J'Accuse...!: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:24, 15 May 2008

Revision as of 00:05, 22 May 2008

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[[Alfred Dreyfus]] was born in [[Mulhouse]], in northeast [[France]], into a Jewish family.<ref>Alfred Dreyfus Biography (1859-1935). (2007). Retrieved February 16, 2008, from Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9279233</ref> In 1871, he left his native town for [[Paris]] because [[Germany]] had annexed the province. While an artillery captain for the [[General Staff]] of France, in 1894, Dreyfus was suspected of providing secret military information to the [[German government]].<ref>Alfred Dreyfus Biography (1859-1935). (2007). Retrieved February 16, 2008, from Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9279233</ref> A cleaning woman and French spy by the name of Madame Bastian working at the German Embassy was at the source of the investigation. She routinely searched wastebaskets and mailboxes at the German Embassy for suspicious documents.<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> She found a suspicious [[wikt:bordereau|bordereau]] at the German Embassy in 1894 and delivered it to Commandant Hubert-Joseph Henry, who worked for French military counter-intelligence in the General Staff.<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> The bordereau was ripped in to 6 pieces and had been found by Madame Bastian in the waste paper basket of Maximilien von Schwartzkoppen, the German military attaché.<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> When the document was investigated, professional [[Graphology|handwriting experts]] testified that the handwriting on the bordereau was very similar to that of Alfred Dreyfus.<ref>Rothstein, E. (2007, October 17). A Century-Old Court Case That Still Resonates. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/arts/design/17drey.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1</ref> There were also assertions from military officers who provided confidential evidence.<ref>Rothstein, E. (2007, October 17). A Century-Old Court Case That Still Resonates. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/arts/design/17drey.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1</ref> Dreyfus was found guilty of [[treason]] in a secret military court-martial, during which he was denied the right to examine the evidence against him. The army stripped him of his rank in a humiliating ceremony and shipped him off to [[Devil's Island]], a colony located off the coast of [[South America]].<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> Because France was going through a period of [[anti-Semitism]], there were very few who defended Dreyfus most of whom were his family. In 1899, Dreyfus returned to France for a retrial, but was again found guilty, but this time pardoned.<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> In 1906, Dreyfus appealed his case again, only to find the [[annulment]] of his guilty verdict. In 1906, he was also awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor, which stated, “a soldier who has endured an unparalleled martyrdom.”<ref>Rothstein, E. (2007, October 17). A Century-Old Court Case That Still Resonates. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/arts/design/17drey.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1</ref>

==History of EmileÉmile Zola==

[[EmileÉmile Zola]] was born on April 2, 1840, in Paris, France.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for EmileÉmile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Zola's main literary work was “[[Les Rougon-Macquart]]”, a monumental cycle of twenty novels about Parisian society during the [[French Second Empire]] under [[Napoleon III]] and after the [[Franco-Prussian War]].<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for EmileÉmile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> He was also the founder of the [[Naturalist]] movement for 19th century literature.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for EmileÉmile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Zola was among the strongest proponents of the [[Third Republic]] and was elected to the [[Legion of Honour]].<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for EmileÉmile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Émile Zola risked his career in February of 1898, when he decided to stand up for Alfred Dreyfus. Zola wrote an open letter to the President of France, Felix Faure, accusing the French government of falsely convicting Alfred Dreyfus and anti-Semitism.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for EmileÉmile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Zola titled his letter “J’accuse” or “I accuse,” which was published on the front-page of the Paris daily, L’Aurore.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing his letter to the President and was convicted two weeks later. He was sentenced to jail and was removed from the Legion of Honour.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> To avoid jail time Zola fled to England, and stayed there until the [[French Government]] collapsed and continued to defend Alfred Dreyfus.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Just four years after his famous letter to the president, Zola died from a [[carbon monoxide]] poisoning which was caused by a stopped chimney. On June 4, 1908, Zola's remains were laid to rest in the Pantheon in Paris, France.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref>

==Arguments in J'accuse==