World Changers
Maya Angelou
Emily Bronte
Rachel Carson
Cleopatra
Cocoa Chanel
Connie Chung
Walt Disney
Bob Dylan
W.E.B. DuBois
Amelia Earhart
Albert Einstein
Bill Gates
Mahatma Ghandi
Alexander the Great
Anita Hill
Abbie Hoffman
Crazy Horse
Robert Kennedy
B.B. King
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Spike Lee
Martin Luther
Madonna
Nelson Mandela
Rosa Parks
Evita Peron
Jackie Robinson
Selena
Joseph Smith
Oskar Schindler
Elizibeth C. Stanton
Mother Teresa
Alice Walker
Malcom X
Other Cool Places
|
Eva Peron
 |
-
Eva Maria Duarte was born in May of 1919 in Argentina
-
She grew up very poor with five brothers and sisters, a mother, and no
father. They all lived in a one-room shack.
-
Eva's mother did not send her to school, but made her work in kitchens
of rich families.
-
Eva moved to Buenos Aires when she was 16 to become an actress and she
made a few films and worked in radio.
-
In 1945, Eva met the minister of War, Juan Peron. They were married in
a year and she helped him run for the presidency in 1946. They won.
-
As the First Lady, Eva started her own foundation that built hundreds of
schools and hospitals in Argentina. Eva was an advocate for the education
of women. She also helped the poor workers of Argentina gain a voice and
respect in the country that previously exploited them.
-
Although Evita was the wife of the President, she was considered by many
to be a politician. There had never been a female politician in Argentina
before.
-
She embraced her poverty-striken past and reached out to the descamisados
(the shirtless ones). During her husband's term she did all she could for
them.
-
In spite of the fact that she never officially held any government post,
she performed as Minister of Health and Labor because of her own persistance.
-
Her mammoth wage increases for her beloved descamisados resulted in overwhelming
political support for her husband.
-
She did make many enemies during her life. She did everything in her power
to step on the toes of the rich in Argentina. When the oldest charity in
Argentina didn't invite her to be the president, she cut all of their government
funds, shut them down, and started her own Foundation.
-
Evita had a short-lived political life. She was active for four years of
her husband's term but was diagnosed with cancer in 1950, and died in July
of 1951.
-
Evita's story can teach us all that it is possible to defy fate. She was
born into the lowest rung of rural life and climbed the ladder to become
the most powerful woman in the country. She did this at a time when the
place of the woman was in the home, not behind a desk.
-
Even after her death Evita remains loved my many in Argentina.
|
Links
|