Show ca ai fy 4 1411 1 1 11 X V w U ne 4 4 I 1 APRIL V t 4 r IV GW aa da 1 4 IW af 1 it was these same international politics wh ch arty sr Ty led eventually to april war episode whan woodrow wilson became president the war tarn iaru ident he ordered gen zachary taylor to cross under the rule ot of vie vic of mexico by ELMO SCOTT WATSON tile the deuces end and take ills his post at corpus ch rast republic was HAT lias been the most important month in american history lil story febra ary because tile two greatest americans washington and I 1 lincoln were burn born in that mouth month july because luly july 4 guve us tile the declaration ot of independence october because it brought to the shores of america a sailor named christopher columbus november ber because beeaks the world war came e it me to arr air end on november Noi ember 11 II all of these months and the events which took place in them are important imports afif of course e but if I 1 one were to single out ony any one month when the greatest number or of momentous events in Ainer fean history lil story took place that mouth month would have in tf hp be april for F r one thing the five of the 0 bit x major aars wars in which we have fou ghi began in april and i one of them ended in april tour four of atif our pr presidents Jef jefferson fersini monife buchanan and grant band and one of our greatest statesmen who just missed the presidency henry clay were born in april iwo of our Pro ts william henry flar harrlson and abraham lincoln died in april george washington hiir our first president was inaugurated in april and the united states flags lag as finally adopted was first F raised in april 1818 but the itie fact that every one of ct our important was wars except the war of 1812 begun tri in april would he enough if there were nothing als else to justify calling this the most anost momentous month in american history tle the first of these was wag tw to come cebe in 1775 1770 just before daybreak day brenk on the morn ing of april pill 19 16 a british expedition sent by general d gage gebo to selie seize the cannon and military stores collected collect I 1 at concord by tile the Ws massachusetts c hu etoff patriots i fi appeared in lext lexington n and gal there i ere found a A party of sixty or seventy minute men alen commanded hy by capt jolin john parker then followed major pit cairns historic disperse ye rebels I 1 the reft refusal isal 0 otille ot ille the minute men too few to resist too brave to fly 1 to obey the fatal order of 1 I irel firel from pit 4 aims lips and blie fall of seven patr patriots lot ihen on to concord Coi icord tite the british BrIt IsIf went tind and at that rude bridge which arched the flood was firel the shot heard round the world the american itea alution had begun on ari an april morning the next april episode in history came in a war w ar r which was vas an Aine american rican war and yet wag not an american war jn in 1830 american settlers in texas were wera figh fighting fing to throw ort olt tho the yonn yoke of mexico ju just t as their fathers had find fought to throw on the yoke oke of E Un gland in starch if 11 little less ess than chaa TO 70 years afat r a similar document hall had been proclaimed in the texans issued their own declaration decla r aaion of antl independence depend en ce and the wash ington who was called to make that declaration good hy fighting for it was another virginian len gen sam Ho houston on april 21 1836 he made it good hy by defeating the tex tvan army under tinder canth anna at the battle of jacinto so the Ite public of texas came callie into existence to hive have a troubled career for the next eight years cars und and then to be annexed by the e ll 11 united n te stales e in 1845 and ami to anlo enter the union n a as s a s state tat e 1 in ii dee december niber of tint that borin when lien tetia came into the union she brought trouble with her not only another abnot her element in tile the slavery problem which was already b bv inning ginning to divide alie nation hut but also trouble in tit th form of a boundary dispute with abell a di dispute which wl cl the united stotts states immediately inherited texas said eald that tier her western boundary was the illo grande mexico said it avs the left bank of tile the nieces nueces river when jamet fc bollt become pies within the disputed territory in january 1840 taylor was ordered to continue to the rio hlo grande which the general did nud and on its banks built fort brown opposite matamoros Mata morns thereupon there u general tile the mexican alex ican commander fon informed taylor that lie he considered tits his advance an act of war and demanded that tic he retreat beyond the nueces nieces taylor refused to move general arista Ampudi as successor then crossed the river raver and on april 24 1848 1840 surprised and captured a small party of oc american troops killing and wounding sixteen although the boffl caal declaration of war did not come until slay alay 11 that bloodshed on april 24 started the war which resul resulted tea in adding to american territory the vast stretches or oc tile great southwest but the acquisition of 0 this territory also in intensified fied file he dispute over slavery which led at a t last lait to the secession of eleven states and tile the formation of tile lie confederate states of america the war clouds were gathering fast when abraham Abra haai alln lincoln oln was inaugurated president hut but tile the storm did not break until april 1801 at daybreak on the morning of april 12 the confederate batteries opened fire on fort sumter in the harbor of charleston S C and tile the first shell which went screaming across the water was the herald of the greatest civil war in history it lasted four years and again april the april of 1805 was a momentous month in american history big events began happening tile the very first day general sheridan captured five forks and took nearly prisoners the capture ot of that town cut olt off the line of supply for general lee iee the confederate commander in chief at petersburg lie vp up petersburg and aid to do that meant the fall of nichi richmond nond on april ap all 8 2 general grant ordered a final assault on petersburg it was gallantly defended but the defense was hopeless the end came six days litter inter ai at appomattox Appa mattox court couk ito house when lien lee surrendered to grant on A arll 14 1478 63 a great tragedy befell the amerlean american people both north and south abraham Abr allam lincoln was shot down by john willies wilkes booth and died the following morning april 15 thirty three years yeara later the war drums were again sounding bounding down in cuba there was a reb belll on against spanish rule which lind find been in progress for three years tile the united states government had find repeatedly protested to spain against tile the cruelties cruel ties with which its generals weri were e trying to suppress duppre ss tile the rebellion and against the losses to Amerl american can investors in cuba as a result of the insurrection then came tile the destruction of the battleship maine in havana harbor on tile the night of february 15 to set public Penti sentiment ment in the united states aflame during the next month tile the war aver clamor grew louder and president ale wriley kinley was forced nearer and nearer to war on april 11 SIc mckenley Kinley sent a special message to congress in which he be declared that in tile name jf humanity in tile the name or of civilization in behalf of endangered american interests which give us the right end and duty to speak and net act the war in cuba must stop step on aural 10 congress passed a joint resolution which stilted that the people of cuba sire are and of right ought to be tree free and independent it alint spain should at mice withdraw front from lubs cuba spain rejected this ultimatum nud on aril aarl congress formally declared war upon that r Ir tir olenn country the result was our var with its brilliant naval victories which put the united states in the front rank mrik of the naval powers of the world arid I 1 the accession of territory lo 10 1 the fur far east which bi ought jbf us into international politics toriano fluetta tile me american re le fused to recognize as the rightful mexican president ld ent although many americans americana believed it was time to go in and clean up mexico the prest dent decided that it a policy of watchful waiting was tile the best policy A crisis came in april 1014 1914 when home some sailors from tin an american battleship lauded at tile the wrong place in tampico to buy some gasoline and were arrested by the mexican authorities they were soon released tut the american admiral demanded that the mexicans apologize by saluting our flag aluerta refused this demand anil and by command of president wai son our naval forces seized the city of vera cruz after a fight in which both mexicans and americans were killed although this was ns ad an act of war president wilson decided that it was wag not war and through the mediation atlon of the A it 11 0 powers argentina Argent lna brazil and chile a settlement of the difficulty was effected soon afterwards Ilu aluerta erta fled the country and carranza became president president wilson immediately recognized carranza and this thili recognition infuriated anothy Alex mexican ican leader pancho villa who retaliated by raids across the border culminating in the famous ral raid dort on columbus N it AL on march 0 9 1910 1610 tills resulted in the punitive expedition led by yen gen john J pershing so april 1010 1016 seventy years after general taylor entered mexico american troops were again on mexican soil with hostile intent although pershing penetrated some miles into mexico lie he never succeeded in catching up with the elusive Pi poncho incho who slipped around his flank and made another quick dash across the border uy by january 1917 Ings force lied had withdrawn from mexico but by this time there was a great greater er crisis at hand unrestricted submarine warfare had brought the united states and germany to the verge of it a break ambassador gerard had been recalled from Ger germany ninny and the german ambassador count von bernstorff was handed tits his passports suspension of intercourse between the two aro nations made war all but inevitable finally on april 2 1017 1917 tile the next 9 great rent april episode in american history took place president wilson appeared before congress and rend read a message urging it to recognize the fact that a state of war with germany already existed we fight he said for the rights of nations great and small email and the privilege of men every where to tn choose their way of life and of obedience tile alie world must be made sate safe for democracy we have no selfish ends to serve we desire no conquest no dominion we are but one of the champions of tile the rights or of mankind wo we nil be satisfied when those rights have haie been made as secure ns the bolth and freedom of nations can niale nake them klicin to such a task we can ded tte t te our lives and our fortunes everything ever thing the we are and everything eer thing that we have with the pride of those who know that the day ties has come when america ts Is privileged to spend blood and tier her might forthe for alie principles that gave her larth and happiness and tile the peace which she has treasured 11 and so on another april tiny day america embarked upon the greatest war in which slie she had ever dought on oil april 0 1017 congress by a joint ie solution declared that tile the issue of war forced on the country by germany was accepted and to the bucce saul conduct of that war nil the resources sim rif of the united states of america were Vl edged pledged 0 by western newspaper uain uatha |