It is Tequila and Mini-Sombreros Day in America, hooray! It always seems like Cinco de Mayo should be Mexican Independence Day -- dressing to match a national flag and getting wasted on a holiday named after its date on the calendar is how independence days are done, right? But today is actually the day when much of the United States unwittingly celebrates a Mexican military victory in 1862 over the asshole French army of Napoleon III that was in the process of trying to swoop in for some colonial sloppy seconds and take over the country (which they did, briefly). How did this become an American holiday?
I think French bashing goes back to the Hundred Years War (Dutch bashing dates to the Anglo-Dutch wars), and a rivalry that only ended in the 19th Century (it really PO'd the Kaiser that his cousin Bertie preferred the French and Paris to the Germans -Prussians- and Berlin). The Brits were able to export this to the New World because the rivalry was carried on in the Americas, and provided the backdrop to some savage warfare in the colonies. That said, once the American colonists rose in rebellion, they turned to the only power that could (or would) help. For the original issue, I myself find the claims of an English king to the throne of France to be absurd, but of course, the nation-state that we know did not yet exist in a form we would recognize. So the Brits and French fought an pointless, bloody war that weakened both and contributed to the rise of the Habsburgs. Uh .... how did I get off on this?
To be serious on a Sunday morning, it is my personal theory the decline of the British nation had a great deal to do with (depending on how you count) a hundred years of constant war.
For generations the best and the brightest - and certainly the bravest - died around the globe to preserve the Empire. Then came the absolute horrors of WW I - more casualties (killed and wounded) in one day at the Somme than we lost in Viet Nam.
"A scrimmage in a Border Station-- "A canter down some dark defile-- "Two thousand pounds of education "Drops to a ten-rupee jezail--"
~ "Arithmetic on the Frontier," Kipling The Crammer's boast, the Squadron's pride, Shot like a rabbit in a ride!
On that tape: "“This is my sworn testimony. White Plains officers are coming in here to kill me.”
Much more to this story than meets the eye, no? And this may sound familiar, but nothing was done about it, until the victim's relatives made a stink. NOW, there's a grand jury looking into it.
I went for years repeating the comments from MST3K at what I thought were appropriate times. And before that confused people with my Firesign Theater quotes.
Almost exactly one year later - April 30, 1863 - a patrol of some 60 members of the French Foreign Legion found 2,000 Mexican soliders at Camarón. They were wiped out.
Every year the Legion remembers the date.
There are many snide remarks above about the French military. Anyone questioning their military heritage is forgetting it was the French navy that won the American Revolution for us. And the army took huge losses in WW I, among many other wars.
It's popular for some people to question their ability and courage. But the fact that many people do it doesn't make it correct.
"How did this become an American holiday?"
The <a href="http:\/\/liquor.com\/articles\/behind-the-drink-the-margarita\/" target="_blank">invention of the margarita</a> had a lot to do with it.
The important thing is Cinco de Mayo helps fill the gap between Presidents Day and Memorial Day. With global warming giving us an earlier start to the picnic season, we could use a good excuse to drink beer outside.
France actually won that war, just not that particular battle. (The emperor they installed to rule Mexico would be overthrown a few years later, though.)
I think French bashing goes back to the Hundred Years War (Dutch bashing dates to the Anglo-Dutch wars), and a rivalry that only ended in the 19th Century (it really PO&#039;d the Kaiser that his cousin Bertie preferred the French and Paris to the Germans -Prussians- and Berlin). The Brits were able to export this to the New World because the rivalry was carried on in the Americas, and provided the backdrop to some savage warfare in the colonies. That said, once the American colonists rose in rebellion, they turned to the only power that could (or would) help. For the original issue, I myself find the claims of an English king to the throne of France to be absurd, but of course, the nation-state that we know did not yet exist in a form we would recognize. So the Brits and French fought an pointless, bloody war that weakened both and contributed to the rise of the Habsburgs. Uh .... how did I get off on this?
Thank you! You made my point better than I did.
To be serious on a Sunday morning, it is my personal theory the decline of the British nation had a great deal to do with (depending on how you count) a hundred years of constant war.
For generations the best and the brightest - and certainly the bravest - died around the globe to preserve the Empire. Then came the absolute horrors of WW I - more casualties (killed and wounded) in one day at the Somme than we lost in Viet Nam.
&quot;A scrimmage in a Border Station-- &quot;A canter down some dark defile-- &quot;Two thousand pounds of education &quot;Drops to a ten-rupee jezail--&quot;
~ &quot;Arithmetic on the Frontier,&quot; Kipling The Crammer&#039;s boast, the Squadron&#039;s pride, Shot like a rabbit in a ride!
I believe you are correct. I heard secondhand a NYT account that the celebration started to raise money to continue the war.
As always, the Yankees are 1 or 2 games ahead in the standings.
On that tape: &quot;&ldquo;This is my sworn testimony. White Plains officers are coming in here to kill me.&rdquo;
Much more to this story than meets the eye, no? And this may sound familiar, but nothing was done about it, until the victim&#039;s relatives made a stink. NOW, there&#039;s a grand jury looking into it.
Sure ... ever hear of Africa? Even Sarah knows about that one.
⬠I&#039;m starting to like this woman.
On the other hand, <a href="http://contest.newyorker.co..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://contest.newyorker.com/CaptionContest.aspx?...">http://contest.newyorker.co...
I went for years repeating the comments from MST3K at what I thought were appropriate times. And before that confused people with my Firesign Theater quotes.
Great neat but I like it with Coke.
Almost exactly one year later - April 30, 1863 - a patrol of some 60 members of the French Foreign Legion found 2,000 Mexican soliders at Camar&oacute;n. They were wiped out.
Every year the Legion remembers the date.
There are many snide remarks above about the French military. Anyone questioning their military heritage is forgetting it was the French navy that won the American Revolution for us. And the army took huge losses in WW I, among many other wars.
It&#039;s popular for some people to question their ability and courage. But the fact that many people do it doesn&#039;t make it correct.
&quot;How did this become an American holiday?&quot;
The <a href="http:\/\/liquor.com\/articles\/behind-the-drink-the-margarita\/" target="_blank">invention of the margarita</a> had a lot to do with it.
The important thing is Cinco de Mayo helps fill the gap between Presidents Day and Memorial Day. With global warming giving us an earlier start to the picnic season, we could use a good excuse to drink beer outside.
Poor Mexico! So far from God, so close to the United States.
Jaime Hernandez?
France actually won that war, just not that particular battle. (The emperor they installed to rule Mexico would be overthrown a few years later, though.)