His name was Benito
Juarez, and his struggle for liberty was against the French invaders and
Maximilian, the puppet emperor, put by Louis Napoleon on the Mexican
throne. In the words of Shakespeare, "Thereby hangs a tale."
For many years after the Spanish colonies had won their independence the
nations of Europe looked upon them with a covetous eye. They would dearly
have liked to snap up some of these weak countries, which Spain had been
unable to hold, but the great republic of the United States stood as their
protector, and none of them felt it quite safe to step over that
threatening bar to ambition, the "Monroe Doctrine." "Hands off," said
Uncle Sam, and they obeyed, though much against their will.
In 1861 began a war in the United States which gave the people of that
country all they wanted to do. Here was the chance for Europe, and
Napoleon III., the usurper of France, took advantage of it to send an army
to Mexico and attempt the conquest of that country. It was the overweening
ambition of Louis Napoleon which led him on. It was his scheme to found an
empire in Mexico which, while having the name of being independent, would
be under the control of France and would shed glory on his reign.
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