The Spanish-American War
Causes of the war:
- Cuban rebellion
- Yellow Press
- The Maine
Cuban Rebellion:
Spain's imperial nation was declining; its formally huge empire diminished into a few possessions, including the Philippine Islands and the Caribbean Islands. In Cuba, Americans had invested $50 million into sugar cane plantations. Although America saw Cuba as a place for America to conquer, the Cubans were extremely unhappy and unstable. Cubans were rebelling left and right against Spanish rule. José Martí was a notary Cuban rebel who launched a war for Cuban independence from Spain. The Cubans used guerrilla tactics (hit and run) in order to beat Spain. Spain did not like this; General Valeriano Weyler decided he would put Cuban rebels into reconcentration camps and deprive them of essential needs. Most died in these camps from disease and starvation. The most USA was in support of the rebels, while some (mostly business men) were worried about the economic struggles that would come from this.
Yellow Press:
Two men, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, really inflamed the dislike of the Spanish government through their newspapers. Their publications, including a comic strip called The Yellow Kid, were called the Yellow Press. These writes exaggerated Spanish atrocities and compared the Cuban rebels to the American patriots. William McKinley told the Spanish government to cease or else he would order the Maine to protect the American citizens in Cuba. The Journal wrote a derogatory letter against McKinley, and it really fueled the Americans with nationalism. This is called jingoism, or aggressive nationalism. This event ruined relations with Spain.
The Maine:
After the Journal the nasty letter about McKinley, a massive explosion of unknown origin occurred on the USS Maine in Cuba's Havana Harbor. 260 out of the 400 men aboard were killed. The ship was sent to Cuba just to visit and check on the Americans living there. The Yellow Press stirred the pot and blamed it on the Spanish. The country wanted war, but the president wasn't so sure. He decided to investigate. The investigation proved that the boat was blown up by a mine, and the US called a declaration of war. Within 3 months, the US nearly defeated Spain.
Effects of the war
- Treaty of Paris 1898
- America's New World Role
Treaty of Paris 1898
Representatives from the USA and Spain met on October 1, 1898 in Paris to create a treaty to end this war of 6 months. Although this conference mainly concerned Cuba and debt questions, the major conflict was what to do with the Philippines. George Dewey went into Manila Bay in order to conquer the Philippines for the USA. Spain was armed and ready to fight, but lost epically to the US navy. Simultaneously, Emilio Aguinaldo was fighting against Spain just like Cuba did. Admiral Dewey's victory for the US opened up the pacific to the USA. Spain was not ready to give over the Philippines to the USA as a victory prize quite yet, but eventually they submitted due to no other options. The USA ended up paying 20 million dollars for the Philippines; it included Guam Puerto Rico. Cuba became a US protectorate. The treaty was signed December 10, 1898.
America's New World Role
In the 1900's, Bryan ran against McKinley for the presidential position. McKinley won, because he took TR as his running mate. The president's reelection symbolized America's continuing faith in his imperialist policies . This war expanded USA's horizons incredibly. The US had an empire and a new stature in world affairs. The USA now also had access to to establish its predominance in the Caribbean region, and the US could also pursue economic and strategic interests in Asia. This war marked a turning point in history of American foreign policy.