Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo (reading and quiz) Página 1 de 7
Cinco de Mayo
Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican independence? Actually, Cinco de
Mayo is one of the battles that took place half a century after the independence of
Mexico.
The 5th of May is celebrated by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans to commemorate the

overthrow of the imperialist monarchy headed by Maximilian of Austria. The imperialist
monarchy was imposed on Mexico from 1864 to 1867 by Napoleon III, Emperor of
France (nephew of the famous Napoleon Bonaparte), along with the Mexican
conservatives, who were mostly rich.
In 1858, Benito Juarez, an Indian from a poor family, was elected President of Mexico.
Ten years earlier, Mexico had lost the Mexican-American War, also called the North
American Invasion of Mexico, and Mexico lost half of its territory to the United States.
The states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Nevada and Utah
were originally northern territories of Mexico. In the peace treaty that ended the war,
Mexico gave up all that land, and the United States gave Mexico $15,000,000. In order to
fight against the United States, Mexico had borrowed money from the European nations
of Spain, France, and England, who did not want to see the United States grow larger
and more powerful. Even with the $15,000,000 Mexico received from the United States,
Mexico’s treasury was nearly empty, so Juarez and the Mexican congress decided to
suspend (give up) paying back the European countries the money that Mexico owed
them.
The creditors in Europe (England, Spain and France) decided that intervention was
needed to collect the debts. Unbeknownst to the other two, France had its own agenda.
Rather than simply collecting money that was owed, France wanted to dispose
completely of the Mexican constitutional government and set up a monarchy (king)
favorable to France. Napoleon III, emperor of the second French empire, had
grandiose plans to impose a monarchical government upon all the nations of Central and
South America, starting with Mexico. This was to provide raw materials and trade for the
European nations as well as to check the growing power of the US republic following its
annexation of Mexican territories that it “bought” from Mexico after the war.
France's plans were aided by the rich and conservative land owners of Mexico, who
feared loss of land and political power to the newly elected constitutional government of
Benito Juárez. In many ways, Juarez was similar to Barack Obama in today’s United
States. They both became president in order to make the rich share some of their wealth
to help the poor and middle classes in their countries. They both found enemies among
the rich and powerful classes. In Mexico, along with the rich land owners, the powerful
Catholic church was afraid of Juarez because the church also owned a great deal of land
that Juarez wanted to seize and divide up to give to the poor and middle classes. So the
rich conservatives and the church leaders were not unhappy to see a European king rule
their country instead of Juarez. French diplomats met secretly with conservative and
[eslprof.com/handouts/Reading/CincoDeMayo.doc]
church leaders to get their support for the French takeover, with promises to let the
church and rich people keep their property.
On December 8th, 1861, the European powers landed and occupied the port city of
Veracruz. Spain arrived first. Veracruz was a port city where Mexico received valuable
goods from South America, Africa, and Europe. Since Mexico didn’t have money, the
European nations decided to send ships to Veracruz to forcibly take imported goods from
ships that were coming into Mexico. However, by April 11, 1862, after realizing France's
intent to actually invade and take over Mexico, England and Spain withdrew their support
of the any further looting of Mexican goods, and they brought their ships and armies back
home to Europe, satisfied with the goods they had taken up to that point.
Meanwhile, in Mexico City, President Juárez (the first non-white to be elected president,
a full-blooded Zapotec Indian, and a lawyer who had studied to become a priest), was
taking countermeasures against the French invasion: "The Imperialists will not succeed in
subduing the Mexicans, and the French armies will not have a single day of peace... we
must stop them, not only for our country but for the respect of the independence of all the
American nations.” Juarez organized the Mexican army to fight the French.
After reinforcements arrived from France, a French force of seven thousand soldiers set
out on the 225-mile route from Veracruz to Mexico City in early April. General Latrille,
commanding the French troops, was under the illusion that most of the Mexican people
would welcome them. He assumed that only the poor, uneducated, powerless Indian
Mexicans supported Juarez. This belief was created by Juan N. Almonte, a Mexican
conservative, and by Count Dubois du Saligny, the French ambassador to Mexico
appointed by Napoleon. They assured Latrille that he would be victorious without a fight.
President Juarez, however, had other ideas, and he commanded General Ignacio
Zaragoza to block the advance of the French army with 2,000 soldiers based at two forts
in the hills outside the city of Puebla, a town halfway between Veracruz on the coast, and
the capital, Mexico City, in the center of the country.
President Juarez assigned the defense of Puebla to General Ignacio Zaragoza.

Encountering fierce and unexpected opposition on May 5, 1862, Latrille attacked
carelessly, without a real plan, and within two hours, the French had expended half of
their ammunition. The decisive action of the day was carried out by Zaragoza’s brilliant
young Brigadier General Porfirio Diaz, who later that afternoon repelled a determined
French army. The invaders retreated in profound humiliation to recover from their
wounds in the nearby town of Orizaba.
This is how May 5 —Cinco de Mayo— would be added to the national calendar of
holidays! On May 5th, 1862, before the day was over, one Mexican fort was in ruins, but
more than 1,000 French soldiers were dead, something that the French never imagined
could happen to them. The Mexicans had won that battle.
Sadly, however, this did not mean that the Mexicans won the war. Eventually, the French
were successful at driving Juarez and his armies out of Mexico City. Nevertheless, this
date was established as symbolic of the Mexicans' courage against a formidable army.
The French, after one year of preparation, re-attacked Puebla successfully and made their
way to Mexico City. In April, 1864, Maximilian of Habsburg was named Emperor of
Mexico, at the invitation of members of the conservative Club de Notables, led by
Miguel Gutierrez Estrada and the Catholic church’s Father Francisco Javier
Miranda. Even though Maximilian was not a complete monster and did things that the
rich conservatives and church clergy didn’t like (declared free press (newspaper
freedom), freed the Indian slaves, proclaimed general amnesty (forgiveness) for many
political prisoners, wore regional costumes of the common people, ate local food, and
suggested that many priests he met should learn about real Christian charity), he did sign
the October decree in 1865 by which the death penalty was made mandatory for all
captured Juarista soldiers, as well as President Juarez, who was hiding in the hills with
his troops. Their execution was to be carried out within 24 hours of their capture.
These Juaristas, led by Juárez, did not quietly accept the foreign intervention. They went
north and requested assistance from the Californians and other Mexican-American
societies to help them with volunteers and financial support. Even though Americans
were living alongside Mexicans in what used to be Mexican territory and what was now
the US, they tended to favor Juarez because Americans hated the European imperialists
who wanted to regain their power in the “New World” as they used to have it in the 1600s
and 1700s, in the colonial era. Many of these American people were successful ranchers
and farmers and donated generously to Juarez’s fight against the French, with money,
materials, and even their own military service. Finally, Maximilian realized that he was in
trouble.
In 1867, the French emperor withdrew his soldiers from Mexico because he needed them
to fight wars in Europe. Maximilian sent his wife, Charlotte, to France to beg the French
monarch for help, but he told her that her husband would have to fend for himself at this
point. She is believed to have gone crazy from her fruitless effort. Maximilian was
overthrown and captured on May 15, 1867, tried by court martial, and executed by firing
squad on June 19 at the Cerro de las Campañas along with his generals, Miguel
Miramón and Tomás Mejía.
Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican national holiday. The battlefield is now a park in Puebla
with a statue of General Zaragoza riding horseback.
Cinco de Mayo Questions Name_____________________________

Date_________________________
Class_________________________
Circle the best answer, based on the information given above. [7 points each]
1. What did President Benito Juarez decide to do about the money his country owed
England, France, and Spain?
a. He decided to pay it back immediately.
b. He decided not to pay it back.
c. He told the countries to borrow from the Mexican port of Veracruz.
d. He borrowed money from Queen Isabela II of Spain.
2. What did England, France and Spain decide to do in 1861 in order to collect money that
was owed to them by Mexico?
a. They declared war on Mexico.
b. They destroyed Mexican ships in Veracruz so that Mexicans couldn’t trade goods.
c. They replaced Mexico’s government with a European king.
d. They went to Veracruz to take imported goods from any incoming ships.
3. What did France do after the English and Spanish left Mexico?
a. It decided to take over Mexico
b. It decided to march to Spain and Britain.
c. It decided to withdraw immediately.
d. It decided to attack the local priests of Puebla.
4. What kind of reception did the French general expect to get in Mexico?
a. Cold
b. Angry
c. Warm
d. Frightened
5. Whom did President Juarez appoint to fight the French in Puebla?

a. General Latrille
b. General Diaz
c. General Zaragoza
d. General Te Deum
6. What happened to the French on May 5, 1862?

a. They lost a battle in Mexico City due to poor planning.
b. They beat General Zaragoza.
c. They surrendered to General Diaz.
d. They did badly fighting the Mexicans in Puebla.
7. Who helped General Zaragoza in the fight against the French?

a. General Latrillle
b. General Diaz
c. General Crimea
d. General Orizaba
8. Where did the French go to recover their strength right after they were defeated in
Puebla?
a. Mexico City
b. France
c. Orizaba
d. Ciudad Porfirio Diaz
9. Which Mexicans wanted Maximilian to become emperor of Mexico?

a. Left-wingers
b. Right-wingers and priests
c. Right-wingers and French political prisoners
d. Right-wingers and left-wingers
10. What human rights did Maximilian guarantee the Mexicans?

a. The right to print newspapers
b. The right to work
c. The right to bear arms
d. The right to own Indian slaves
11. Why was Maximilian’s regime in trouble in 1867?

a. The French army went back home to France.
b. The Mexican priests stopped supporting him.
c. His wife divorced him.
d. Napoleon forced him to give up his throne in Mexico.
12. Who did Maximilian send to Europe to get help for his regime in 1867?
a. Benito Juarez
b. A group of conservatives and church members
c. General Latrille
d. His wife
13. What punishment did Juarez dole out to Maximilian?

a. Juarez expelled him from Mexico.
b. Juarez granted him clemency after world leaders begged for mercy.
c. Juarez had him killed
d. Juarez put him in prison for the rest of his life.
14. Maximilian’s reign as emperor of Mexico lasted about

a. one year b. two years c. three years d. four years e. five years

Cinco de Mayo

Încărcat de

Informații document

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Cinco de Mayo

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Cinco de Mayo (reading and quiz) Página 1 de 7

The 5th of May is celebrated by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans to commemorate the

President Juarez assigned the defense of Puebla to General Ignacio Zaragoza.

Cinco de Mayo Questions Name_____________________________

5. Whom did President Juarez appoint to fight the French in Puebla?

6. What happened to the French on May 5, 1862?

7. Who helped General Zaragoza in the fight against the French?

9. Which Mexicans wanted Maximilian to become emperor of Mexico?

10. What human rights did Maximilian guarantee the Mexicans?

11. Why was Maximilian’s regime in trouble in 1867?

13. What punishment did Juarez dole out to Maximilian?

14. Maximilian’s reign as emperor of Mexico lasted about

S-ar putea să vă placă și