Platt Amendment Outline

After it became officially globally acknowledged that Cuba was in fact a communist state and was being led through a dictatorship run by Castro, it did not take long before powerful enemies and essential allies were formed. The act of seizing all foreign land with none or very little compensation was received with great hostility amongst those who lost in their property through this process, and probably the reaction that had the biggest impact on Cuba’s economy was that of the US. Castro’s communistic policies did not of course help calm this resentment and also took part in leading to the establishment of trade embargos with Cuba from the US. This meant that Cuba would now lose a very valuable buyer of their precious sugar, [5] but they did however gain another one, a powerful nation that shared quite similar Marxist ideals and were quick to form an alliance with the Cubans, the USSR.

Another reason forimplementing the embargo on Cuba concerns the corrupt communist government andUS hopes of promoting a transition to a democratic system. On February 3, 1962,President Kennedy was confident that “Castro was moving toward theestablishment of a to! talitarian regime in alliance with the Soviet Union”(DeVarona 7). This raised a huge national defense issue since Cuba is only 90miles from US soil. The US government claims that the transition from communismto democracy will help Cuba flourish, as other democratic countries in thewestern hemisphere have. (“Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of1996”).

Many historians argue that the U.S. took the moral high ground during the war because they set out to end the suffering of the Cuban people at the hands of Spain, citing the crux of McKinley’s War Message. Although this may be true to some extent, the worst of the rebellion had ended by 1898 as the result of a ceasefire agreement and the departure of General Valeriano Weyler; therefore, American interference was needlessly invasive. Some also point to the Teller Amendment as counter-evidence against the imperialistic nature of the war, but, following the war, the Platt Amendment to the Cuban Constitution transformed Cuba from a truly independent nation into a puppet of the U.S. for enforcing the Monroe Doctrine on Europe’s empires. Moreover, the motive to free an oppressed Cuba fails to explain why the U.S. also took action to remove Spain from the Philippines, where no major rebellion was taking place. Although morality may have played some role, its motivational effect was far outweighed by the imperialism and hysteria factors.

When the United States entered the Spanish-American War in 1898, it was largely a response to colonial Spanish rule and the mistreatment of Cuban insurrectos. The Teller Amendment, which was issued on April 20, 1898, promised the Cubans their freedom and testified to the ostensibly anti-imperialist designs of the initial war plans. However, President William McKinley soon realized that acquiring Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines would extend the United States’ landholdings across the Pacific, making it a Far Eastern power, as well as the dominating force of the

Platt Amendment- This 1901 amendment to the Cuban Constitution stated that Cuba had its own sovereignty in that it could make its own laws and had rights to internal governance. However, it also included a clause that Gave the right to intervene in Cuban rule if deemed necessary by the U.S. government. This amendment was important because even though Cuba was supposed to be “autonomous” the U.S. still had the ability to meddle, giving them a blank check to change and control what they saw fit.

The Platt Amendment of 1901, gave permission to the United States to intervene in Cuban affairs if necessary and to rent land to the United States for naval bases on the island. Cuba had a strong relationship with the United States, but then the Cuban Revolution came and everything changed. On Jan. 1, 1959 Fidel Castro accompanied by guerrillas overthrew the government of President General Fulgencio Batista. The US supported Castro and his group by providing them with arms. During this period, the Castro government was very efficient which worried the American government, since Castro could turn against it. That's why in 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the CIA to attack Cuba. In April 1961, thousands of armed Americans disembarked

To do this they needed a way to help the Cuban rebels successfully oust the Spanish control of Cuba. To accomplish this they would need the United States military to intervene. This would be a different type of war than then the United States had ever fought before. It was not a war for freedom or to protect the United States domestically. Rather, this was a foreign war to liberate a foreign country for greater expansion and influence on the world. This type of mission set would come with limitations in the way the U.S. fought the war. To be successful they not only had to win the war, but they had win it while keeping relationships intact. They also had to keep the lands resources intact in order to reap the benefits from fighting this type of war. In the coming years the United States would grow accustom to this type of war, but public opinion was and has always been a difficult hurdle in these types of

The Wilsonian Moment was a short period of history that lasted from the last days of the Great War to the end of the peace conference. Out of this period came the term and idea of Wilsonianism. Wilsonianism was developed by Woodrow Wilson during his years as the President of the United States. President Wilson was noted for his creation of the Fourteen Points which became the basis for Wilsonianism. The one point that made such a large impact was the concept of self-determination. During Wilson’s Fourteen Points he had made several references to the creation of states based upon allegiances and nationality. Furthermore, he stressed the colonial possessions must be adjusted and that the

A general policy is established for the United States towards a democratically elected government and a transition government in Cuba in Title II. The President must develop a plan that provides economic assistance to Cuba when the government described in Title I is established. The President is also authorized to take steps that will suspend the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba and terminate that embargo when a democratically elected government is installed.

In 1902, Cuba peacefully gained independence from the United States. A few years earlier, the U.S. had aided Cuban rebels in exorcising Spain from the colony. In 1898, after three years of fighting, Spain signed a peace treaty with the U.S. relinquishing its hold on Cuba, but no Cuban delegates were present. However, the Teller Amendment (4th Article of the Joint Resolution) confirmed that the U.S. would not permanently remain in Cuba. Cubans lobbied for an early execution of the Joint Resolution. After much resistance in the U.S., the Cuban Constitutional Convention met in 1900. Then, in 1901, the Cuban Constitution was completed, including an appendix allowing U.S. intervention if needed. Finally, in 1902, Tomás Estradas Palma was

The Platt Amendment states that the United States has the ability to interfere at various points in Cuba’s history. This gave America the ability to better serve its own interests in the region, including sugar

In both Cuba and the Philippines we overstayed our welcome. After chasing the Spaniards out, we became greedy. In the Philippines we now had an advantage militarily and economically. The strategic location of the Philippines in the West Pacific offered supreme tactical advantages for naval bases and ports. This convenience applied to Cuba as well and became too tempting for the U.S. to pass up. These advantages was enough for the U.S. to go back on an amendment agreed to before intervention. This amendment ensured that Cuba would retain freedom once Spain was gone. Evidently this was not enough to stop the U.S. from undermining it and stay in Havana. Our mission to free those who could not free themselves was overlooked for the benefit of the

The passage of the article that is most interesting to me was Mixed Views on the Revolution. The revolution thrilled million in Latin America and Cuba. It showed that the arrogant Americans can be defied. The Americans cut the united states of America purchases sugar. Then America put a blocked all trade from Cuba. It banned every U.S. product except medicine and

After the Spanish-American war, The victorious America entered an amendment in which it gave itself the right to intervene in Cuban affairs going forward. Many American businesses invested in Cuba, which eventually made Cuba largely owned by American companies and largely controlled by the American government.

The Panama Canal was started in 1881 by the French, but the idea was originated in the 16th century from a Spanish explorer. The French gave up on it because of engineering problems, bad planning, and workers getting unknown diseases. Then the U.S. took over the construction in 1904 and finished it in 1914.