Learn about the connection between these two important events.
Fandango at the Village from William V. Wells, The Quicksilver Mines of New Almaden, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume XXVII, Internet Archive
In this educational and fun presentation, you will learn about the French Emperor, Napoleon III’s ambition to expand French influence in the West by toppling the government of Mexico and replacing it with a puppet regime–all during the backdrop of the American Civil War. The struggle between the French and Mexican forces helped influence the outcome of the Civil War and forged Cinco de Mayo–one of America’s most popular, but least understood celebrations.
Brad Stone served with the federal government as a senior public relations executive dealing with a wide variety of public health issues. He led the public relations operations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). He currently combines his interest in the Civil War and medical history by volunteering as a docent on a regular basis at both the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, MD and aboard the USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor. He has given presentations on a variety of Civil War topics at a number of institutions including the Gettysburg Heritage Center and the U.S. Navy Museum at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC. He also appeared on C-SPAN3 American History TV talking about the Civil War’s impact on shaping the modern American Christmas holiday.