When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, the fate of the nation’s enslaved Afro-descendant population entered a phase of uncertainty. Mexico’s slave system had been in the process of collapsing even before Mexico became an independent republic. George Reid Andrews shows in his study on Afro-Latin America that less than one percent of the Afro-Mexican population remained enslaved by 1800. Although slavery remained legal after Mexico’s independence, the 1824 Mexican Constitution proclaimed civil equality for all Mexicans regardless of origin. Additionally, the Federal Act of July 13, 1824 outlawed the trade and importation of slaves to Mexico, “and declared that slaves introduced contrary to the tenor of the act would
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It was in that year when, “free black and mulatto militia units from the Veracruz and Acapulco coasts marched on Mexico City to install former independence leader Vicente Guerrero, a man of mixed African-Indian ancestry…in the presidency.” In his role as president, Guerrero made one of his most important contributions to Mexico on 16 September 1829 by officially abolishing slavery. The abolition of slavery not only brought to fruition Guerrero’s vision of Mexico as a republic that guaranteed equal rights to all Mexicans but also helped cultivate an image of Mexico as a racially egalitarian society; an image that was later exported to the United States. Unbeknownst to Guerrero, the abolition of slavery would affect not only the lives of enslaved Afro-Mexicans, but also the lives of free African Americans and enslaved blacks in the …show more content…
The black man has rights and privileges in Mexico that the world must respect, and I will not clean my hands by accepting membership into that association which seeks to enslave my fellow man. I trust the American Negro will not weaken, but will fight for his rights until the judgment day.
It is questionable whether Diaz uttered the statement above, or supported a judge’s decision to execute a white man for killing a black man. Both stories overlook important information such as specific names, locations, and dates. However, one thing that is certain is that the Chicago Defender printed these stories to construct an image of Mexico as a racial sanctuary for African Americans who were in search of securing a better life. For the Defender, Mexico and the republic’s president offered African Americans that opportunity, especially to those who were moving away from the
It was in that year when, “free black and mulatto militia units from the Veracruz and Acapulco coasts marched on Mexico City to install former independence leader Vicente Guerrero, a man of mixed African-Indian ancestry…in the presidency.” In his role as president, Guerrero made one of his most important contributions to Mexico on 16 September 1829 by officially abolishing slavery. The abolition of slavery not only brought to fruition Guerrero’s vision of Mexico as a republic that guaranteed equal rights to all Mexicans but also helped cultivate an image of Mexico as a racially egalitarian society; an image that was later exported to the United States. Unbeknownst to Guerrero, the abolition of slavery would affect not only the lives of enslaved Afro-Mexicans, but also the lives of free African Americans and enslaved blacks in the …show more content…
The black man has rights and privileges in Mexico that the world must respect, and I will not clean my hands by accepting membership into that association which seeks to enslave my fellow man. I trust the American Negro will not weaken, but will fight for his rights until the judgment day.
It is questionable whether Diaz uttered the statement above, or supported a judge’s decision to execute a white man for killing a black man. Both stories overlook important information such as specific names, locations, and dates. However, one thing that is certain is that the Chicago Defender printed these stories to construct an image of Mexico as a racial sanctuary for African Americans who were in search of securing a better life. For the Defender, Mexico and the republic’s president offered African Americans that opportunity, especially to those who were moving away from the