[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 8418]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           CINCO DE MAYO 2004

  (Mr. RODRIGUEZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, today is Cinco de Mayo. We celebrate the 
tenacity and the perseverance of the untrained and outnumbered Mexican 
forces that successfully fought for independence against the 
sophisticated French Army of Maximilian in 1862.
  Across the Nation, we will be celebrating the turning points of this 
particular war as Mexican Americans in this country, and it is 
important for us to look at in this country the importance of this 
particular war to this country.
  The writings of Harry Carr in the 1930s talk about the fact that 
during that particular time in 1860, during our own Civil War in this 
country, Maximilian had gone into Mexico with the intent of not only 
taking Mexico but moving on to the north. We are pleased also to 
indicate for those of my colleagues in this country to also know that 
the one who won the battle in Puebla was a Texan, was Ignacio Zaragoza 
Seguin who came out of Goliad, Texas, and was able to be victorious 
there in that battle in Puebla.
  So as we celebrate the Cinco de Mayo, we are proud to have that 
interwoven with this country and Mexico.

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