Feministas

List of Feministas:

• Fannie Lou Hamer
• Teresa Urrea
• Toypurina
  
• Ida B. Wells
• Josefa Loaiza
  
• Sojourner Truth
• Mary Ellen Pleasant
• Assata Shakur
• Madam C.J. Walker
• Biddy Mason
• indigenous women of Mesoamerica
  

Choose one of the feministas, or one of your own and blog about what impressed you most about this strong woman. What characteristics did/does she have that you would like to emulate? Does any of her life story relate to your own? If so, in what ways?

Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Suffragist, Anti-Lynching Activist, Women's Rights Advocate

Having read the biography of Ida, what do you think she means by the following quote: "One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap"? How does this advice apply to your own life, or the way you live your life?

Fannie Lou Hamer

Choose one of the four quotes from the Hamer reading and talk about what it means to you. Don't forget to include the historical relevance of the quote when you're explaining it!

"I am sick and tired of being sick and tired"

"If the white man gives you anything-just remember when he gets ready he will take it right back. We have to take it for ourselves"

"Nobody's free until everybody's free"

"What was the point of being scared? The only thing they could do to me was kill me and it seemed like they'd been trying to do that a little bit at a time ever since I could remember"

Manifest Destiny

Take out your notes on Manifest Destiny and review the definition. How does this picture represent this concept/idea? What do you think the different images symbolize? What about the colors used in different parts of the painting? What type of person painted this picture and for what audience? Make sure you explain/give evidence for each of your responses!

The San Patricios!!

"The San Patricios," a notable arm of the Mexican Army during the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848

Dubious about why they were fighting a Catholic country and fed up with mistreatment by their Anglo-Protestant officers, hundreds of Irish, German and other immigrants deserted Taylor's army and joined forces with Mexico.

Led by Capt. John Riley of Co. Galway, they called themselves the St. Patrick's Battalion (in Spanish, the San Patricios) and fought against their former comrades in all the major campaigns of the war.

The history of the San Patricios is a woeful tale of angry, bewildered, naive, or calculating young men, from varied backgrounds, who deserted for a myriad of reasons and paid a fearful price.

The San Patricios, in the words of one Mexican general, "deserved the highest praise, because they fought with daring bravery." But eventually, Mexico surrendered, ceding almost half its territory to the United States.

Each San Patricio who deserted from the US side was interned after the war in Mexico and subsequently given an individual court-martial trial. Many of the Irish were set free, but some paid the ultimate price. Roughly half of the San Patricio defectors who were executed by the US for desertion were Irish.

There are ceremonies there twice a year, on September 12 which is the anniversary of the executions, and on Saint Patrick's Day.
It also clarifies the reasons for the war, and the active participation of immigrant people (most notably Irish but also Scots and Germans) who joined the Mexican side and paid for that decision with their lives.

Heroes
The Saint Patrick's Battalion in the US-Mexican War, has placed the Irish as a revered race in Mexico; even to this day, an Irish person in Mexico will be told a countless number of times about the famous 'Irish Martyrs' who defected from the US Army and gave their lives trying to save Mexico from US aggression from 1846-1848.

A main reason for their hero status in Mexico is derived from their exemplary performance in the battlefield. The San Patricios ultimately suffered severe casualties at the famous battle at Churubusco, which is considered the Waterloo for the Mexican Army in this war. Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who also commanded the armed forces, stated afterwards that if he had commanded a few hundred more men like the San Patricios, Mexico would have won that ill-famed battle.

The importance of these Irish renegades has not waned in Mexico over the years. In 1959, the Mexican government dedicated a commemorative plaque to the San Patricios across from San Jacinto Plaza in the Mexico City suburb of San Angel; it lists the names of all members of the battalion who lost their lives fighting for Mexico, either in battle or by execution.

A major celebration was held there in 1983, when the Mexican government authorized a special commemorative medallion honouring the San Patricios. First there was a special mass at a nearby parish, then school children placed floral wreaths at the plaque; the Mexico City Symphony played the national anthems of both Mexico and Ireland; Mexican officials eulogized the Irish Martyrs, and a few words were spoken by Irish Ambassador Tadgh O'Sullivan.

Beginning in 1993, the Irish began their own annual ceremony in Clifden, Co. Galway, John Riley's hometown.

While the brave soldiers of Saint Patrick's Battalion are not particularly well-known outside Mexico, it is clear that their god-like status in Mexico is enough to compensate for the attention they failed to receive in other countries. There is still a fond memory of "Los Colorados" the red-headed Irishmen who gave their lives in the struggle for Mexican sovereignty.

Kumeyaay Powerpoint

Kumeyaay Indians -