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Benito Juarez

The importance of Benito Juarez

Benito Juarez's birthday on March 21st calls for a huge celebration in Mexico. Benito Juarez was one of Mexico's most loved leaders, for the way he lead the country. He defied the French occupation, brought the country up to modern standards, and really started the country on the forefront of forward thinking. Benito Juarez was also the first indigenous man to be elected president of the United States of Mexico. He was also the first president that had no military background. He became a lawyer in 1834 and a judge in 1841. Benito Juarez served 5 terms as president, as an interim from 1858-1861, then until 1872 he was the leader of Mexico. During this time, Benito Juarez brought social and economical advancements to Mexico that no one else had. In fact, his whole time as president is now called La Reforma, the reform, because he made so many changes in the way that the indigenous people were treated; they were made as equals under Benito Juarez. He also lessened the mighty Roman Catholic Church, who had too much power when it came to government issues. He made a sort of separation of church and state. His way of running the country totally counteracted the almost feudal social system and the locally run almost colonial style of presidents in the past. March 21st is Benito Juarez day, a national holiday. Benito Juarez is celebrated for his liberal, out of the box thinking and the advancements he's made for the country.