Juarez and Sarmiento Benito Juarez

¶ … Juarez and Sarmiento

Benito Juarez was the president of Mexico for five different terms in between 1858 and 1872. A lawyer and career politician by trade, Juarez was unique for a Mexican president of his era in that he had no military background. Nevertheless, he successfully led Mexican resistance against the occupying French forces and was responsible for the achievement of Mexican independence. In political philosophy, Juarez was a liberal. He opposed the dominance of both the military authorities and of the Catholic Church on Mexican society and he worked to promote a liberal society based on a capitalist economic structure modeled after the United States. Juarez also promoted the fundamental principle of the equality of all persons under the law, and at time when that equality was recognized in law in the U.S. But largely violated throughout the nation in actual practice for almost another full century. When Maximilian von Habsburg was crowned Emperor of Mexico in 1864, Juarez was offered the position of Prime Minister of Mexico. Juarez, as a nationalist, declined the offer based on his absolute opposition to monarchical rule by the Habsburgs (or any other foreign monarchy) over Mexico.

Domingo F. Sarmiento

Domingo Sarmiento was the President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. His political philosophy was based on promoting the intellectual and social ideals of Europe since the Enlightenment. He was, by comparison to other political leaders of his era, far advanced in his thinking about the equality of persons, equal rights, and equality of social opportunity, such as in connection with the education and rights of women in society. Sarmiento was especially interested in education as a societal institution and visited many foreign countries specifically to learn about their educational systems.

Much of his career was devoted to public administration positions and to helping his country establish a national postal system and railway transportation system. Sarmiento's major contribution to his nation's status came through his contributions during the civil wars between the Unitarian Party and the Federalist Party. As a Unitarian, Sarmiento promoted a strong centralized government similar to that which he admired in the U.S. Sarmiento also worked to develop a national communications (telegraph) system.

Similarities and Differences

Juarez and Sarmiento shared significant fundamental similarities: they both championed the ideas and values introduced by the European Enlightenment and by the economic and political reforms. Both of them were extremely interested in helping improve their respective societies, particularly through the education process. Likewise, they both promoted equal rights of persons and they were both ahead of their time as far as their beliefs about the roles of women in society and the educational opportunities for women.