LESSON 1 Educational programs for the Lincoln Bicentennial are generously supported by JPMorgan Chase Foundation and the Guild of the Chicago Historical Society. Meet Benito Juárez BACKGROUND INFORMATION The early years From his humble childhood to the presidency of Mexico, the story of Benito Juárez (1806–72) is legendary. Born on March 21, 1806, Juárez was raised in a small Zapotec village in the rural state of Oaxaca. At age twelve, he left home for Oaxaca City, where he studied with a Franciscan Friar. Juárez graduated from the seminary but chose to pursue law instead. He won election to the Oaxaca City town council in 1831 and later served as a federal judge. In 1843, he married Margarita Maza, the daughter of a wealthy Oaxacan family, which enhanced his local status. His political views were profoundly influenced by the ideals of the European Enlightenment, particularly principles of human rights, equality, the rule of law, and self-government. The U.S.–Mexican War leads to revolt and exile for Juárez In 1847, Juárez was appointed governor of Oaxaca. He established a reputation for honesty and efficiency, but his liberal views were at odds with the ruling Conservative Party. During the U.S.–Mexican War (1846–48), Governor Juárez refused to provide a safe haven for General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the corrupt, dictatorial Mexican president. Santa Anna eventually lost the war and signed a controversial peace treaty that ceded a vast amount of Mexican territory to the United States. In 1853, he arrested Juárez and other • Benito Juárez, 1968 Painted by Jorge Gonzalez Camarena Oil on canvas • Analysis worksheet FEATURED RESOURCES Copies of these materials are provided at the end of the lesson. e portrait of Benito Juárez is used with the permission of Museo Nacional de Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. ILLINOIS STATE LEARNING STANDARDS English Language Arts Goal 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes. Goal 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations. Goal 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess, and communicate information. Social Science Goal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations. The background information continues on page 2. e exhibition Benito Juárez and the Making of Modern Mexico is co-curated by the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Transcript
LESSON 1
Educational programs for the Lincoln Bicentennial are generously supported by JPMorgan Chase Foundation and the Guild of the Chicago Historical Society.
Meet Benito Juárez
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The early yearsFrom his humble childhood to the presidency of Mexico, the story of Benito Juárez (1806–72) is legendary. Born on March 21, 1806, Juárez was raised in a small Zapotec village in the rural state of Oaxaca. At age twelve, he left home for Oaxaca City, where he studied with a Franciscan Friar. Juárez graduated from the seminary but chose to pursue law instead. He won election to the Oaxaca City town council in 1831 and later served as a federal judge. In 1843, he married Margarita Maza, the daughter of a wealthy Oaxacan family, which enhanced his local status. His political views were profoundly infl uenced by the ideals of the European Enlightenment, particularly principles of human rights, equality, the rule of law, and self-government.
The U.S.–Mexican War leads to revolt and exile for JuárezIn 1847, Juárez was appointed governor of Oaxaca. He established a reputation for honesty and effi ciency, but his liberal views were at odds with the ruling Conservative Party. During the U.S.–Mexican War (1846–48), Governor Juárez refused to provide a safe haven for General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the corrupt, dictatorial Mexican president. Santa Anna eventually lost the war and signed a controversial peace treaty that ceded a vast amount of Mexican territory to the United States. In 1853, he arrested Juárez and other
• Benito Juárez, 1968Painted by Jorge Gonzalez CamarenaOil on canvas
• Analysis worksheet
FEATURED RESOURCES
Copies of these materials are provided at the end of the lesson. Th e portrait of Benito Juárez is used with the permission of Museo Nacional de Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
ILLINOIS STATE LEARNING STANDARDSEnglish Language ArtsGoal 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
Goal 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
Goal 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess, and communicate information.
Social ScienceGoal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations.
The background information continues on page 2.
Th e exhibition Benito Juárez and the Making of Modern Mexico is co-curated by the National Museum of Mexican Art.
2 www.chicagohistory.org/education
Meet Benito Juárez
BACKGROUND INFORMATION (continued)
liberals and sent them into exile. Juárez spent his time in exile in Cuba and New Orleans, planning to overthrow Santa Anna. In 1855, Juárez and his supporters snuck back into Mexico and started a revolt. Within a month, Santa Anna lost his supporters and fl ed Mexico.
Juárez becomes president during the War of the ReformAfter ousting Santa Anna, the Liberals worked quickly to install a new president, Ignacio Comonfort, and draft a new constitution. As secretary of justice, Juárez played a leading role in writing the constitution, which separated church and state and established equality before the law. Completed in 1857, the revolutionary document was met with much resistance. Mexico soon divided into two opposing governments—the Liberals and the Conservatives—and a bitter three-year confl ict, known as the War of the Reform, ensued. When Comonfort resigned in November 1857, Juárez assumed the presidency. With the Conservatives holding Mexico City, Juárez became a mobile president, governing from a small, horse-drawn carriage as he traveled throughout the country. Juárez ultimately led the Liberals to victory.
War continues during the French InterventionThe War of the Reform left Mexico deeply in debt to its European creditors, particularly France. After the war ended, France tried to collect the money it was owed. Mexico could not pay its debt, so Napoleon III installed his own monarchs in Mexico City in 1862. Conservatives supported the new monarchy as a way to defeat the Liberals. Juárez and his supporters refused to accept French occupation and remained in the countryside, building their resistance efforts. After a series of military defeats and growing problems at home, Napoleon withdrew his forces in 1867.
President Juárez in Mexico CityWith the French in retreat, Juárez fi nally took his rightful place as president in Mexico City. He began to implement a set of liberal policies that established the rule of law and eliminated special privileges for the clergy and military. These and other reforms, collectively known as La Reforma, had revolutionary consequences for all Mexicans and solidifi ed the country’s transformation into a modern nation. Although he was regarded as a hero for his victory over the French, Juárez’s fi nal years in offi ce were not trouble-free. He faced growing criticism from fellow Liberals, largely due to his consolidation of power, a direct contradiction of republican ideals.
Juárez’s enduring legacyJuárez died in offi ce in 1872 and immediately came to symbolize the Republic. Even his opponents quickly aligned themselves with his ideals and accomplishments. His name and image are frequently seen in Mexico, where he is considered a national hero, and found in Mexican communities throughout the United States. With approximately 1.3 million individuals of Mexican descent living in the Chicago metropolitan area, it is no surprise to fi nd a Chicago Public High School named after him, a statue honoring him on Michigan Avenue, and his likeness painted on murals throughout the city.
3 www.chicagohistory.org/education
Meet Benito Juárez
PRIMARY SOURCE: DESCRIPTION AND SUGGESTED ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
Portrait of Benito Juárez, 1968Artist Jorge Gonzalez Camarena (1908–80) is well known for his romantic and patriotic depictions of Mexican history and cultural allegories. Camarena and other muralists portrayed idealistic visions of ancient indigenous life and working-class people that greatly infl uenced the way Mexican society understood its past. This painting shows Juárez as a dignifi ed and powerful indigenous leader of the Republic. It includes many of the emblematic symbols associated with his life, such as:
• The papers in Juárez’s right hand represent the La Reforma, the reform laws he helped establish in Mexico. The shape of the papers is echoed in the fl ag, represented in a sort of tower shape, behind Juárez.
• The tips of swords and spears that appear in various parts of the painting are references to battles and the continuous fi ght for justice to which Juárez devoted his life.
• In his left hand, Juárez holds the 1857 constitution, which is considered his greatest achievement and almost always appears in representations of him or his life.
• The suit and bow tie Juárez wears are symbols of his role as a citizen carrying out his duty for the Republic. Unlike his predecessors and many of his opponents, Juárez never wore a military uniform or royal clothing.
• The architectural elements at the bottom of the painting represent the people and the society of Mexico; the towns, villages, and cities from north to south.
Suggested analysis questions • Discuss the symbols of the portrait. If students were
painting this portrait, what other ways might they represent these ideas and events?
• Imagine this painting hanging on a wall. What caption should appear beneath it?
Use the worksheet (provided at the end of the lesson) to introduce your students to the portrait of Juárez. The questions below are provided for a more in-depth analysis.
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Meet Benito Juárez
SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY
Adapt the activity to meet the needs of your students. Feel free to duplicate these materials and share them with other educators.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
This activity is best completed over two class periods.
Day 1: Using the background information, introduce students to Benito Juárez. Distribute copies of the portrait and the analysis worksheet. If needed, explain that a portrait is a likeness of a person, especially one showing the face, created by a painter or a photographer. Allow time to complete the worksheet as individuals or in small groups. Afterward, discuss the portrait and what it reveals about Juárez. Ask students to make a list of words and descriptive phrases that they associate with Juárez’s beliefs and career.
Day 2: Challenge students to create their own Juárez portrait, depicting him at one period (or role) in his life and expressing the qualities from the list made on Day 1. Assign (or have students choose) the period or role of Juárez’s life to depict. Draw on the background information as well as the details below to create portraits.
• Life in exile/planning revolt: While in exile in New Orleans, Juárez enjoyed fi shing and worked in a cigar factory to earn a living.
• Mobile president: Juárez governed from his carriage during the civil war and the French Intervention. During this time, Juárez’s government hid Mexico’s national archives in a cave in Durango. Juárez carried a small portrait of his wife with him during the many years he spent governing on the run.
• Family man: Juárez and his wife, Margarita Maza, had three daughters: Manuela, Felícitas, and María de Jesús. Unlike Mexican leaders before him, President Juárez refused to take up residence in the lavish Chapultepec Castle. His notions of civil service to the Republic led him and his family to take up residence in the far more modest living quarters within the National Palace.
• Legend: In 1906, the Mexican government marked the 100th anniversary of Juárez’s birth by issuing commemorative coins and publications. The centennial provided inspiration for many artistic tributes throughout the country. Today, Juárez is widely regarded as a national hero.
Alternative strategy: Instead of drawing portraits, students can create living portraits, where they pose as Juárez. Their portraits (whether drawn or posed) should include props and symbols that best express Juárez during that time of his life.
5 www.chicagohistory.org/education
Meet Benito Juárez
LISTENING TO HISTORY
EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Road to Reform history soundscape
Available at http://www.chicagohistory.org/lincolnjuarezaudio
This short audio fi le suggests the confl ict and warfare that marked Juárez’s career and that kept him on the move as a mobile president for many years. You may play the soundscape at the start of the lesson to set the mood or prior to journal writing to inspire students’ entries.
My Portrait
Challenge students to represent themselves in a portrait. As they plan their portraits, remind them to consider setting, dress, personal belongings, and other props to express their personality, interests, and other information they want to convey to viewers. Portraits can be drawn or students can use cameras to take one another’s photographs.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
Option 1: Portraits are created to communicate without words. In your opinion, are pictures, specifi cally portraits, “worth a thousand words”? Why or why not?
Option 2: If you could meet Juárez, what three questions would you ask him? Why did you choose these questions?
Benito Juárez, 1968Painted by Jorge Gonzalez Camarena (oil on canvas)Reproduced with the permission of Museo Nacional de Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec, Consejo
Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
Meet Benito Juárez
NAME:
SOURCE:
www.chicagohistory.org
Analysis Worksheet
1. Describe the source you are analyzing. What is it? When and where was it produced and by whom?
2. Examine it closely. What do you discover? List its powerful qualities, including colors, objects, fi gures, or words.
3. What message(s) is this source promoting? How?
4. Who is the intended audience?
5. What does this source tell you about life in Mexico?
6. On a scale of 1 to 10, rank the truth or accuracy of this source (1 is not reliable, 10 is very reliable). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (not reliable) (very reliable)
