The Murders of the Churchwomen
On December 2, 1980, four churchwomen from the Cleveland Latin American Mission Team were raped and murdered in El Salvador by 4 National Guardsmen. Sister Maura Clarke, Sister Ita Ford, Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Jean Donovan. Their bodies were discovered the next day, and the van they were traveling in was found gutted, about 20 miles from where their bodies were left. In 1993, it was discovered that the National Guardsmen had been ordered to commit this atrocity by their superiors, who were never held accountable. (1)
About Me
My name is Abby Bennington and I am a sophomore at Cleveland State University. I am a double major in History and Liberal Studies, and I am currently taking Introduction to Historical Studies, a course taught by Dr. Shelley Rose. This course requires me to become familiar with the process of historical analysis and the various focuses of the broad topic of history. With this project I intend to use the historical thinking skills I’ve developed this semester to understand the correlation between gender and the tragic murders of the four churchwomen in El Salvador.
1. Arthur Allen, "Trial in Churchwomen's Murder Begins Today," The Associated Press, May 23, 1984, https://proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu:2422/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJ4-HN00-0011-639W-00000-00&context=1516831
Image: Elaine Chen, "Retro Report: The Holy Killings That Rocked U.S. Foreign Policy," Retro Report, November 10, 2014, https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/retro-report-how-killing-4-us-churchwomen-changed-us-foreign-policy
Image: Elaine Chen, "Retro Report: The Holy Killings That Rocked U.S. Foreign Policy," Retro Report, November 10, 2014, https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/retro-report-how-killing-4-us-churchwomen-changed-us-foreign-policy