Spanish American War 98 Analysis

The Spanish American war started in 1898 and was a fight for Cuba’s independence which resulted in 379 American casualties in combat. The Spanish American War was justified because of the Monroe Doctrine, Correspondence between the United States and Spain, and the Platt Amendment, which were all created to protect American morals and freedom.

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 of 1898 could be seen as the pivotal point in foreign policy as it marks America’s first engagement with a foreign enemy in the dawning age of modern warfare however, one could also argue that the idea had always existed in American politics.

Nationalism was another major factor in declaring war against Spain. Nationalism emerged in the United States and all of its people seemed to support the war. The “yellow press” printed multiple stories of scandals, including the explosion of the Maine in the Havana harbor. The yellow press printed that the Spanish were responsible for this action, which led to the slogan “Remember the Maine.” Nationalism and pride surged within the United States and war became imminent. The “rough riders,” who were volunteers from the United States, invaded the Santiago harbor in order to drive out Spanish ships. They paved the way for the American army and forced Spain to sign an armistice. After the war was over and the Cubans were free, The Platt Amendment was passed. It provided that Cuba had to state in its own constitution that the US might intervene with troops in Cuba in order to restore order and to provide mutual protection. It also promised to sell or lease naval stations to the US. The doctrine of Manifest Destiny also played a major part in the war. The US wanted to expand its country and spread its Anglo-Saxon culture. Imperialism was also part of this objective.

The quote "A Splendid little war" by Secretary of State John Hay summarizes the Spanish American War in 1898. While this war could be seen as an act of aggression by the 20th century standards this war was beneficial to the United States of America while being deviating to the Kingdom of Spain for many reasons.

The answer of whether or not the Spanish-American and Philipine-American wars were created to build an American empire should be predictable, considering America’s history of beginning wars for their own benefit. Therefore, it is not that much of a shock that these two wars were commenced to benefit the United States in expanding their country and growing more powerful. Initially, President McKinley “did not want war; he had been sincere and tireless in his efforts to maintain the peace” (Zinn 293) against Spain. However, the mostly upper-class and businessmen of the country, who saw it as an opportunity to boost America’s economy, did. Eventually, so did the government, resulting in them giving into their citizens’ wants. They had “power and profit in mind as it observed the events in Cuba” (Zinn 289), and President

Yes it was in fact a “splendid little war”. There were a few things that made the Spanish American Was receive that nickname. The war lasted only 115 days and the death outcome was far less than any other war. The United States gained Puerto Rick as well as Guam and other islands in the pacific. In the book it stated that “If ever there were a good war, it was the Spanish-American war. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

The Effects of the Spanish-American War The Spanish American war had a lot of effects on America: United States became a world empire, gained imperial power, and also gained new technology. The Spanish-American War was a result of conflict between the United States and Spain. The war had a lot of impact on the United States. The United States wouldn’t be the same if we would have lost.

Cuba, a “Spanish colony ninety miles south of Florida”, was under Spain’s imperialism (Tindall and Shi, 669). There were many revolts against Spain, but they could not win their independence, primarily due to being a large export market for Spain. American sugar plantations in Cuba and mining companies were very concerned with the Spanish control. More importantly, the Americans did more trade business in Cuba than Spaniards. The Spanish-American War of 1898 may have begun as a war to free Cuba from Spanish rule, but was soon turned into an opportunity for America to gain more lands and

The U.S.S Maine was a battleship sent to Cuba to protect American interest. The sinking of the U.S.S Maine is important because it served as a cause for the Spanish American War, which changed who properly owned Guam, Puerto Anti-racketeering law and let Cuba become independent. The excuse for entering the state of war was the rebellion by the Republic of Cubans against Spanish dominion and the explosion of an American battlewagon U.S.S. Maine. The Spanish settlement in mainland North and South America became independent in the early 1800s, but Cuba and Puerto Rico remained Spanish.

America had no need to involve itself at the point in time that it did. The only real reason that America had inserted itself into the war against Spain was for personal gain. But America could not find it in themselves to state that as their purpose for entering in the war. So they began to create an image of being the selfless, white knights of Cuba. As Perez states, “The perceptions of war in 1898, however, did not enter the realm of public comprehension as a defense of national interests but rather as the discharge of moral responsibilities”.

The Spanish American War was a major turning point for the United States. They would begin to police the Western Hemisphere and Latin America more and become a new imperial power in the world. However, these interventions and change of mindset about imperialism weren’t good for relations between the United States and Latin America. This was one of the reasons to hold the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901. The United States begin to ease tensions and to open trade opportunities between themselves and Latin America.

The Treaty of Paris of 1898 outlined these agreements that ended the war. For example, Spain agreed to forfeit their power over Guam and Puerto Rico, giving these territories to the United States. Furthermore, Cuba finally gained its independence from Spain and their government. However, America intervened for three years after they were given freedom. This means that America was involved in Cuba’s government until Cuba added the Platt Amendment in 1901 to their constitution.

The battleship, USS Marine was stationed in Havana’s harbor to protect American interest in Cuba. An explosion destroyed the vessel on February 15, 1898. “A naval court of inquiry blamed the explosion on a mine, further inflaming public sentiment against Spain” (HIS104 U.S. History Since 1877 30-Jun-2008, OL20). Again, the press stirred up the public with stories and headlines of a Spanish conspiracy. American now demanded revenge for the deaths of 266 sailors (Faragher, J., 2008, Out of Many). President McKinley demanded that Spanish government end brutality of the Cuban people, engage in armistice, and promise the eventual independence of Cuba. Upon Spain’s refusal, McKinley asked for a declaration of war. (HIS104 U.S. History, Lecture, 30-Jun-2008, OL20). “In order to assure the world that it was fighting only for the good of Cuba and not for colonial gain, the US passed the Teller Amendment, which promised to make Cuba independent after the war was over” (SparkNotes: The Spanish American War, 1898-1901: Summary).

The war was an outcome of a polarization of Spanish life and politics that had developed over previous decades. On one side (the Nationalist) were most Roman Catholics, important elements of the military, most