Mexican President Vicente Fox became the first Mexican leader in a decade to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress in 2001.

"...our two countries at present are living in an era which is unique in the history of our relations—an era full of challenges that we must face united, and of opportunities which we must take up together. For it is only in this way that we will be able to make that area of prosperity shared between Mexico and the United States that we are building a reality, along with Canada and all of North America."

—Vicente Fox, address before a joint session of U.S. Congress, September 6, 2001

The election of Vicente Fox as President of Mexico in 2000 marked the end of a 70-year monopoly on the presidency by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). As the first Mexican president of a party other than the PRI in 70 years, Fox was no stranger to dramatic reform in his own country. However, few were expecting him to push for dramatic reform in the neighboring U.S. during his state visit in early September 2001. However, Fox did just that. In White House visits and in his address to a joint session of Congress on this day in 2001, Fox proposed radical reform of U.S. immigration laws to legalize the stay of millions of illegal Mexican immigrants in the U.S. In his speech, Fox suggested to Congress that "... as the history of this country shows, migration has always rendered more economic benefits to the United States, than the cost it entails." Fox shifted between Spanish and English as he spoke to Congress and used quotations from both the Bible and former President John F. Kennedy to make his case. He used the word "trust" more than 32 times during his speech as he urged Congress to "...strengthen the trust between our two nations, because it is only through trust that we will be able to reach the goals that we have set for ourselves."

Xpeditions
In the lesson The United States/Mexico Border (9–12), students research daily life, industries and the political situation along the border between the United States and Mexico.

In What's It Like to Live Along a National Boundary? (3–5), students discuss the concept of boundaries and borders and investigate the characteristics of the United States-Mexico border.

ARTSEDGE
The mini-site AmericArtes (K–12) was designed as a companion to the annual Kennedy Center AmericArtes Festival. The site highlights interesting Festival concerts, performances and exhibits; points out relevant resources for teachers, students and researchers; and provides engaging lesson plans so that teachers can help their students understand the significant contributions Latin American countries have made to the fine and folk arts.

In America, A Home for Every Culture (K–4), students explore how various cultures have contributed to making the United States the unique and diverse country that it is today.

EconEdLink
Students research the economies of Mexico and the U.S. in Trade in Colonial America / NAFTA (9–12), as they examine the impact of NAFTA and relate it to the economy of colonial America.