Upon the advent of Morelos, the Mexican movement for independence passed into its second phase, and the period from the death of Hidalgo in 1811 to the death of Morelos in 1815 may be called, with full justification, the Epoch of Morelos. Not only was Morelos the greatest military commander produced by that period, but he was a statesman of a high order, who decreed far-reaching political, social, and economic reforms, and provided the revolutionary effort with a clearer enunciation of its principles and objectives. In addition to his outstanding military successes, Morelos was the first leader to declare for complete independence from Spain. Also, he was the inspiration for Mexico's first constitution, which prescribed a republican form of government based on a national representative system. His progressive social concepts envisaged the abolition of all caste distinctions and the substitution of the name "American" for all native-born, in whose interest the new government was to be shapedHistor
