I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 62



Only Noblemtl

Universities and Slavery (3)

Pedro Gonzalez gathered the Republican deputies early in the morning.

It was to tell the details of the deal with the crown prince.

“There is no deal.”

He spoke frankly to his colleagues.

He went to make a deal, but the crown prince scolded him, and although he was angry, he could not refute it because it was all true.

“Now that I think about it, you weren’t wrong. It’s true that I was too naive.”

“We all discussed and decided on this, so why would it be your fault?”

His colleagues told him so, but Pedro thought differently.

He looked around at his colleagues. They were all certainly young. Of course, there were some in their 40s and 50s, but compared to other factions, the average age was at least 10 years younger.

‘I, the leader, acted so clumsily that I even embarrassed them.’

Pedro felt ashamed and decided that from now on, things would be different.

“The secular university is something we, as republicans, can never give up. If that is the case, we must be even more determined. It cannot be done without fighting the church.”

Pedro told his colleagues so. They agreed.

“I should tell our supporters that this is just the beginning.”

The Republicans’ power did not lie solely in the number of seats.

Many of the military commanders in the province, especially high-ranking commanders who had distinguished themselves in independence, held republican beliefs.

This was because the resentment against the oppressor, Spain, who had exploited Mexico for hundreds of years, often led to antipathy toward the monarchy and support for republicanism.

“That’s right. Now that the war is about to begin, internal discipline will also be important.”

Catholic Church.

There is no one who is not afraid of facing that great enemy. But if we remember our faith in republicanism and our faith in the people, we will be able to endure.

Congressman Pedro believed so.

Colleagues began writing letters to send to supporters, and Rep. Pedro began writing speeches to address the public.

The mood among the Republican lawmakers, who had been unilaterally beaten by the outstanding political power of the church forces for several months, was heating up again.

As soon as he finished writing his speech, Congressman Pedro ran out to the plaza.

There was no publicity or grand podium to announce that the leader of the Republican Party would be giving a speech.

He got a wooden box and climbed up.

“People of the Mexican Empire.

My name is Congressman Pedro Gonzalez.

Today I would like to talk about the important issue of establishing a secular university.”

Congressman Pedro began his speech on the street.

Although only about twenty citizens stopped to listen with interest to his words, he continued his speech without being discouraged.

“The law on the establishment of secular universities was passed by a majority vote in the National Assembly, recognizing its necessity. However, due to recent obstruction by certain forces, the specific organization has been delayed. I would like to speak here about the advantages of establishing secular universities.

First, education is the key to the modernization and progress of a country. In order to keep up with the global development trend, we also need to build an education system based on science and technology. This is essential for the development of our economy and strengthening national competitiveness.

“The world’s major powers, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, have already established many secular universities that are separate from religion, and more are being established at this very moment. At this point, when there is not even a single secular university, obstructing this could have a fatal negative impact on national competitiveness.”

He used the example of a great power.

It is true that the influence of religion is still strong in the United States and Europe, and many universities were under the influence of religion, but from the end of the 18th century, a different wind began to blow. Universities began to gradually become secular.

In the 19th century, there were universities that were founded with the intention of being secular universities, such as the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, and the Humboldt University of Berlin, founded in Prussia in 1810.

“National competitiveness… Certainly, if there are more people who receive college education, the probability of inventing things like the ‘railway’ will increase.”

A criollo passing by on the street muttered this. After confirming that the citizens’ reaction was not bad, Congressman Pedro continued his speech.

“Second, it is a contribution to economic development. Secular universities will contribute to the development of science and technology, which will in turn contribute to the development of our industries. This will become the basis for creating more jobs and growing the national economy.”

This is something that most of the citizens of Mexico City have experienced firsthand. Why has Mexico City been developing recently with so many people flocking to it? It is because of jobs.

The world was becoming a completely different place from the days when only agriculture and basic commerce existed.

“Third, we must strengthen national unity and identity. Secular education will contribute to creating a sense of community that transcends religious and regional differences.

Finally, increasing access to education. Secular colleges will be built in greater numbers and larger than the religious colleges that currently exist, and in terms of the types and sizes of their undergraduate programs, they will be incomparably larger than ever before.

This is only possible in a secular university where anyone with knowledge can become a professor, not just a few clergy. The education that was monopolized by the clergy and the landowning class can be made available to ordinary citizens.”

Congressman Pedro deliberately avoided using keywords such as fostering critical thinking, human rights, and freedom of thought. Instead, he selected only the key points that citizens would be interested in.

As he intended, the public’s response was positive.

“I don’t think it would be a bad thing if there was something called a secular university?”

“That’s right. If we do well, we might be able to send our children to college.”

Congressman Pedro spoke in various places in Mexico City, several times a day, until his throat became hoarse.

Meanwhile, the bill to abolish slavery, proposed by the Republicans and agreed to by the Emperors, was passed, and the Catholic Church’s full-scale movement began.

***

Samuel, a black slave from Texas, also heard something.

“The farm owner died?”

“That’s right. He was shot and killed while attacking a high-ranking official in the country!”

“Hehehe, you acted like a king, but in the end you got killed by someone higher up. Then what happens to us?”

“I don’t know. Even so, it would just change owners.”

My excitement was short-lived, but my friend’s words brought me back to the swampy reality.

“···Well, I guess so.”

The huge farms and ranches that Stephen had invested so much money in building were reverted to the state.

The government now dispatched civil servants to manage the farms as if it were accustomed to it, and it seemed as if their slavery would never change.

Then one day it happened.

“Everyone gather!”

The voices of white overseers were heard.

At that voice, the black people gathered in unison, panicking from the morning.

I knew in my body that if I hesitated, I would be severely beaten.

Next to the supervisor, who was looking down at them with a stern expression, stood a farm owner, or rather a civil servant.

The official opened his mouth as he looked at the slaves who were thin from malnutrition and not properly clothed.

“By the great mercy of His Imperial Majesty and the boundless grace of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, slavery is officially abolished in the Mexican Empire. You will no longer be bound by the oppression and yoke of slavery, and from this moment you will begin to live in freedom.”

He spoke in Spanish so the slaves didn’t understand, but the overseer was different.

“What is it? Translate it quickly.”

“Is what you just said true?”

“okay.”

“Then who will do the farm work?”

“I plan to hire them and pay them wages.”

The supervisor wanted to ask if that wouldn’t lower profits, but then he realized that the person in front of him was not a farm owner, but a government official.

“Yes, I understand.”

He interpreted what the official said to the slaves who stood there with nervous expressions, not knowing what the two were talking about.

“By the grace of His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, from this moment on, you are freed from the shackles of slavery.”

It was a fairly simplified version.

The slaves didn’t understand what he had just said.

Suddenly freed from the shackles of slavery? That shocking announcement caused Samuel to do something he shouldn’t have done.

“Is that… is that really true? Liberation?”

“Samuel!”

It was strictly forbidden for a slave to question his overseer. Only words of obedience should come out of a slave’s mouth. So the friend took a risk and called Samuel to warn him.

Fortunately, the supervisor didn’t get angry and only frowned slightly.

“Oh, thank you for the mercy of the Mexican Empire’s royal family. They have given freedom to lowly people like you, and have you as their citizens.”

The supervisor added:

Something ridiculous happened.

One of the slaves fell to the ground, his legs giving out.

The official saw this and thought the interpretation was conveyed well, so he continued speaking.

“You can choose to either receive land and farm it, or work for a fair wage.”

The former could benefit from pioneer immigration, while the latter could benefit from urban immigration.

Surprisingly, half of the slaves chose the former and half chose the latter, and the latter were mostly slaves without homes.

Because the plantation owners brought in black slaves without caring about their families, there were many cases of them being separated from their families, and because they knew from experience that even if they were given land, it would be difficult to farm it alone.

This happened not only on Stephen Austin’s farm, but all over Texas and Cuba.

“Hey there. Leave the black guy alone.”

“Didn’t you say you would only reclaim the land? You said you would let me take the things inside?”

“Slavery is now prohibited in our country of Mexico. Therefore, those people are no longer your property, so leave them alone. They will be treated as immigrants.”

“···They want to treat black people as the same as us? The Mexican government is crazy.”

“Are you insulting our Mexico just now?”

The face of the immigration officer who had been giving instructions expressionlessly distorted into a fierce expression.

He took out his notebook, crossed out the number 120, and wrote 100 next to it.

“Well… wait a minute, what did I just do? I made a mistake, so please forgive me just this once. I didn’t even swear that I would live as a citizen of the Mexican Empire. I won’t do it again, so please forgive me just this once.”

The official thought for a moment and then said.

“Tsk, let me give you a break just this once. Don’t forget that I’m the one who decides on the land distribution in the settlement you’re going to.”

“thank you!”

***

It’s been a few weeks since I met with Congressman Pedro.

Meanwhile, the bill to abolish slavery passed without a hitch, and officials tasked with freeing the slaves left for Texas and Cuba with the army.

“Your Majesty, the American Ambassador, Anthony Butler, has arrived.”

“Tell them to come in.”

I got a call from the person I was waiting for.