[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 17, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING BENITO JUAREZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARTIN FROST

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 2004

  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Benito Juarez, an 
influential Mexican hero who made an amazing impact during his 
lifetime. The son of Native American parents and the first president of 
Native American descent, Don Juarez worked hard to educate himself in 
law and to later become one of Mexico's greatest leaders. He 
established a new democratic government after the fall of Mexican 
General Antonio de Santa Anna, and he later he helped to restore this 
government after the French military invasion led by Austria's Archduke 
Maximilian.
  As a national hero and President of Mexico, Benito Juarez left a 
legacy of liberal reforms that helped establish Mexico as a more 
democratic place to live. His democratic ideals were further embodied 
in the Constitution of 1857 which gave the Mexican people their basic 
rights of free speech and press. Due to significant contributions to 
Mexico through his service in state and national legislature and as a 
judge, a governor, and ultimately a president, Benito Juarez is 
regarded as one of the greatest heroes in Mexican history.

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