[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4558-4559]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 4559]]

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.

                          ____________________