The Night of the Pencils

On September 16, 1976, ten high school students in La Plata, Argentina were
kidnapped and brought to a clandestine torture center, only four survived
During the last civic-military dictatorship in Argentina, which lasted from 1976 to
1983, over 30,000 people were detained and disappeared. Despite sustained
efforts by human rights organizations, family members of the victims and social
movements, the truth behind the disappearance of the 30,000, where their bodies
are, what happened to them and why, is largely unknown as those responsible for
the crimes have maintained a pact of silence and impunity.

The Noche de los Lápices (the Night of the Pencils) refers to the night where ten
high school students from La Plata, Argentina were kidnapped from their homes by
state forces and brought to a clandestine detention center. Their detention
happened on September 16, 1976, just five months after the civic-military
dictatorship was installed in Argentina led by the military junta composed of Jorge
Rafael Videla an Army General, Emilio Eduardo Massera from the Navy and
Orlando Ramón Agosti Commander in Chief of the Air Force.

The majority of the students were activists in La Plata in the Union of Secondary
Students and Guevarist Youth and had participated in the campaign to demand the
creation of the “Secondary Student Ticket” which allowed high school students to
use public transportation for free. Following the coup d’état the students were
active in opposing the coup and in resisting the military dictatorship.

The students that were detained that night were: Francisco López Muntaner
(Disappeared); María Claudia Falcone (Disappeared); Claudio de Acha
(Disappeared); Horacio Ángel Ungaro (Disappeared); Daniel Alberto Racero
(Disappeared); María Clara Ciocchini (Disappeared); Pablo Díaz; Patricia Miranda;
Gustavo Calotti; and Emilce Moler. They were all between 14 and 18 years old at
the time.
1) What were the circumstances that led to the night of the pencils?
2) When did the event take place?
3) How did this event impact Argentine society and education?
4) Why is it important to remember and commemorate this type of events?
5) Describe the type of government
6) Find out about the night of the long batons.
7) Make a compare-contrast chart
8) Create a timeline of the main events.