The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1857 was a liberal

Liberalism

Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...

 constitution drafted by 1857 Constituent Congress of Mexico

Congress of Mexico

The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...

 during the presidency of Ignacio Comonfort

Ignacio Comonfort

Ignacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos was a Mexican politician and military officer who served as President of Mexico....

 giving birth to the Second Federal Republic of Mexico

Second Federal Republic of Mexico

The Second Federal Republic of Mexico, is the name that is known at the second attempt federalist in the history of Mexico . Officially called the United Mexican States, the Federal Republic was implemented again on August 22 of 1846, when the interim president José Mariano Salas, issued a decree...

. It was ratified on February 5, 1857.,establishing individual rights

Individual rights

Group rights are rights held by a group rather than by its members separately, or rights held only by individuals within the specified group; in contrast, individual rights are rights held by individual people regardless of their group membership or lack thereof...

 such as freedom of speech

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...

; freedom of conscience; freedom of the press

Freedom of the press

Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...

; freedom of assembly

Freedom of assembly

Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests...

; and the right to bear arms. It also Reaffirmed the abolition of slavery, eliminated debtor prison, and eliminated all forms of cruel and unusual punishment

Cruel and unusual punishment

Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase describing criminal punishment which is considered unacceptable due to the suffering or humiliation it inflicts on the condemned person...

, including the death penalty.

Some articles were contrary to the interests of the Catholic Church, such as education free of dogma

Dogma

Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...

, the removal of institutional fueros (privileges) and the sale of property belonging to the church.