Download CLACS - El Cinco de Mayo

CLACS Teaching El Cinco de Mayo Background Essay for both curricula The histories of Mexico and the United States are not two separate histories. By looking at the important figures and events that emerged during 1810 through 1867, it becomes clear that the two countries share a complicated history of parallel wars and confusing borders—a history that is laced with contradictions. Locating the 1862 Battle of Puebla, “el Cinco de Mayo,” at the center of this investigation, we are able to see how events such as the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe, the American Civil War, and the French Intervention affected both countries, regardless of on which side of the border they occurred. Furthermore, this investigation allows us to question how history is understood, or rather, misunderstood, today, through the broader themes of borders, power, slavery, and culture. Why Cinco de Mayo? Today, el Cinco de Mayo is a confusing holiday for many people in the U.S.. They erroneously assume that it is the day that Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain, which is actually the 16th of September. On one hand, the 5th of May commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla, in which General Ignacio Zaragoza led an ill-­‐quipped army of about 4,000 Mexican mestizo and indigenous soldiers to fight the “greatest” army in the world at the time: the French. On the other hand, it has come to symbolize a day of cultural pride for people of Mexican descent in the United States and beyond. Some argue that modern Cinco de Mayo celebrations are a product of the Chicano Movement, where young students of Mexican heritage born in the U.S. (Chicanos/Chicanas) struggled during the 1960’s and 1970’s for recognition of their civil right to higher education (Hayes-­‐
Bautista 2012; Sinmadera). Cinco de Mayo celebrations are also connected to the Californios, the first generation of Mexican descendents born into California after it was no longer considered part of Mexico. The Californios are said to be the first people to celebrate the 5th of May in the United States. It is also believed that they celebrated with other Latin Americans in California due to the camaraderie they felt because of cultural similarities because they all spoke Spanish (Hayes-­‐Bautista 2012). The concept of a pan-­‐Latin American pride has been taken up by the government of Puebla in honor of 2012, the 150th anniversary of the battle (5demayopuebla.mx). The Puebla government is working hard to promote el Cinco de Mayo and capitalize on national pride and on an international “Latino” identity in order to boost tourism. Currently, in Mexico the day is rarely celebrated, and so most Mexicans are perplexed at the United States’ fascination and celebration of the day. In fact, in Mexico, it is not even a national holiday and celebrations are generally confined to the state of Puebla and are observed through government sponsored concerts and events. Celebrations are much more abundant in the U.S., perhaps in part, too, because of alcohol companies’ fierce advertising campaigns targeting the Latino population in the states (Gallegos and Rosa 2003). The companies have been so successful in their marketing the “holiday” that Cinco de Mayo is commemorated by many non-­‐Latinos in the U.S., resulting in some of the highest annual beer sales (Gallegos and Rosa 2003). 1 CLACS The actual battle was the first of many the Mexicans fought against the French, yet is regarded as important because the French army was previously undefeated. The French had almost twice as many men, were better trained, and had better weapons and still, the Mexican soldiers won (Hayes-­‐Bautista 2012). This win slowed down Napoleon III from beginning his French Intervention for another two years, in which he installed Ferdinand Maximilian as emperor of Mexico. The battles started when Benito Juárez, the first indigenous president of Mexico, had made the decision to temporarily suspend payment on debts to Britain, France and Spain. Juárez wanted to instead put the money into rebuilding Mexico, who had just finished a series of devastating wars, most recently the War of Reforms and just prior, the American War with the United States. The European countries decided to work together to get their money back by forming the Triple Alliance, however, Britain and Spain were soon able to come to an agreement with Mexico and returned home. It became quickly clear that Napoleon III was out for more than the little sum of money France was owed — he wanted power. He knew that if France had control over Mexico and important trade routes, it could increase income and power, creating yet another empire in Latin America. More importantly, France would gain a threatening position close to the United States. The United States at this time was in the throws of its Civil War, also known as the War of Succession or the War for Southern Independence, and therefore unable to enforce its very own Monroe Doctrine. The doctrine proclaimed that the U.S. would not allow any European forces to intervene in Latin America, that the U.S. was the rightful protectorate (and ruler) of the southern nations as created coinciding the signing of 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe (Gonzales 2000; Hayes-­‐Bautista 2012). The treaty was drafted as an end to the American War (U.S. – Mexican), when Mexico “ceded” to the United States control and ownership over what is now known as California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and sections of other states. Later, in 1852, the Gadsden Purchase was another “lucky” deal for the U.S. to lay its railroad tracks in what small section was left of Mexican territory in the north. The idea for U.S. ‘expansion’ was justified by the concepts behind the Monroe Doctrine, which was later coined “Manifest Destiny.” This notion was based on the precept that the U.S. had a “God-­‐given” right to take land and expand its empire and to rule the “inferior” people of the world, namely Blacks, Indians and Mexicans (Gonzalez 2000:43; O’Sullivan 1939). If the U.S. not been in war, the outcome of the Battle of Puebla may have turned out differently, or the battle may not have happened at all. The U.S. Civil War, however, was started when the southern states (the Confederates) wanted to unite and form a separate nation, in part to preserve the social and economic institutions of slavery and racism. This idea was in contrast to the current U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who like Benito Juárez, was a strong advocate for abolition, the freeing of enslaved peoples. If the Northern states, the Union, had not won, slavery may have stayed an institution in the U.S.. Slavery played an important role in all of the wars at this time. For example, Texas was annexed in 1945 to the U.S. after losing the fight to be an independent nation. While the annexation of Texas was not supported by all U.S. residents, many of the southern plantation 2 CLACS owners supported it in order to create yet another slave-­‐holding state. Most Mexicans were opposed to slavery, for their had abolished slavery in 1829. Furthermore, if France had defeated the Mexican army at this first battle in Puebla, they might have been able to join forces with the Confederate South to both disassemble the powerful United States and spread slavery into the northern and western states. The Battle of Puebla is merely a stopping point to look at what was happening in the U.S. and Mexico at the time in order to understand the importance of multiple perspectives of history. Ideologically, the battle was an inspiring win for the Mexican people who had historically been antagonized by European powers for centuries through invasion and colonization. It is also an interesting preface to the later U.S. influences in Mexico during the French Intervention, in which the north provided Mexico with arms and resources to fight the occupation. This action also reinforced the idea that the U.S. was ‘superior’ to its southern neighbor and had to intervene on its behalf as the benevolent neighbor. Furthermore, if the American Civil War had not ended, Napoleon III may have continued the French Intervention in Mexico and bleeding it north, rather than ordering its end for fear of confrontation with the U.S. (Hayes-­‐Bautista 2012). An inquiry into the events of the 5th of May 1862 also opens up a discussion into contemporary issues and concepts surrounding the notion of “illegal” immigration. As mentioned previously, the U.S. and Mexican border has been ever shifting. Before the annexation of Texas was the Adam -­‐ Onis Treaty of 1819 that established an arbitrary border according to the wishes of the United States and Spain. In this treaty, Mexico lost its territory that is the modern state of Florida. And as mentioned prior, the Treaty of Guadalupe extended the U.S. border into what was once almost half of Mexico. This is an important thing to remember when critically discussing the current debates over migration. Cinco de Mayo and the events leading up to it and following it, are all up for interpretation. If the French had won that first battle at Puebla, would the world be a different place? Do the French even talk about that day in their history books, since they “lost” that day? Would the U.S. have been subject to France if the Mexicans at Puebla had lost? The possible alternative histories are endless, so how are the interpretations of what “actually” happened significant? What has been revealed is that the United States and Mexico have not had separate histories, but rather have been influencing each other for centuries. There has been no winner or loser, just a series of battles and treaties in which the people on both sides of an ever changing border have been creating a complicated story. In light of this it is easy to see how Cinco de Mayo could be celebrated for different reasons by different people. . 3 CLACS Book Sources Henderson, Timothy J. 2009. The Mexican Wars for Independence. New York: Hill and Wang. Hayes-­‐Bautista, David. 2012. Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. Gonzales, Juan. 2000. Harvests of Empire: A History of Latinos in America. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books. Malmstrom, Vincent H. 2002. Land of the Fifth Sun: Mexico in Space and Time. E-­‐book. Hanover, New Hampshire. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~izapa/LFS_Chapter%207.htm O’Sullivan, John. 1939. Excerpt from John O’Sullivan on “Manifest Destiny” http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/resources/manifest_destiny_sullivan.html Web Sources Gallegos, Bill and Bernardo Rosa. May 4, 2003. “Don’t hijack Cinco de Mayo.” Usatoday.com. http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-­‐05-­‐04-­‐gallego-­‐rosa_x.htm O’Sullivan, John. 1939. Excerpt from John O’Sullivan on “Manifest Destiny.” http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/resources/manifest_destiny_sullivan.html PBS Educational Portal about the US/Mexican war 1846-­‐1848. http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/war/ Puebla government 5 de Mayo Website. http://www.5demayopuebla.mx/ 4