It's time to set the record straight on Cinco de Mayo, the fastest-growing holiday in the United States. It was not designed as an excuse for beer companies and sports bars to make money - or for frat boys to get drunk.

No, Cinco de Mayo was supposed to be a day to celebrate freedom.

The origins of Cinco de Mayo may be found in the struggle against European colonialism. French ruler Napoleon III took advantage of the U.S. Civil War to land troops on the shores of Mexico. He planned to destroy the Mexican Republic and to install a handpicked emperor.