Miguel Lerdo de Tejada facts for kids
Miguel Lerdo de Tejada (born July 6, 1812 – died March 22, 1861) was an important Mexican leader. He was a key figure in the Revolution of Ayutla, which brought new ideas to Mexico. He is most famous for writing the Lerdo Law. This law aimed to stop large groups, like the Catholic Church and Indigenous communities, from owning a lot of land.
Miguel Lerdo de Tejada was born in the port city of Veracruz, Veracruz. Both he and his younger brother, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, became important leaders in Mexico's Liberal Party. This party wanted to make many changes in Mexico. In 1852, Miguel Lerdo de Tejada was the head of the city council in Mexico City. He suggested new ideas for public education, transportation, public health, and how the government spent money.
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What Was the Lerdo Law?
Miguel Lerdo de Tejada worked for President Antonio López de Santa Anna and later for Liberal President Ignacio Comonfort. In 1856, he created a very important law called the Ley de Desamortización de Fincas Rústicas y Urbanas. Most people just called it the Lerdo Law (or Ley Lerdo).
This law said that the Catholic Church, Indigenous communities, and local governments had to sell most of the land they owned. The idea was to put this land into the hands of more people. The Church could only keep buildings used for religious activities, like churches and schools. Governments could keep their offices and jails. Any other land that made money for the Church or local governments had to be sold. The money from these sales was supposed to go to the national government.
Why Was the Lerdo Law Important?
The Lerdo Law was a big step in Mexico's history. However, Mexico faced many problems right after the law was passed. There was a big fight called the War of Reform (1858-1861) and later the French Intervention (1862-1867). Because of these conflicts, not much land was actually sold right away because of the Lerdo Law.
Many of the big changes linked to this law happened later. This was especially true under the government of Porfirio Díaz (1876-1911). But the Lerdo Law was the legal foundation for these later changes.
Miguel Lerdo de Tejada's Later Life
Miguel Lerdo de Tejada eventually left his job as Treasury Secretary. This happened when President Benito Juárez disagreed with his idea to stop paying Mexico's foreign debt. Lerdo de Tejada had tried to get loans from other countries, using the Church's confiscated land as a promise to pay them back. He wanted to use this money to help the Liberal side in the War of the Reform, but he was not successful.
After the Liberals won the War of the Reform, Miguel Lerdo de Tejada returned to Mexico City on January 1, 1861. He took his place as a member of the Supreme Court. He even ran for president against Benito Juárez in 1861. Sadly, he died of typhus on March 22, 1861.
See also
- La Reforma
- War of the Reform
- Reform laws
- Liberalism in Mexico
- Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
