It was August 21st, 1983. Benigno Aquino Jr., a Philippine Senate, stepped onto a flight back to his hometown in the Philippines after a three year self-exile in the United States. Little did he know, he would be taking his last few breaths in that very moment. The plane landed at the airport and Beningo was beginning to be escorted by police back to prison after being framed of disobeying the laws of Ferdinand Marcos, Aquino's longtime political opponent who had become the president of the Philippines. He was shot in the head before he could make it to the police car. His wife, Corazon Aquino, was left alone along with their five children. From that point, Corazon decided that she would follow in her husband’s footsteps to become a politician.
Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco was born on January 25th, 1933, in Paniqui, Tarlac. She was born the sixth of eight children. Her parents, José Cojuangco, Sr. and Demetria Sumulong were very wealthy, with roots in politics and banking. Her father was a PROMINENT Tarlac politician and businessman, and her mother belonged to the Sumulong family of Rizal, who were very politically influential in the area. They also owned a sugar plantation, which covered 15,000 acres of land. The family was of mixed Chinese, Filipino, and Spanish decent.
Cory was very studious and shy as a young child, being educated at expensive private schools until the age of 13. Throughout her entire schooling experience her grades were at the top of her class. After graduating elementary school, her parents sent her to the United States to continue her education on the high school level. Corazon first went to Ravenhill Academy in Philidelphia and then transfered to the Notre Dame Conve...
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...he Philippines on February 25, 1986, in a historic event now known as the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. Marcos supporters in the Philippines had several coup attempts against Corazon during her term in office, but she survived them all in her low-key yet stubborn political style. Although her own allies urged her to run for a second term in 1992, she adamantly refused. Even though Corazon's presidency may not have been the smoothest, it still brought a new light to the Philippines.
Little did she know, Corazon Aquino would grow up to live a great life. Even if she had become a widow, she persevered to contribute the most she could to her country, following in her husbands steps as a politician. Left to finish raising her children and continue with life alone, Corazon only grew stronger with what she was dealt. She was one very inspiring individual.
Phuong Canh Ngo was convicted of ordering the killing of Australian MP victim John Newman. It was described as the first political assassination.
The rule of Rafael Trujillo directly affected Patricia Mirabal. Patricia grew up as the oldest of four girls, and she was naturally the nicest, simplest of the four girls. She married early and had kids before she turned 20. But as she grew older, her faith was restored. One day she went on a church retreat into the mountains, the same day the first invasion from Trujillo fell. The author described how it seemed as if the Earth was coming down upon the very roof of that retreat house. Explosion after explosion ripped the air. The house shook to its very foundation (Alvarez 161). During that attack, Patricia made eye contact with a young boy who couldn’t be older than her own son in the
Eleanor Roosevelt was an outstanding First Lady, she was the longest lasting First Lady in office and helped define and shape the role of the First Lady’s duties in office. She played many roles as the First Lady, she made public appearances with her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt, she was a leading activist in women rights and civil rights, she held many press conferences, wrote a column daily in the newspaper, and hosted radio shows at least once a week. Though her and her husband’s time in office may have been difficult, Eleanor proudly supported New Deal programs and helped create many government programs such as the National Youth Administration and the Works progress Administration
The third edition of ”Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life”, written by J. William T. Youngs, was published in 2005 by Pearson Longman Inc. and is also part of the Library of American Biography Series, edited by Mark C. Carnes. The biography itself and all of its contents are 292 pages. These pages include a table of contents, an editor’s and author’s preface, acknowledgments, illustrations, study and discussion questions, a note on the source, and an index. The biography of Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962), wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 – 1945), pays great respects to whom Youngs believes to be the most influential woman during the 20th century. By writing one third of the book on E. Roosevelt’s early life, Youngs is able to support his thesis which states that E. Roosevelt’s suffering, and the achievements of her early years made it possible for her to be known as the greatest American woman of the twentieth century. While Youngs was able to support this theory throughout the book, he failed to tie his original thoughts up towards his conclusion, making his original thesis hard to follow.
Helen Keller was one of the most successful people in the world. She helped in so many ways to change many people's lives. She was a very humble person despite her successes. I want to tell you about a story I read which touched me and shows what a special person Helen Keller was.
“When my dad got out my mother followed him to Mexico and I started living with a female PE teacher who acted as my guardian for 6 months”. This was an insightful experience for Rosa and helped her get away from home life and be in a safe environment. When she was ready, Rosa moved in with her sister and niece and started college at 17. During this time, Rosa’s father unfortunately was deported and got his citizenship taken away. Rosa was a part of an Upward Bound program which gave her the opportunity to spend every summer and live on a college campus. Rosa states that “it was a blast! And it was nice that I got school credit from it. This pushed me to college
From poverty to stardom Louisa May Alcott has thrived through many trials and tribulations, but with her unremitting passion and determination, Alcott became a well-known author and role model. Alcott experienced many setbacks in her life. With these setbacks, she was able to create stories that portrayed her life experiences. Alcott’s writings captured the hearts of young children to grown adults. Although she lived for only fifty-five years, she showed her audacity to be support herself and her family.
“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” These words fully sum up the essence of Mother Teresa. Having left the world 17 years ago in 1997, her life continues to inspire many. So many lives touched by her. The story of her life inspires an awe of how someone could live such a life starting from her childhood, through adulthood, and ending with her later years and legacy.
Even though Maya Angelou’s life was full of disappointments and miseries, she still managed to rise above them. Racism was out of Maya Angelou’s life for good. The freedom that Maya Angelou always yearned for was what she got. Maya Angelou is living a happy life with her family, just the way she wanted. Now, Maya Angelou is a name that is known all around the world. Without her literature, no one would have ever guessed what she went through during her childhood.
...er’s life was not an easy one. She was admired by many for overcoming her disabilities and persevering through hardship. Keller was blinded at a young age. At the time, there were not as many resources as there are today. This did not deter Keller. She seized every opportunity and used them for her advancement. Individuals saw her as a “Miracle” for being able to have an education like any other child. Also, she inspired children and adults who were like her and gave them hope for the future. From Helen Keller I have learned that I should not quit what I love despite my situation. I can stand firm when others are tearing me down and saying I cannot do it. A person one can admire is a leader who has overcome a situation and is able to help others from their personal experience. Their victories give us hope and the courage to face each day with a sense of expectancy.
In fact, she taught me human values that made me find myself and made me contribute to big a change in her community. I will always remember her wise words: “as soon as kids arrive here they become my children “. She takes care of 40 kids by herself with very little low income, along with no help from the government, she is in need of help. That is when I came in and started fundraising money for supplies, food, and clothes to donate In the meantime, I have been always scared of public speaking, but that day I confronted my fear. I was able to speak with immigrants who came to Colombia to adopt and give these kids a chance to have a family who loves them and protects them. I shared their stories about how each one has been deprived of parental care due to death, poverty, disability or other causes. Throughout this journey, I developed how to become a leader by giving speeches from my heart, I became a confident person and now I am no longer shy. I Started believing more in myself and the things that I could accomplish throughout rest of my life and I can say that my fear of public speaking is
...other Teresa had become a leader in Calcutta. Films were soon made on her charitable efforts and she became known worldwide. Using this newfound fame, Mother Teresa spoke to world leaders on behalf of the poor in their respective countries. Most of them fulfilled her request and promised to do everything possible to provide help. Once she started speaking on behalf of the poor she fulfilled the middle part of Robert F. Kennedy’s definition of a hero, “to stand up for the lot of others”.
From her childhood to her adult life, Helen Keller never lost hope or faith, she has shown us that with enough perseverance and hard work anything can be accomplished. Helen Keller has encountered many important and famous people, wrote 14 books, and won countless awards and honors throughout her life such as being inducted in the Women’s Hall of Fame. Helen Keller was a strong independent woman who taught herself not only to read, write, and speak, but also accomplished the normal actions of an everyday life.
The Philippines were first discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. It then became a colony of Spain from the late 1500's until the end of the19th century when the United States came intervened. The colonial rule of the Spanish ended in December 1898 after the United States intervened due to a popular rebellion that had broken out two years earlier. Under the United States colonial rule, democratic institutions were introduced, and the Filipinos took over all the political and bureaucratic positions. In 1934 the Philippines became an internally self governing commonwealth, with full independence from the United States scheduled for July 4, 1946. The independent republic mainta...
The Philippine Revolution was a military conflict between the Filipinos and Spanish colonial regime that started in the year 1896. The Filipinos were growing exhausted of the Spaniards’ rule over them. A charismatic leader, Andrès Bonifacio, formed a ghost propaganda movement, The Katipunan, to battle the Spaniards for independence. The Katipunan leaders and everyone associated with the revolution all knew the risks of getting captured: dying and risking the chance at freedom. War and bloodshed was the only decision for freedom; it was necessary to gain independence from Spain. The Filipino people joined as a whole to overthrow their Spanish dictators. It was a long fought war that seemed to last an eternity but on Dec. 15, 1897, the pact of Biak-na-Bato was declared. Though it wasn’t the perfect deal for each side, the pact brought a temporary end to the Philippine Revolution. The Philippine Revolution was a frightening, but necessary action by the Filipinos to pave way to their independence from Spain.