The Spanish American War Was A Conflict Between Spain And America

The first cause of the Spanish American War was the yellow journalism. The yellow journalism was written to enrage readers about Valeriano Weyler’s brutality. Some of the things that was said was the children were thrown to the sharks. This caused America’s sympathy for Cuba to grow larger.

Spanish - American WarTopic: Spanish American WarQuestion: How did the Spanish - American war start?Thesis: Getting treated badly by one another.The causes of the Spanish-American War relates directly to Cuba, and the sinking of the ships such as the U.S.S. Maine. 1In 1895, Cuba was extremely out of control and not organized at all , and was beginning to go against Spain. The American people were very disgusted in the way the cuban citizens were treated and by the way the Spanish treat the Cubans in the beginning of the Spanish - American war. The Cuban’s soon adopted a conception that the more damage that they did to the Cuban mainland, the faster the Spanish would leave Cuba, and the Americans would then help the Cubans to win their independence against the Spain. After they win their independence they would then be free without being mistreated by the Spaniards.The Americans soon came to Cuba in a try to help and assist the Cubans in their fight for freedom.2 The Spanish intervention with Cuba threatened the trade routes that America had near, and with Cuba. By helping the Cuban’s America would be saving itselfs economy because this would be the way to greatness . During this time you must remember that the U.S had a new and 1 https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/2 https://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id=7

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.

In the mid-1800s, Spain ruled the island of Cuba. the United States, at that time, received most of Cuba's exports, and they supported the Cuban independence movement; if Cuba was independent, then the United States would benefit from the country. Soon, the big U.S. presses, such as The New York Journal and The New York World, knew that the event was in the people's feelings. They sensationalized their headlines and graphic features to attract readers, which soon was known as "yellow journalism". The press also knew a lot of the reader's interests, and they exaggerated their news. During the January of 1898, the United States sent the USS Maine, which is a battleship, to Havana, which is the capital of Cuba, in order to halt the riots between

President Mckinely knew that they had to protect Cuba because they were so heavily involved. The United States would also benefit from this because Cuba and the Philippines were essential for trade and business. The sugar market and tobacco trade was very much affected by the revolution that was happening in Cuba. This made the Americans quick to act. This gave them another reason to get involved with foreign affairs.

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 Cuban people were in need of dire help, their citizens dying on the streets and in concentration camps. The U.S looked from afar, debating whether it was the right thing to do to get involved in a foreign conflict. Despite the majority of Americans wanting to go to war and defend the rights of the Cuban people, whether it was opinion conceived from yellow journalism, political influences or just a humanitarian responsibility, McKinley did not want any part in this war and he fought barrier after barrier to resolve the matter peacefully. When the extensive negotiations failed with the prideful Spanish, and after the Maine sinking, the De Lôme Letter, and increasing political and social pressure, McKinley finally saw no other way to resolve this matter than by war. Kagan believes that McKinley entered this war on an agenda of helping the Cuban people with their independence from Spain and stopping the brutal concentration camps and cruel policies of Weyler and the Spanish. Although I agree with this, I also believe that a secondary motive of wanting to get involved was because Cuba had many “negro” leaders and people living on the island. Politicians didn’t want colored people taking charge of the country so they deemed them unfit to govern themselves as Kagan puts it “[Cuban people] were unfit for democracy and incapable of establishing a stable and reliable

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

During the twentieth century the United States of America became involved with three major conflicts that resulted in the nation shifting from a regional power into a global power. Through these conflicts the United States grew territorially, economically and industrially. Foreign policies were altered to allow the United States to gain ground on the world stage and to make their mark on the world. Through careful analysis of primary sources and scholarly document s it is clear to see that the United States involvement in the Spanish American war was the first step for the United States to grow on the world stage. The American victory in the war led to the acquisition of island territories and expanded economic and military capabilities in the both the western and eastern hemisphere as well as an increased involvement in Asia. World War I ended with American democratic ideals to be spread all across Europe. Led by President Woodrow Wilson, the United States led a one sided foreign policy that used intervention, peace treaties and military intervention to endorse international order. Despite a limited role in the war President Wilson was able to outline the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations and both of their presences can be found today.

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.

Spain treated Cuban revolutionaries horribly and yellow journalism-exaggerated news articles about the happenings in Cuba- emotionally affected Americans and swayed them in considering to help Cuba. The final draw that convinced the United States to intervene and go to war was the sinking of the military ship, the U.S.S Maine. The Ship exploded in Cuba and blame was put onto Spain. After the war ended, Cuba gained independence and the United States gained the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico. The war established that the United States was now a world power and furthered the U.S’s expansion overseas to the Caribbean, Central America and Asia(Document

The immediate causes for the declaration of the Spanish-American War are much more important than the underlying causes of the War. The immediate cause of the Spanish-American war was the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor. The long-term cause of the Spanish American War is the Yellow Journalism, Cuban economics, and the political roles made by President William Mckinley. All of the roles made by him went back to the reason the war started. The Yellow Journalism helped to create a conducive outbreak of conflict and expansion of U.S. influence overseas, but it did not cause the war. The main immediate cause of the Spanish American War was On February 15, 1898 the U.S S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor which left many dead. The U.S. S. Maine was not a monumental war, but President McKinley wanted to declare war against spain. Therefore, they invaded Cuba. The Americans, Cubans, and Spaniards were all involved. The Americans wanted to help take the Cubans out of Concentration Camps.

American people wanted Spaniards to clear out of American hemispheres. Spain would not leave Cuba so the Americans wanted war with them. Spanish, American, and Cuban diplomats began to meet quietly to solve their differences. The Maine was a U.S. battleship that sailed to Cuba to pick up Americans incase there was any trouble. The ship suddenly exploded and 260 sailors were killed. American experts said that the ship hit a mine, while the Spaniards said that it happened from the inside.

With many people losing their investments and a country in war so close to Florida, the United States media was over polluting with anti-Spanish thoughts. Yellow Journalism was the act of producing media with little fact and just emotions. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Heart started this type of media that took the US by storm. When American spies captured a letter by Spanish US Ambassador, stating that President McKinley was not strong enough to attack Spain, the media was furious. Along with this, the USS Maine was believed to be destroyed by the Spanish, which only intensified the US public.

"American imperialism in 1898 was not a sudden abandonment of anti-colonial tradition but was a logical extension of commercial expansion, something the US had been doing throughout its history" (SparkNotes: The Spanish American War, 1898-1901,: Effects of the Treaty). President McKinley was not interested in wars of conquest or of territorial aggression. His interest in expansion was "to make the United States first in international commerce and as a means to implement its humanitarian and democratic goals" (Faragher, J., Buhle, M. J., & Armitage, S. H. ,2008, Out of Many, A History of the American People, 6th ed., Vol. 2, p. 561). McKinley would eventually be forced to act in a humanitarian effort for the people of Cuba and to protect