he conflict between the USA and Spain began with the issues in Cuba. According to the Monroe Doctrine, Cuba was in the USA’s sphere of interest, but it was controlled by a foreign power – Spain. Also, Cuban revolutionaries were demanding independence from the Spanish and by 1896 there demands by the American public and Congress for intervention in the war between Spain and Cuba, but President Cleveland and his successor, William McKinley opposed taking part. However, in early February 1898, a letter was captured in which the Spanish minister to Washington, Dupuy de Lôme, called McKinley “weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd”, which increased Spanish-American tensions. Six days later, the battleship Maine, sent from the USA to Cuba
Although there are many reasons why the Spanish-American war took place, the most important was Spain's resentment of Cuba's desire to also become an independent nation. Since Cuba was one of Spain's last territories, they were unwilling to allow independence. As a result, conflict between the two parties erupted. Since Cuba was smaller and less equipped to fight than Spain, their economy took a tumble. Due to the fact that the United States had a great deal of money invested in Cuba's sugar resources, many Americans felt the need to wage war. Additionally, there were separate events that caused anger to American Citizens. One such event was the destruction of a U.S. ship used to protect the American citizens in Cuba. Although the ship's
Intervention in Latin America, mainly Cuba, also led to the Spanish-American War. When the American naval ship, the USS Maine, exploded in the Havana Harbor, President McKinley immediately decided to go to war after being labeled a coward by yellow journalists. This is a prime example of how incidents in Latin American countries forced presidents to act rapidly and without much thought, causing America to form a bold and aggressive foreign policy.
Political causes are known to be the most affective in starting the war. Due to the short term causes that made history. Without these events the Spanish American war could have been completely changed. Due to the riots that were going on in Havana, Mckinely sent the battleship Maine to protect American lives and property. Soon after it was anchored in the harbor, it exploded, resulting in the deaths of 260 Americans. The American press quickly jumped to blame Spain however there was little evidence found for the explosion. President Mckinely refused to declare war, however many eagerly called for war such as Teddy Roosevelt. This unexpected explosion may seem small, however was a major event in the starting of the Spanish American War. The war message and Teller Amendment was what initially started the war. “In the war message the President rejected the idea that the U.S.A would annex Cuba. “He said this would be criminal aggression and morally wrong”(Allan Hux 295). Congress agreed. “It passed an amendment
America’s support for the ongoing struggle by Cubans and Filipinos against Spanish rule and the explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor are the major influences that led to the Spanish-American War. The Spanish-American War was a conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898. As Cuba was controlled by territorial expansion by the Spanish, Cubans fight for independence from Spain will arise. Cubans fight for Independence from Spain is what brought the U.S to intervene.
The Monroe Doctrine helps justify the Spanish American War because it states America’s ground and opinion. President of the United States, James Monroe, gave a speech to Congress in which he states: “... the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers… ” “…we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere, as dangerous to our peace and safety.” These quotes mean that the United States considers any country attacking with the intent of ruling over independent and/or ally countries, as disturbing their peace and safety. So when Spain took hold over the American allied Cuba, the United States had to immediately step in to right a wrong. Since America stated their ground 75 years before the war began, Spain and any other countries looking to conquer in the hemisphere knew very well not to attack America or any country it considered an ally.
While public tensions before August 1898 were surely high, nothing turned the public against Spain like the tragic blowing up of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor. The lives of 260 American officers and men were lost. The yellow press and American investigators quickly blamed spanish officials in Cuba for the mysterious wreck. Although it is extremely unlikely that the spanish had anything to do with the Maine’s sinking, the War-Mad American public accepted this conclusion out of rage, overwhelmingly persuading President Mckinley to begin the war. McKinley personally did not want to fight a war against Spain, for he had seen enough bloodshed as a General in the Civil War. But the public, encouraged by the Cuban patriotic cause, yellow journalism, and the sinking of the Maine, clamored for a war. Finally, President McKinley yielded and gave the people what they wanted. He believed that the people should rule, even if they don’t know what’s best for themselves. Public pressure was the main reason we went to war with Spain, and the biggest cultivator of public unrest was the blowing up of “The Maine”.
The Spanish American War started in 1898 and lasted about four months. Although the war might have seemed focused on freeing Cuba from Spain and gaining independence for Cuba and the Philippines, it was actually stimulated by nationalism and commercialism. Commercialism was a major factor when declaring war because the United States depended on Cuba and the Philippines for trade and business with other countries, especially in Asia and Latin America. Another major factor for the war was that the United States wanted to spread its Anglo-Saxon culture around the world and emerge as a world-wide power. Other minor motives for the war include the United States coming to the aid of the Cubans in their revolt against Spain and the feeling that
XII. President McKinley dealt with several important foreign policy issues during his term. One of the biggest was the Spanish-American War in 1898. This war initially started when McKinley sent ships and soldiers to have Cubans in their revolt against a tyrannical Spanish Government. After an American ship was sunk in the conflict, many Americans called for war against Spain, and McKinley obliged. In the Treaty of Paris, a result of America winning the short war, the United States gained the territories Puerto Rico and Guam, bought the Philippines, and remained in military control over Cuba, to which Spain renounced its claims. In
America was slowly making its rise from a second tier power to a first tier power by the time of the Spanish-American War in 1898. The war began when Cuba was attempting to gain freedom from the rule of Spain and America was called on to intervene. When the USS Maine, a United States battleship that was sent into the Cuban harbour of Havana to protect American citizens and property after a riot had occurred, had been sunk America’s public heavily demanded the United States government to get involved officially. After Spain made efforts towards a truce along with speeding up the the process to grant Cuba confined independence, America stepped in announced Cuba’s right to freedom from Spain and requested for Spain to remove its armed forces from Cuban territory. In response, Spain issued a war against the United States in April of 1898. Because Spain had not fully prepared its army or navy for obscure battle with the powerful U.S. armed forces, America easily gained victory in leisurely-fought battles against Spain. In July of 1898 the war was being drawn to a close; America’s military sunk and burned all of the Spanish battleships in the harbor of Santiago, thus forcing Spanish forces to surrender. Following the war, the Treaty of Paris was signed in December of 1898, allowing for Spain to reclaim Cuba, but granting ownership
The start if the issues between Spain and the USA began with problems in Cuba. Cuba was inside of the sphere of influence created by the U.S. The only problem was it was controlled by a different foreign power, Spain. Cuban revolutionaries demanded independence from Spain, but President Cleveland and his successor, William McKinley chose not to take part in intervening in a war between Spain and Cuba. In a letter captured in February 1898, the Spanish Minister, Dupuy de Lome, called McKinley “Weak and bidder for the admiration of the crowd”. This increased Spanish-American tensions.
Another cause of the Spanish-American War wast the De Lome letter. President McKinley was against intervening with the issues between Cuba and Spain due to US business interests and foreign relations between the US and Spain. The De Lome letter was written by a Spanish ambassador to the US and it called him a weak leader and claimed how he is only interested in appeasing the masses and gaining their favor. This made it difficult for McKinley to remain neutral in the conflict and was one of the main reasons for US involvement.
In the year of 1898, Spain declared war on the United States. The U.S. prime objective was for the true Cuban independence. In pursuing such goal, the string of conflicts began with the inhumane treatment of Cuban civilians in concentration camps by the Spanish, ‘yellow journalism,” and the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine. The United States involvement in the war was a combination of all of these factors; however, the most influential factor was the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine. The outrage of American citizens advanced throughout the country. Ultimately, the firm perception of a deliberate attack on the Maine pressured the United States into the war. Without a clear rationale, the American public compelled the United States to avenge the Maine. After a short four-month war, United States won the war and emerged as a dominant force in the world.
The Spanish American war was caused due Cuba’s rebel against Spain. Spain started making fortified towns. Spain responded by making reconsentration camps and establishing a recnsitration policy. The Cuban civilian population were ordered into the 45 camps. Inside these camps was desiese and starvation. There were yellow journalism where the newspapers would start to advertise stories of the suffering the Cubans would experience. American started clamoring that they would rescue the Cubans. President Calvin claimed the United States neutral. He did this because he feared it might leaed to annexation against the Cubans will. In 1898 the United States when into war with Spain over Cuba.
“Remember the Maine! To hell with the Spain!” The United States adopted this mantra as they headed into a war that would last a little under four months, an event that would change the international position of America for years to come. The United States formally declared war on the Spanish after the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. After weeks of fighting on both land and sea, American finally triumphed in both Cuba and the Philippines, and on December 10th, the two sides signed the Treaty of Paris. Even after the Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris in February of 1899, however, the effects of the conflict were far from over (Lawson 2-6). The consequences of the Spanish-American War caused the United States to expand its influence on an international level, creating a more externally focused ideology towards spreading democracy. No longer was the United States focused on promoting its own democracy internally and staying generally isolated from other countries; it wanted to spread its ideal of freedom to other countries it viewed as oppressed while simultaneously advancing its agenda in the region. By passing legislations which gave them power over Cuba and annexing several previously Spanish colonies including the Philippines, the United States expanded not only geographically but politically to fill in the positions of power that Spain left behind. In order to successfully win the war in the first place, the United States needed to vastly
The United States always had an interest in the island of Cuba, as it was situated only 90 miles south of Florida. However, Cuba was one of the last colonies controlled by Spain at the time, so when the United States attempted to buy Cuba from Spain, the latter refused. That did not stop the US from being interested though, and during the Cuban revolt, the US sympathized with Cuba. On the 15 February 1898, Spanish sympathizers blew up the battleship USS Maine in the Port of Havana, leading to the US declaring war on Spain in April of that same year. In the Philippines, the US Navy destroyed the Spanish ships within hours, and the same