The Spanish American War During The 19th Century

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

The Spanish American War was caused by many occasions. America strongly supported Cuba and disputed Spain’s actions. The main causes of The Spanish American war was the yellow journalism, the blowing up of “The maine”, and the de lome letter. This essay will be discussing the causes and effects of the Spanish American War.

The Spanish-American War was considered short lived and relatively mild in terms of American casualties compared to the many wars that our nation has fought. However, it served as a historical marker that set the imperialistic momentum of our nation. It played a significant role in our nation’s strategic move towards acquiring trade routes and further strengthened our naval power. Throughout my research paper I will touch on what led to the Cuban revolution against Spain, America’s political climate at the time, and why our nation eventually decided to intervene and aid the Cubans in their fight for independence.

“The United States had emerged as a modern capitalist nation, and the spirit of nationalism in the country was strong and growing” (Henderson 71). As tensions grew between the Unites States and Mexico, there was a thirst for war. The Unites States declared war with Mexico, because they owned land that Americans desired, resulting in America’s fulfillment of achieving their philosophy of “Manifest Destiny”. The blood boil of both countries caused a lot of bloodshed. The dispute lasted for a long two year battle which was for huge amounts of land. The Americans were victorious and claimed new territories from the conflict.

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”.

April 24, 1898, marked the start of the Spanish-American War. War is never an easy task to handle. Somebody always wins or loses, unless both parties can agree upon a peace treaty. There is always blood shed, lives lost, or foul play. If you are lucky enough to make it out alive, then you probably have PTSD or some sort of mental health issue.

To protect the interests of the nation, the United States sent the USS Maine into Havana Harbor, but on February 15, 1898, the unthinkable happened. The battleship exploded, killing 260 members of the crew. Without a thorough investigation, the U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry stated the explosion was caused by Spain. Doubt from the public was virtually absent and the United States declared war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War. The war resulted in a swift American victory, leading to the addition of multiple territories. Although the explosion is now known to have been caused by an internal fire, it caused American intervention and imperialism in both Latin America and islands in the Pacific

The Spanish-American war consisted of a series of influential battles that pitted America and many of Spain’s colonies against Spanish rule, and ended with Spain losing its colonies and America gaining control over more and more land. In 1898, America joined a war being pit against Spain to force the Spanish to relinquish all control of their colonies, including Guam, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. This same war ended only a few months later, with Spain suffering huge losses and America gaining money and territories. The Spanish American war could be split into three main points of interest: How and why the Spanish American war started, The battles of Manila, Santiago de Cuba, Asomante, and Las Guasimas ( And the Rough Riders) , and the aftermath of the war. One of the most interesting territories was Cuba. Although the Spanish american war was not a long and costly war, it changed many people's lives indefinitely.

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.

Although many Cubans refused to accept any offers, the wars for independence still broke out in 1895. The U.S. declared war on Spain on April 25,1898. The U.S. defeated Spain and Cuba was officially granted independence and lived as an independent republic on January 1st, 1898. Although the taste of freedom might be sweet to many native Cubans, there is no doubt that all Cuban government in

“War is constituted by a relation between things, and not between persons…War then is a relation, not between man and man, but between State and State…” Being between state and state, meant that it was not the people themselves, but a higher power fighting with another higher power. In order for war to survive, it needs opinion, disagreement, a cause, and power hunger. The goal of war is to win, whether that means you either stop fighting or one side won.

While growing up, José attended good schools, where he showed skill in math and joined the army as a cadet at the young age of eleven. By seventeen, he was a lieutenant and had seen action in North Africa and France.At the age of nineteen, he was serving with the Spanish navy, fighting the British on several occasions. At one point, his ship was captured, but he returned to Spain in a prisoner exchange. He fought in Portugal and at the blockade of Gibraltar, and rose swiftly in rank as he proved to be a skilled, loyal soldier. When France invaded Spain in 1806 he fought against them on several occasions, eventually rising to the rank of Adjutant-General.San Martin was a very successful soldier and war hero seemed the most unlikely of candidates to defect and join the insurgents in South America, but that's exactly what he did. San Martín accepted a modest command, but made the most of it, ruthlessly drilling his recruits into a coherent fighting force. In January of 1813, he defeated a small Spanish force that had been harassing settlements on the Parana River. This victory - one o f the first for Argentines against the Spanish - captured the imagination of the patriots, and before long San Martín was head of all of the armed forces in Buenos Aires. After his incredible victory, he became a part of a group called Lautaro Lodge, which was mainly dedicated to the liberty of Latin America( Jose De San

Unfortunately, many totalitarian governments of Hispanic descent found his ideas and literary inclinations rather alarming and dangerous to the community. As a result, José Martí was exiled from Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, and Venezuela. While exiled from these countries, he spent several years in New York. While there, he wrote for the New York Sun, taught school, and founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party.

In 1806, he was aware of the efforts that Francisco de Miranda undertook in Venezuela. Francisco was a Venezuelan revolutionary who helped in easing the way for independence in South America. This is when Simón Bolívar took the decision to return back to his home country Venezuela.

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).