1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: Hey y'all, Eve's here. We're doubling up today with two 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: events in history, one from me and one from former 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: host Tracy V. Wilson. On with the show. Welcome to 4 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: this day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: com and from the desk of Stuff You Missed in 6 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: History Class. It's the show where we explore the past 7 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: one day at a time with a quick look at 8 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:26,639 Speaker 1: what happened today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 9 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy B. Wilson, and it's January eleven. Oral arguments 10 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:35,599 Speaker 1: began before the US Supreme Court and Hernandez versus Texas 11 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: on this day in nineteen four. This goes back to 12 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: a murder case on August four one, Pedro Hernandez, who 13 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: went by Pete, murdered Gitano Espinoza, known as Joe, in 14 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: a tavern in Edna, Texas. There's some dispute about exactly 15 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: what led to this murder, but the fact that Hernandez 16 00:00:55,400 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: killed Espinoza was really clear. Hernandez was indicted and denied bail, 17 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: and his mother went to attorney Gustavo Garcia, who was 18 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: known as Gus, for help. Hernandez wound up with a 19 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: defense team that included several experienced civil rights lawyers, including Garcia, 20 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: Carlos Cadena, John Jay Herrera, and James DeAnda. So it 21 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: might seem strange for a straightforward murder case to include 22 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 1: so many defense lawyers, especially so many lawyers that had 23 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: experience in civil rights cases in Texas already, and that 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 1: was because, while working on an earlier case, Herrera and 25 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:41,199 Speaker 1: Dianda had discovered that people of Mexican descent were systematically 26 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: being excluded from juries in the state of Texas. They 27 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: had gone through all the records and found that in 28 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: seventy Texas counties over the prior twenty five years, there 29 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: had never been a single person with a recognizably Mexican 30 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: surname on a jury, and the court system had had 31 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: gone around that discovery with the argument that people of 32 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: Mexican ancestry were classified not as Mexican from a legal perspective, 33 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: but as Caucasian or white. Indianda's words, quote, well, Mexicans 34 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: are Caucasians, and there were Caucasians on the jury, so 35 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: what are you fussing about. So when these men became 36 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: involved in the defense of Pete Hernandez, it was not 37 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: just about Hernandez's constitutional right to an attorney, which is 38 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: guaranteed under the sixth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. 39 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: It was also about the impartiality of that jury and 40 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: the idea of whether it was possible for a Mexican 41 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: defendant to truly get a fair trial in a court 42 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: system that appeared not to allow Mexican jurors on the jury. 43 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: Throughout Hernandez's trial, the defense team tried to make the 44 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: argument that the exclusion of people of Mexican descent from 45 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: the jury was discriminatory, and during all of this they 46 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,679 Speaker 1: tried to establish that even though Mexicans were classified as 47 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: white legally, Mexicans and people of Mexican descent were treated 48 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: as a class apart from Anglos and Kadenna's words quote 49 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 1: about the only time that so called Mexicans, many of 50 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:17,239 Speaker 1: them Texans for seven generations, are covered with the Caucasian cloak, 51 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: is when it serves the ends of those who would 52 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: shamelessly deny this large segment of the Texas population their 53 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 1: fundamental rights. At his trial, Hernandez was found guilty, and 54 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: the case went through a series of appeals before finally 55 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: being heard before the U. S. Supreme Court, and the 56 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: team knew it was really risky to take this case 57 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: to the Supreme Court. None of them had ever argued 58 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: before the Supreme Court before, and Hernandez had murdered someone, 59 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: he was not likely to have the Court's sympathy at all. 60 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: It's also very expensive to take a case to the 61 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: Supreme Court, and the attorneys involved would all be losing 62 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: income for their time away from their own practices all 63 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: they did it. So there was a lot going on, 64 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: but the Supreme Court did agree to hear the case. 65 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: This made Hernandez versus Texas the first Supreme Court case 66 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: directly connected to civil rights for Mexican Americans and the 67 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: first case to be argued before the Supreme Court by 68 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: Mexican American attorneys. The Supreme Court issued its unanimous decision 69 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: on May three of nineteen fifty four. The decision was 70 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,159 Speaker 1: that being denied a jury of his peers, including Mexican Americans, 71 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: meant that Pete Hernandez was being denied his Fourteenth Amendment protections. 72 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: This denial was unconstitutional. This was a milestone ruling not 73 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:42,240 Speaker 1: just for Mexican Americans, but also for the idea that 74 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: there are not simply two racial classes in the United 75 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: States black and white, but there are also other classes 76 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: of people who may also need protections and guarantees of 77 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: their rights, and that these classes may not even be 78 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,239 Speaker 1: related to race. There has, however, been some debate about 79 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: how much this do vision really helped Mexican Americans, because 80 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: its core question was not whether Mexican Americans deserved equal 81 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: rights or about securing equal rights for Mexican Americans. It 82 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: was really about whether Mexican Americans were to be considered white. 83 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: There's more about this in the September episode of Stuff 84 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: You Missed in History Class. Thanks to Casey Pegram and 85 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: Chandler Maze for their audio work on this show. You 86 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: can subscribe to The State in History Class on Apple podcast, 87 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: Google podcast, the I Heart Radio app, and wherever you 88 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: get your podcasts, and you can tune in tomorrow for 89 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: a tragic blizzard. Welcome back everyone, I'm Eves and you're 90 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: listening to This Day in History Class, a show where 91 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: we peel back a new layer of history every day. 92 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 1: The day was January eleventh, eighteen seventy nine. British troops 93 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:08,599 Speaker 1: led by Lieutenant General Lord Chelmsford invaded Zulu Land, which 94 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: was a monarchy in Southern Africa. The invasion marked the 95 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: start of the nearly six month long Anglo Zulu War, 96 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: which resulted in the defeat of the Zulus. Some historians 97 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,480 Speaker 1: have also marked January tenth, twelfth, and twenty second as 98 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: the beginning of the war. In the early nineteenth century, 99 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: warrior king Shaka conquered all the groups in Zulu Land 100 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: and united them under a single state. The Zulu Kingdom 101 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: grew in size and military might in the years after 102 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 1: Shaka took over, though it did weekend after his death 103 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: in eighteen twenty eight. Boars, or the descendants of Dutch 104 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: and Huguenot immigrants, had land claims on territory held by 105 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: the Zulu Kingdom. The Zulu people frequently clashed with the 106 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: Boars over land in cattle. In eighteen forty three, the 107 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: British annexed the Natalia Republic to form the Colony of 108 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,799 Speaker 1: natal But in the second half of the nineteenth century, 109 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: the British Empire wanted to further extend its influence in 110 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: South Africa. Britain wanted labor for the diamond fields, bore 111 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: land claims, and to create a confederation in South Africa. 112 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: Sir Barnel Frere was appointed the British High Commissioner to 113 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: South Africa and sent to Cape Town to take South 114 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 1: Africa's British colonies, Bore republics and independent Black states and 115 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: turned them into a confederation. But Zululand bordering Natal and 116 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: the Transfall, was powerful and self reliant. Sir Bartal Frere 117 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: and Sir Theophilist Shepston, British Governor of Natal and the 118 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: trans Fall, saw the Zulu people as a threat to 119 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: the policy of confederation and prosperity in South Africa. So 120 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: in December of eighteen seventy eight, under the pretext of 121 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: border incursions into Natal by the Zulu people, the British 122 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: sent an ultimatum to Zulu king to duy Oh to 123 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: the psarm and pay reparations, among other terms. But to 124 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: Duyo refused to bow to the demands for federation or 125 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: to disband his army. The ultimatum expired on January eleventh, 126 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,280 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy nine, or January tenth by some accounts, so 127 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: the British decided to invade Zulu land. The plan was 128 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: to occupy the Zulu royal crawl or village at Ulundi 129 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: by advancing on it from three directions. One column of 130 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: Lord Chelmsford's invasion force crossed into Zulu land near the 131 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: mouth of the Tugala River. Another entered Zulu land from 132 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,839 Speaker 1: the trans Fall, heading towards Ulundi from Utrecht, and the 133 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 1: center column crossed the Buffalo River at works Drift. The 134 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: Zulus had some guns, mostly muskets, and some rifles, but 135 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: many warriors had shields and spears. The first attack of 136 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: the war took place on January twelve. The Zulu people 137 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: suffered more losses than the British in that battle, but 138 00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: the British were defeated at the Battle of is San 139 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: Juana later that month, when the Zulu killed hundreds of 140 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,319 Speaker 1: their soldiers and took their rifles and ammunition. Fighting continued 141 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: until July, when Chelmsford's troops moved on to Duyo's royal 142 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 1: villages at Ulundi. To Juya was forced to flee and 143 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: captured in August, then eggs out to the Cape. The 144 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: British divided the kingdom into thirteen territories under appointed chiefs. 145 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: Civil war soon broke out, and in eighteen eighty three 146 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 1: to Juya was reinstalled as king, but his power was 147 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 1: limited and he died the next year. Zulu Land was 148 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 1: declared a British territory in eighteen eighty seven, and ten 149 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:41,479 Speaker 1: years later it was annexed by Natal. I'm Eve Steffcode 150 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 151 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. Looking out for a content a 152 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: little more sophisticated than cat memes in your feed. Connect 153 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,679 Speaker 1: with us on social media at T D I h 154 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,439 Speaker 1: C podcast and if you would like to write me 155 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 1: a letter, you can scan in it, turn it into 156 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: a PDF, and send it to us via email at 157 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: this day at i heart media dot com. Thank you 158 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:19,000 Speaker 1: again for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow. 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