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 Editorials | May 2008 
Cinco de Mayo is Important to All of Us
 Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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 |  | Cinco de Mayo represents an important celebration of freedom for America's neighbor to the south. And when the holiday arrives Monday, it is one in which freedom-loving people in this country should join in celebrating. |  | | | |
Cinco de Mayo is an important holiday in Mexico, but it's also significant to the rest of North America and non-Hispanic Americans.
The name of the holiday is Spanish for the date - the fifth of May - one of the greatest military victories in Mexico's history. The Mexican army defeated a much larger and better-armed army from France on May 5, 1862 at the Battle of Puebla.
French Emperor Napoleon III withdrew his troops and went back across the Atlantic Ocean after the stunning defeat. However, it was not the end of the conflict.
Napoleon III returned a year later and took control of Mexico City. A French-supported government was established, but it fell a few years later, and the French left Mexico for good.
What is the significance to Americans of the Battle of Puebla?
First, it marked the beginning of the end of European presence in North America. Cinco de Mayo represents a milestone of independence and self-rule in the continent.
But a more significant reason was related to the American Civil War, which was raging in 1862 at the time of the Battle of Puebla.
France was sympathetic to the Confederate States of America. If it were not for the battle, Napoleon III and his nation could have been a strong supply ally of the Confederate government - much in the way France was a key ally against Britain in America's fight for independence almost a century earlier.
As it was, the French army was busy with its own military matters and was much less involved in the Civil War than it otherwise might have been. Napoleon III was preparing for another invasion of Mexico and the subsequent military campaign there.
Some people mistakenly believe Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexico's independence. That historic event occurred on Sept. 15, 1810, when Mexico declared its independence from Spain.
However, Cinco de Mayo represents another important celebration of freedom for America's neighbor to the south. And when the holiday arrives Monday, it is one in which freedom-loving people in this country should join in celebrating. |
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