Alternative Foundations:Multicultural Research Project

Us Government Honors

Castaneda Background My family immigrated to the U.S from Mexico

They lived in a small town called El Aseradero in Guadalajara

My parents, and even those before them, lived poorly with out electricity or running water as farmers and struggling to support many children

In 1995 Mexico was in a severe recession caused by the sudden deflation of the Mexican peso against the U.S dollar, This was called The Mexican Peso (or Tequila) Crisis

To try to escape the poor living conditions as a farmer and the recession my father left Mexico that year in 1995

When my father was settled in and had a stable job he brought my mother into the U.S with him

I was then born a year later in 1996

Mexico History

Mexico has been around for more than 10,000 years

It had great civilizations as early as 1500 B.C

The first major civilization was the Olmec

Other great civilizations included the Toltec, Mayan, and the Aztec

The Aztec were conquered by Spanish explorer Hernan Cortex in 1521

Francisco de Montejo conquered the remaining Mayan civilization in1526

Mexico became part of the viceroyalty of New Spain

In 1821 rebels negotiated independence from Spain

in 1823 a new congress declared Mexico a republic

Mexico’s Current Government

Mexico today is federal republic

Federal Republic – is a federation, the central government with a republican form of a government

Their government has three branches: executive, legislative and judicial

Each of these branches has some authority to act on it’s own

Mexico's Three Branches Executive Branch ~Mexico’s executive branch is composed of the president

and his cabinet~Presidents are directly elected by a simple majority of registered voters in the thirty-one states and the Federal District

Legislative Branch~consists of two chambers, Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies~both chambers are responsible for the discussion and approval of legislation and the ratification of high-level presidential appointments

Judicial Branch~is divided into federal and state systems~The Mexican legal system is based on Spanish civil law with some influence of the common law tradition~ the judiciary seldom attempts to stop the will of the president on major issues

Mexican Citizen Rights

Mexican Citizenship is constituted by two main ways, either by being born on Mexican Territory or through naturalization

Mexican Citizens have the rights to:~vote in all elections~be elected in all elections~gather or associate freely to participate in the political affairs of the nation~enlist in the Mexican Army or the Mexican National Guard~exercise the right of petition

Mexican Citizen Rights Disclaimer

Mexico differentiates between naturalized citizens and natural-born citizens

The Mexican constitution prohibits naturalized citizens from serving in certain positions:~The Mexican military during peacetime~Policeman~Captain, pilot, or crew member on any Mexican-flagged vessel or aircraft~President of Mexico~Member of the Congress of Mexico~Member of the Supreme Court of Mexico~Governor of a Mexican state~Mayor or member of the legislature of Mexico City

Mexican Citizen Roles

The Mexican Constitution states that every citizen has obligations they must fulfill

Obligations listed are:~take their children school to attend preschool, primary and secondary education; as well as military education as and if required by the law~present themselves in the days and hours designated by the courts in which they reside to receive civic and military instruction~enlist and serve in the National Guard~to pay taxes

Constitution of Mexico

Mexico has used a number of different constitutions in the past

The current used constitution, Constitution of Mexico, was approved in 1917 during the Mexican Revolution

The constitution is founded on seven ideals:1. A declaration of rights2. Sovereignty of the nation3.Separation of powers4.Representative government5.A federal system6.Constitutional remedy7.Supremacy of the state over the Church

It is organized into articles and articles relating to the same things are grouped into titles

The Constitution of Mexico has about 40 articles

How Mexico compares to the U.S

Citizen RolesIt appears that the roles of Mexican citizens appear to be oriented around the welfare of the family where as in the U.S our roles are benefit the community as a whole. Both nations require it’s citizens to protect their nation.

Citizen RightsMexico excludes naturalized citizens from serving in military, government, and some other positions. U.S naturalized citizens share all the same rights as natural born citizens with the exemption that they can not run for president.

How Mexico compares to the U.S cont.

Elements of the Constitution~The Mexican and Us constitution seem to have the same components~They both talk about citizen rights, how to govern, and issues of the country~They are just structured differently~The us constitution has the bill of rights, the articles and the amendments. In the Constitution of Mexico it contains their citizens rights and amendments are organized in the articles

Founding PrinciplesBoth constitutions were founded on the idea and desire to create a better country for their people. The drafting of their constitutions made that possible.

Overall Final Comparison and Summary

The country where my family comes from and the country where I grew up aren’t to different fundamentally. Both countries give me rights that are protected by law. In each country I have to be a good citizen. The governments aren’t ran much differently than each other. The biggest difference being a citizen here in the U.S than in Mexico is that I have more rights and protection from my government. If it wasn’t for these rights and protections my family wouldn’t still be living in the U.S.