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Birth
Benito Juarez was born on March 21, 1806 in San Pablo Guelatao, Oaxaca, Mexico. Juarez had mesoamerican indian parents that died when he was three years old and spent his life with his uncle until he was twelve. Then he went to live with his sister in the city of Oaxaca where he began his formal education. -
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School
He was originally going to study for the priesthood, but in the 1829 he entered the Oaxaca Institute of Arts and Sciences to study the law and science. On 1831 he got a law degree and won his first public office and a seat on the municipal council; to be honest he never used public office for personal gain. -
Politics
During the early years Juarez was involved in politics. He began to formulate liberal solutions for his country's many problems. He believed that he could start a stable economic and substitute a form of government in the same theme of a federal system. The liberals carried out three major reforms, all supported by Juarez. As minister of justice, he was responsible for the law using his name that formally puts an end to the special court that the military and the clergy had. -
New Law
On June 1856 the government announced a new law, the lerdo law which is surprisingly named after the minister of finance. Even if it made a church sell its property it holded no threat to anything else. How this new law works is that all the big estates get divited so the land is not too big or too small and there could be a balanced Mexico. -
New President
In February 1857, Ignacio Comonfort was elected president and the new congress chose Juarez to preside over the supreme court, according to the constitution, also to serve as the effective vice president of Mexico. The position in court was super effective to show his future career. In January 1858 Benito Juarez had a legal claim to the presidency and have a chance of becoming a president. -
Mexico City's President
January 1861 Juarez was able to return to Mexico City and he was elected president. He was however faced with many serious problems like the opposition’s forces still remained intact, the new congress distrusted its president and the treasury was virtually empty. Juárez decided in July 1861 to suspend payment on all foreign debts for two years. England, Spain, and France decided to intervene to safeguard their investments, and by January 1862 the 3 countries had landed troops at Veracruz. -
Mexican Resistance
Early in 1867, as a result of continued mexican resistance, increased U.S. pressure, and criticism at home. Napoleon decided to withdraw his troops. Soon afterward mexican forces captured Maximilian and executed him. -
Juarez's Final Election
President’s running for reelection, but the constitutional changes aroused immediate and violent reaction in many quarters, including those sympathetic to Juarez. His proposed changes came under fire because amendments enacted by congress alone were unconstitutional, and the changes would strengthen the executive power. Juarez was reelected, but the controversy had created such a crisis of confidence that the administration did not even bother to count the votes on the amendments. -
Death
On october 1870 Benito Juarez suffered by a stroke. Three months later his wife died, he decided to go to presidency again and he got elected again. Juarez used his last months on trying to bring peace to Mexico. He died by a heart attack in 1872 and was buried in the Pantheon of San Fernando in Mexico City.
