Face
The main issue that faced Mexico now was how to deal with the Texas territory and the United States
Their problem was once again to the North
1. What characteristic fits conservatives?
A. they like to make changesB. they don’t like changes and prefer the old ways
C. they rebel against existing rulesD. they will try anything once
2. What did the Treaty of Córdoba do?
A. it made criollos and peninsulares equalB. it ended the mission-presidio system
C. it gave more power to the people of SpainD. it made Mexico an independent nation
3. How did Father Pavónkeep the dream of Mexican independence alive ?
______
4. How did events in Spain lead to Mexican independence?
______
5. What challenges did Mexico face after independence?
______
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