Ana Betancourt (14 December 1832 – 7 February 1901) was a Cuban woman who took a leading role in the war of independence from Spain.[1] She is a national heroine in Cuba.
Ana Betancourt was born on 14 December 1832 in Camagüey, Cuba to a wealthy land owning family.[2] When she was 22, she was exposed to revolutionary ideas from her marriage to Ignacio Mora y de la Pera. He was extremely educated and strongly believed in independence.[2] During the first stage of revolutionary conflict in 1868 known as the Ten Years War, Betancourt turned her home into a command center, supplying rebels with supplies and helping spread propaganda. Weapons were hidden in the house and varying proclamations were written there.[3] Eventually, Spanish officers found Betancourt and she was forced to flee into the jungle. It was at this time she gave her famous speech at the Constitutional Assembly of Cuban patriots at Guáimaro in which she advocated for women having more freedoms in the new government.[4] Betancourt was becoming a well known Mambisa. It was at this time, she, along with her husband contributed to the newspaper, "The Mambí" which highlighted on the contributions of the Mambises in rural areas.
On 9 July 1871, she and her husband were taken by surprise by the Spanish forces. Utilizing quick thinking, Betancourt was able to save her husband but arthritis in her legs made it impossible to escape.[2] She was kept outdoors under a tree for three months until she escaped captivity in 1871.[2] She hid in Havana but was then exiled to Mexico. Betancourt then spent time in New York where she visited Ulysses Grant, to ask the US to pardon imprisoned Cuban medical students. She then lived in Jamaica, where in 1875 she heard that her husband had been executed.[2] Following her escape she never saw la Pera again. She was to return to Cuba following his death. She eventually left Cuba again, visiting New York and then settling in Spain. She transcribed her husband's war time journal and kept active correspondence with Cuban patriots up until her death.[2] At the age of 69 she was about to return to her native country but contracted fulminating bronchopneumonia and died before she could begin her journey. She died in 1901. Cuba was occupied by the US at time and her remains were unable to be sent to Cuba until 1978. She was then buried in the pantheon of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, in the Cemetery Colón in Havana.[2] After this honor, a mausoleum was erected for her in Guáimaro, the site of her famous speech.[2] She remains there to this day.
Mambisasedit
The first Cuban war of independence from Spain began in 1868. Women, known as Mambisas, played a significant role in the war in a variety of different ways. These women played active roles in the conflict as insurgents, nurses, and even officers in certain cases.[5] The mambisas supported the cause in more subtle ways as well. They fundraised for the Mambi and organized pro-independence groups while also acting as reporters and journalists.[5] They advocated for both independence as well as increased rights for women.[5] Betancourt is one of the most famous of the Mambisas. Other famous ones include, Melba Hernández, Haydeé Santamaria, Celia Sanchez Manduley, and many more.[2] All of these women helped move the revolution forward.
Speech at the Constituent Assembly of Guáimaroedit
The Speech at the Constituent Assembly of Guáimaro is one of the first pieces from Cuban feminists during the Cuban revolution.[6] Betancourt gave the speech to the leaders of the Cuban revolutionary when they were taking refuge in the jungles of Guáimaro from the Spanish military. In it, Betancourt looked at the issues of colonialism and slavery and linked them to the struggles of Cuban women.[6] She argued that Cuba had freed enslaved people and should now work to emancipate the woman, and lawmakers should make it a central focus when they create policies following the revolution.[7] Betancourt advocated for women's rights well up until her death.[7]
Commemorationsedit
She is commemorated in the modern Cuba by the Order of Ana Betancourt medal, awarded to Cuban women who "demonstrate revolutionary and internationalist merit and anti-imperialist fidelity and/or great merit in a field of work that contributes to the national interest." Originally this was the highest award of the Federation of Cuban Women, and the order was officially sanctioned in 1979 as a state award.[8] Notable recipients include the Palestinian poet May Sayegh.
In honor of all the work Ana Betancourt did for women, a series of schools have been created in her honor across Cuba.[9] The Ana Betancourt schools were established originally in the 1960s.[10] The school's purpose was to get rural girls up to a sixth grade education and had two coinciding goals. They wanted to both instill revolutionary ideals along with vocational skills, and provide opportunities for prostitutes and those employed in domestic service to join the work force.[10] In the beginning year alone over 6,000 rural girls were brought in for six month programs.[11] Looking towards post-revolutionary years, a number of Ana Betancourt Schools still exist in Cuba today and continue to serve communities of women in both urban and rural parts of Cuba.[7]
Referencesedit
Citationsedit
^K. Lynn Stoner; Luiś Hipólito Serrano Pérez, eds. (2000). Cuban and Cuban American women : an annotated bibliography (1st ed.). Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources. p. 9. ISBN0842026436.
^ abcdefghi"Ana Betancourt: An imperishable Cuban woman". Workers World. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
^Volo, Lorraine Bayard de (1 February 2018). Women and the Cuban Insurrection: How Gender Shaped Castro's Victory. Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-1-316-83609-5.
^Stoner, K. Lynn (1991). From the house to the streets : the Cuban woman's movement for legal reform, 1898-1940. Durham: Duke University Press. pp. 22–23. ISBN0822311496.
^ abcFerrer, Ada (2008). "Review of Mambisas: Rebel Women in Nineteenth-Century Cuba". NWIG: New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids. 82 (3/4): 293–295. ISSN 1382-2373. JSTOR 43390746.
^ abShaffer, Alysia (2017). What Women Want: Emancipation, Cuban Women, and the New Man Ideology (MA thesis). University of Toledo.
^ abcBoelts, Sarah (June 2021). "(Em)bodied Exiles in Contemporary Cuban Literature: Zoé Valdés and Mayra Montero" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
^Janda, Margaret Randall with photographs by Judy (1981). Women in Cuba : twenty years later. New York: Smyrna Press. p. 56. ISBN0918266149.
^ abVoices of Resistance: Testimonies of Cuban and Chilean Women (1 ed.). University Press of Kentucky. 1999. ISBN978-0-8131-2079-9. JSTOR j.ctt130hvk0.
^Chase, Michelle (1 January 2011). "The Country and the City in the Cuban Revolution" (PDF). Colombia Internacional. 73 (73): 121–142. doi:10.7440/colombiaint73.2011.06.
Sourcesedit
Mariano Jimenez II and Mariano G. Jiménez (September 2005). "Ana Betancourt en Patriotas Cubanas" (in Spanish). Guije.com. Retrieved 9 September 2007. [dead link]
. Orders and Medals Society of America. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
Lázaro David Najarro Pujo. . Radio Cadena Agramonte. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
Stoner, K. Lynn (2000). Cuban and Cuban-American Women: An Annotated Bibliography. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN0-8420-2643-6.
Smith, Lois M.; Padula, Alfred (1996). Sex and Revolution: Women in Socialist Cuba. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-509491-3.
Maloof, Judy, ed. “Women and the Cuban Revolution.” In Voices of Resistance: Testimonies of Cuban and Chilean Women, 1st ed., 21–40. University Press of Kentucky, 1999
Boelts, Sarah. "(Em)bodied Exiles in Contemporary Cuban Literature: Zoé Valdés and Mayra Montero". University of Minnesota, 2010.
Chase, Michelle. "The Country and the City in the Cuban Revolution." Colombia Internacional 73, (2011): 121–142.
Enríquez, Rosa María Olivia; Ildefonso Gustavo Díaz Sandoval (23 February 2020). "Ana Betancourt: An Imperishable Cuban Woman". Workers World. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
Shaffer, Alysia. “What Women Want: Emancipation, Cuban Women, and the New Man Ideology,” 2017.
Brenner, Philip, and Peter Eisner. “Struggle for Independence, 1868-1898.” Essay. In Cuba Libre: A 500-Year Quest for Independence. Lanham, Mar.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018.
Volo, Lorraine Bayard de. “A Movement Is Born: Military Defeat and Political Victory at Moncada.” Essay. In Women and the Cuban Insurrection How Gender Shaped Castro's Victory. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Ferrer, Ada. “Mambisa's: Rebel Women in 19th Century Cuba”by Teresa Pradostorreira. New West Indian Guide 82, (2008): 293–95.
External linksedit
Media related to Ana Betancourt at Wikimedia Commons
January 01, 1970
betancourt, colombian, cyclist, betancourt, december, 1832, february, 1901, cuban, woman, took, leading, role, independence, from, spain, national, heroine, cuba, born14, december, 1832camagüey, cubadied2, july, 1901, 1901, aged, madrid, spainknown, forsupport. For the Colombian cyclist see Ana M Betancourt Ana Betancourt 14 December 1832 7 February 1901 was a Cuban woman who took a leading role in the war of independence from Spain 1 She is a national heroine in Cuba Ana BetancourtBornAna Betancourt14 December 1832Camaguey CubaDied2 July 1901 1901 07 02 aged 68 Madrid SpainKnown forSupport of Cuban independence from Spain and her support of women s emancipation as part of the struggle Contents 1 Life 2 Mambisas 3 Speech at the Constituent Assembly of Guaimaro 4 Commemorations 5 References 5 1 Citations 5 2 Sources 6 External linksLife editAna Betancourt was born on 14 December 1832 in Camaguey Cuba to a wealthy land owning family 2 When she was 22 she was exposed to revolutionary ideas from her marriage to Ignacio Mora y de la Pera He was extremely educated and strongly believed in independence 2 During the first stage of revolutionary conflict in 1868 known as the Ten Years War Betancourt turned her home into a command center supplying rebels with supplies and helping spread propaganda Weapons were hidden in the house and varying proclamations were written there 3 Eventually Spanish officers found Betancourt and she was forced to flee into the jungle It was at this time she gave her famous speech at the Constitutional Assembly of Cuban patriots at Guaimaro in which she advocated for women having more freedoms in the new government 4 Betancourt was becoming a well known Mambisa It was at this time she along with her husband contributed to the newspaper The Mambi which highlighted on the contributions of the Mambises in rural areas On 9 July 1871 she and her husband were taken by surprise by the Spanish forces Utilizing quick thinking Betancourt was able to save her husband but arthritis in her legs made it impossible to escape 2 She was kept outdoors under a tree for three months until she escaped captivity in 1871 2 She hid in Havana but was then exiled to Mexico Betancourt then spent time in New York where she visited Ulysses Grant to ask the US to pardon imprisoned Cuban medical students She then lived in Jamaica where in 1875 she heard that her husband had been executed 2 Following her escape she never saw la Pera again She was to return to Cuba following his death She eventually left Cuba again visiting New York and then settling in Spain She transcribed her husband s war time journal and kept active correspondence with Cuban patriots up until her death 2 At the age of 69 she was about to return to her native country but contracted fulminating bronchopneumonia and died before she could begin her journey She died in 1901 Cuba was occupied by the US at time and her remains were unable to be sent to Cuba until 1978 She was then buried in the pantheon of the Revolutionary Armed Forces in the Cemetery Colon in Havana 2 After this honor a mausoleum was erected for her in Guaimaro the site of her famous speech 2 She remains there to this day Mambisas editThe first Cuban war of independence from Spain began in 1868 Women known as Mambisas played a significant role in the war in a variety of different ways These women played active roles in the conflict as insurgents nurses and even officers in certain cases 5 The mambisas supported the cause in more subtle ways as well They fundraised for the Mambi and organized pro independence groups while also acting as reporters and journalists 5 They advocated for both independence as well as increased rights for women 5 Betancourt is one of the most famous of the Mambisas Other famous ones include Melba Hernandez Haydee Santamaria Celia Sanchez Manduley and many more 2 All of these women helped move the revolution forward Speech at the Constituent Assembly of Guaimaro editThe Speech at the Constituent Assembly of Guaimaro is one of the first pieces from Cuban feminists during the Cuban revolution 6 Betancourt gave the speech to the leaders of the Cuban revolutionary when they were taking refuge in the jungles of Guaimaro from the Spanish military In it Betancourt looked at the issues of colonialism and slavery and linked them to the struggles of Cuban women 6 She argued that Cuba had freed enslaved people and should now work to emancipate the woman and lawmakers should make it a central focus when they create policies following the revolution 7 Betancourt advocated for women s rights well up until her death 7 Commemorations editShe is commemorated in the modern Cuba by the Order of Ana Betancourt medal awarded to Cuban women who demonstrate revolutionary and internationalist merit and anti imperialist fidelity and or great merit in a field of work that contributes to the national interest Originally this was the highest award of the Federation of Cuban Women and the order was officially sanctioned in 1979 as a state award 8 Notable recipients include the Palestinian poet May Sayegh In honor of all the work Ana Betancourt did for women a series of schools have been created in her honor across Cuba 9 The Ana Betancourt schools were established originally in the 1960s 10 The school s purpose was to get rural girls up to a sixth grade education and had two coinciding goals They wanted to both instill revolutionary ideals along with vocational skills and provide opportunities for prostitutes and those employed in domestic service to join the work force 10 In the beginning year alone over 6 000 rural girls were brought in for six month programs 11 Looking towards post revolutionary years a number of Ana Betancourt Schools still exist in Cuba today and continue to serve communities of women in both urban and rural parts of Cuba 7 References editCitations edit K Lynn Stoner Luis Hipolito Serrano Perez eds 2000 Cuban and Cuban American women an annotated bibliography 1st ed Wilmington Del Scholarly Resources p 9 ISBN 0842026436 a b c d e f g h i Ana Betancourt An imperishable Cuban woman Workers World 25 February 2016 Retrieved 6 November 2021 Volo Lorraine Bayard de 1 February 2018 Women and the Cuban Insurrection How Gender Shaped Castro s Victory Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 1 316 83609 5 Stoner K Lynn 1991 From the house to the streets the Cuban woman s movement for legal reform 1898 1940 Durham Duke University Press pp 22 23 ISBN 0822311496 a b c Ferrer Ada 2008 Review of Mambisas Rebel Women in Nineteenth Century Cuba NWIG New West Indian Guide Nieuwe West Indische Gids 82 3 4 293 295 ISSN 1382 2373 JSTOR 43390746 a b Shaffer Alysia 2017 What Women Want Emancipation Cuban Women and the New Man Ideology MA thesis University of Toledo a b c Boelts Sarah June 2021 Em bodied Exiles in Contemporary Cuban Literature Zoe Valdes and Mayra Montero PDF Archived PDF from the original on 25 October 2021 Retrieved 24 October 2021 Janda Margaret Randall with photographs by Judy 1981 Women in Cuba twenty years later New York Smyrna Press p 56 ISBN 0918266149 Maloof Judy 1999 Voices of resistance testimonies of Cuban and Chilean women Lexington Ky University Press of Kentucky p 30 ISBN 0813120799 a b Voices of Resistance Testimonies of Cuban and Chilean Women 1 ed University Press of Kentucky 1999 ISBN 978 0 8131 2079 9 JSTOR j ctt130hvk0 Chase Michelle 1 January 2011 The Country and the City in the Cuban Revolution PDF Colombia Internacional 73 73 121 142 doi 10 7440 colombiaint73 2011 06 Sources edit Mariano Jimenez II and Mariano G Jimenez September 2005 Ana Betancourt en Patriotas Cubanas in Spanish Guije com Retrieved 9 September 2007 dead link Ana Betancourt Order Orders and Medals Society of America Archived from the original on 19 July 2011 Retrieved 9 September 2007 Lazaro David Najarro Pujo Ana Betancourt de Mora A history a woman a city Radio Cadena Agramonte Archived from the original on 30 June 2007 Retrieved 9 September 2007 Stoner K Lynn 2000 Cuban and Cuban American Women An Annotated Bibliography Rowman amp Littlefield ISBN 0 8420 2643 6 Smith Lois M Padula Alfred 1996 Sex and Revolution Women in Socialist Cuba USA Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 509491 3 Maloof Judy ed Women and the Cuban Revolution In Voices of Resistance Testimonies of Cuban and Chilean Women 1st ed 21 40 University Press of Kentucky 1999 Boelts Sarah Em bodied Exiles in Contemporary Cuban Literature Zoe Valdes and Mayra Montero University of Minnesota 2010 Chase Michelle The Country and the City in the Cuban Revolution Colombia Internacional 73 2011 121 142 Enriquez Rosa Maria Olivia Ildefonso Gustavo Diaz Sandoval 23 February 2020 Ana Betancourt An Imperishable Cuban Woman Workers World Retrieved 10 September 2021 Shaffer Alysia What Women Want Emancipation Cuban Women and the New Man Ideology 2017 Brenner Philip and Peter Eisner Struggle for Independence 1868 1898 Essay In Cuba Libre A 500 Year Quest for Independence Lanham Mar Rowman amp Littlefield 2018 Volo Lorraine Bayard de A Movement Is Born Military Defeat and Political Victory at Moncada Essay In Women and the Cuban Insurrection How Gender Shaped Castro s Victory New York Cambridge University Press 2018 Ferrer Ada Mambisa s Rebel Women in 19th Century Cuba by Teresa Pradostorreira New West Indian Guide 82 2008 293 95 External links edit nbsp Media related to Ana Betancourt at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ana Betancourt amp oldid 1200741303, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
