How a Mexican diplomat forged a relationship between Benito Juárez and Abe Lincoln, who never met

March of 1861 saw the inauguration of 2 of the astir impactful presidents some Mexico and the United States would ever have: Benito Juárez and Abraham Lincoln.

In Mexico, the Reform War had travel to a adjacent with the Liberal triumph of December 1860, but the state was devastated and the Conservative Party had lived to combat different day. In the United States, North and South were connected the verge of civilian war, and 7 states had seceded from the Union by the extremity of February.

Nearly a period aft the fact, the affirmative narration betwixt Lincoln and Juárez’s governments are inactive remembered successful Mexico. This 1944 Mexican people showing the 2 leaders and successful the background, a Mexican and a U.S. husbandman shaking hands made usage of this history. (The Hoover Institution)

Lincoln, who had followed a losing 1858 run for the U.S. Senate by winning the country’s highest bureau successful 1860, did not perceive from 1 European person erstwhile helium won the presidency. He had ne'er traveled extracurricular of the United States. So Lincoln had ne'er been to Mexico, and it is improbable helium had ever met a Mexican astatine each until 1 fateful snowy time successful January 1861.

At the clip of Lincoln’s inauguration, Matías Romero had been moving astatine the Mexican Legation successful Washington, D.C. for a year. In January 1861, the savvy and ambitious young diplomat and aboriginal Mexican Treasury Secretary received a missive that said, “It is the privation of the President [Juárez] that you proceed to the spot of residence of President-elect Lincoln and successful the sanction of the government, marque wide to him successful an unfastened manner, if the accidental presents itself, the tendency which animates President Juárez, of entering into the astir cordial relations with that government.”

Romero sent Lincoln a missive of congratulations connected his election. Lincoln acknowledged the missive and expressed his champion wishes for “the happiness, prosperity and liberty of the radical of Mexico.” With his government’s instructions successful hand, Romero acceptable disconnected for Springfield to conscionable and personally congratulate the recently elected president. Romero was astir apt the archetypal Mexican Lincoln had ever met, though his enactment of Mexico went backmost to 1846, starring Juárez to judge helium could forge affable relations with the Republican.

As a young congressman from Illinois, Lincoln opposed President James K. Polk’s 1846 penetration of Texas, which started the Mexican-American War, but determination was beardown patriotic fervor successful the country, and galore supported Polk’s expansionist plans. Lincoln was not opposed to territorial enlargement but opposed to the enlargement of slavery. He besides respected Mexico’s sovereignty and thought the U.S. should person a bully narration with its confederate neighbor.

Soon aft Lincoln took office, Mexican diplomat Matías Romero reached retired to the caller U.S. president connected behalf of Juárez to found diplomatic ties betwixt the U.S. and Mexico. He became adjacent to the Lincolns and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)

He accused Polk of utilizing a falsehood to warrant a war. After a skirmish successful the disputed territory of what is present confederate Texas, Polk declared, “American humor has been shed connected American soil,” and arsenic a result, a authorities of warfare existed with Mexico.

Lincoln introduced the archetypal of 8 resolutions opposing the war. The archetypal questioned the war’s constitutionality and challenged warfare proponents to amusement him the “spot” wherever humor had been shed. His resolutions became known arsenic the “spot resolutions,” and radical called him “spotty Lincoln.”  His absorption to the warfare was truthful unpopular with his constituents successful Illinois that helium decided not to tally for reelection.

Lincoln was not the lone salient American opposing the war. John Quincy Adams and Henry David Thoreau openly challenged the warfare effort. Ulysses S. Grant, who served successful the war, said successful his memoirs that it had been, “the astir unjust warfare ever waged against a weaker federation by a stronger.” The United States won the warfare and accrued its territory by 750,000 quadrate miles, reducing Mexico’s territory by half. 

Romero began the gathering by briefing Lincoln connected the concern successful Mexico: The caller President Benito Juárez had assumed enactment of a state devastated by civilian strife, whose treasury was depleted. But Juárez believed Lincoln was predisposed to a relationship betwixt the 2 countries. The Romero papers, preserved astatine the Banco Nacional de México, bespeak that the speech went good and Lincoln was taken with the young diplomat.

During the War of Independence, Mexico had acquired a large woody of overseas debt. French Emperor Napoleon III sought a foothold to situation the United States’ dominance successful the Americas and planned to usage Mexico’s indebtedness to France arsenic a pretext to invade the federation and found a assemblage empire. 

Mexico wanted economical practice with the U.S. and to beryllium treated arsenic a respected confederate neighbor. Perhaps astir importantly, the Mexican medication counted connected Lincoln to respect Mexico’s sovereignty.

Romero nurtured a idiosyncratic narration with the U.S. president and the First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, and the Union generals Ulysses S. Grant and Philip Sheridan, which would beryllium precise adjuvant successful Mexico’s conflict against the French. Lincoln was grateful to Romero due to the fact that helium would travel the First Lady connected her predominant buying trips, freeing Lincoln from a work helium was blessed to relinquish.

The United States did not officially admit the French authorities successful Mexico but remained neutral successful the war. However, the U.S. needed Mexican troops to dilatory the French beforehand to the border. The resourceful Romero utilized Lincoln’s acknowledgment missive from their archetypal gathering and his relationship with Lincoln and Grant to rise US $18 cardinal from salient bankers to enactment the Mexican troops. Grant helped him unafraid Springfield rifles, considered superior weapons.

In 1863, the French took Mexico City and installed an Austrian archduke, Ferdinand Maximilian, arsenic Emperor Maximilian I. Mexico needed much arms from the United States.

Ulysses S. Grant — seen present successful a Civil War photograph successful Cold Harbor, Virginia — covertly sent 50,000 troops to the Mexico-U.S. border, instructing them to “lose” 30,000 rifles that could beryllium “found” by the Mexican troops warring French invasion. (U.S. National Park Service)

After the U.S. Civil War ended, Grant covertly sent 50,000 troops to the borderline nether General Sheridan, instructing them to conveniently suffer 30,000 rifles that could beryllium “found” by the Mexican troops. By 1867, the French had withdrawn from Mexico and Juárez had triumphed. The Mexican Republic was restored, though Lincoln didn’t unrecorded to spot it.

Lincoln’s courageous basal against the Mexican-American War and his enactment of Benito Juárez (sometimes referred to arsenic the Abraham Lincoln of Mexico) endeared him to the Mexican people. His enactment of governmental equality, economical accidental and absorption to slavery demonstrated that helium shared their values.

Some historians judge that had Lincoln lived, the 2 leaders would person forged a adjacent confederation betwixt the United States and Mexico successful economical and taste matters. Some historians accidental they could not person had a adjacent narration due to the fact that they ne'er met and nary correspondence betwixt them has been found. However, it is assumed that Romero, arsenic a diplomat, would person carried messages betwixt the 2 leaders, and determination is grounds successful Romero’s papers that helium conducted a dialog betwixt the two.

If you person been to Mexico City — among each the statues commemorating Mexican humanities figures and events — you whitethorn person been amazed to travel crossed a statue of Abraham Lincoln. This statue successful Parque Lincoln is identical to the 1 successful London’s Parliament Square (The archetypal stands successful Lincoln Park successful Chicago).

Numerous Lincoln statues are successful Mexico, including 1 towering implicit Tijuana’s expansive boulevard, Paseo de Héroes, and 1 successful Ciudad Juárez. There is besides a statue of Juárez successful Washington, D.C.

Former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador visiting the monument to Benito Juárez successful Washington, D.C. successful 2022. (National Park Service)

On April 15, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson dedicated the Abraham Lincoln statue successful Mexico, symbolizing the relationship betwixt the 2 countries. And connected October 26, 1967, Mexican President Gustavo Ordaz reciprocated by dedicating the statue of Juárez successful Washington, D.C.