On September 16th, 1810, Miguel
Hidalgo y Costilla issued a revolutionary tract, known as "The Crying of
Dolores". This tract was issued to
rid of Spain's 300 year rule over Mexico, redistribute land, as well as fix
inequality problems which had to do with race. When Napoleon occupied Spain and revolts broke
out across Spanish America, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla used the "Cry of
Dolores" to launch a Mexican rebellion. But in January, 1811, he was defeated at
Calderón and fled to the North, only to be captured and executed. In 1820, the Liberals took power in Spain and
the Royalists brought about independence. Austín de Interbide responded to this
in early 1831 by negotiating the Plan of Iguala, which ensured that Mexicans of
Spanish decent were to be equal to pure Spaniards. Upon defeating the Royalist forces, Iturbide
was eventually proclaimed as the emperor of Mexico in 1822, but was forced out
of this position in 1823 when republican leaders set up a republic for Mexico. Within this rebellion, race played a
significant role. It was part of the cause of the revolution, as it was in the
"Crying of Dolores", and it was also a major part of the Plan of
Iguala. Overall, race was a component
which aided in causing the revolutions, as it was the revolutionaries' goals to
change it and create a more equal society.
Even today national identity and
politics are affected by race. Examples of
this are the riots happening in Ferguson, Missouri. When a police officer shot an 18 year old
African American boy, it was questioned whether or not it was really because
the officer was trying to enforce the law and protect people, or if the officer
just shot him to be racist. A trial
happened and the officer was not to be punished for what he did, but the other
citizens of Ferguson strongly disagreed. They were so upset that they started rioting,
burning cars, and destroying buildings. More
detail about the riots can be read in Mandy Gambrell's article, "Buildings
in Ferguson, Mo. burn as riots follow grand jury decision not to indict Ofc.
Darren Wilson". According to this time-line article, the riots were
extremely violent and destructive, and it claimed that "at least three
buildings were on fire". Personally
I feel bad for the people who work in these buildings and are now unemployed. I also feel that race is still affecting
national identity and politics, and these revolts gave me a good read on what
revolutions in Mexico during the 1800's could have been like. There are obviously many things that are
different, but the idea of people who feel as if their race is preventing them
from living equal lives revolting is somewhat similar. The article about the riots in Missouri and
the summary Mexican War of Independence both show this in similar ways, thus
supporting why I believe politics and identity are still affected by race
today.
Gambrell, Mandy. "Fires Destroy Ferguson Buildings; Rioters Loot." WXYZ. N.p., 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.
