...territory through wars and the struggle for independency in the colonies. They did manage however, to keep their main sources of power such as Puerto Rico and Cuba. During the 1890s, the United States became a world power itself. They sought out to deem nearby assets which included Cuba and Puerto Rico. The U.S had millions of dollars invested in business in Cuba. They had investments in the islands, sugar, tobacco and mining industries and public utilities. The U.S needed to maintain a strong political presence in Cuba in order to protect its economic interest. In 1895, Jose Marti and the Cuban Revolutionary Party lead a revolt against Spain. Sympathy rose high for the Cubans through the use of yellow journalism which documented what was occurring in Cuba. William Randolph Hearts, who dominated the newspaper in American, exploited and exaggerated the Spanish oppression of poor Cuba. The American public demanded that President McKinley do something about the situation, so he sent a naval fleet to Havana. A submarine mine exploded in Havana Harbor in Cuba, sinking the U.S. battleship Maine. Although it was never proven, America placed responsibility on Spain. “Remember the Maine!” became the war’s most famous slogan. Another incident that led to the increase of intensity between Spain and the U.S was the publication of a stolen letter in the New York Journal. The Spanish ambassador sent a letter which referred to President McKinley as “weak” and insulted him. Americans were outraged...
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..."The Spanish-American War of 1898 transformed the United States into a major overseas power" (Schultz, 2014). The major reasons for the Spanish-American War of 1898 were for a variety of humanitarian, geopolitical, and commercial causes. The Cubans strived for independence from the harsh treatment by the Spanish and in 1895, violence erupted, provoking an interracial rebellion between the Cubans and the Spanish government. The three-year-long war devastated the Cuban economy, which had impacted the Americans that were heavily invested in the Cuban sugar plantations. Despite the lack of support from the Cubans for the U.S. to enter the war, it became inevitable in February of 1898 after the U.S. intercepted a letter from Spain's U.S. Ambassador...
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...is over that the relationship we have seek that we have worked on fostering is not the U.S declaration on how it will intervene in the affairs of other American states. It’s all of our countries viewing one as equals, sharing responsibilities, cooperating on security issues, and adhering...
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...aimed towards creating a global presence on the world stage. The U.S.’s military interests to extend their control lead to their intentions of assimilating foreigners into the “best” culture because of the influence of the Progressive Movement that was taking place. Based off the idea of Social Darwinism and Anglo Saxon, this lead people to believing that the U.S. should civilize these “savages” through spreading Christianity and democracy. They assumed that they were the best race and that everyone else was uncivilized. Document C mentions that “the highest civilization will spread itself over the earth” and “this competition of races will be the survival of the fittest.” Josiah Strong arrogantly says this because he is a part of the American Home Missionary Society. He supports the fact of bringing their culture and religion to convert people of the “weaker” races. Document A also supports this idea because the uncivilized people are depicted as animals instead of human beings; however, they are also trying to show the negative effects of this process by the guy on the ground with his boots sticking out. This political cartoon shows that America is taking pride and patriotism in something that shouldn’t represent who we are. In order to protect commerce and maintain control of territories, the U.S. had to strengthen their military and naval power to compete with other powerful nations. Document D says, “if we are to hold our own in the struggle for naval...
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...center of Spanish-American conflicts. Since 1895, Cubans had been in open revolt against Spanish democratic rule. The next year, Spain sent General Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to put an end to the rebels. Citizens suspected in supporting independence were sent to concentration camps. Many people died in the concentration camps from malnutrition and disease however, not many were executed. When the new reached the American public they were outraged. At this time American’s received there headlines from publishers like William Randolph Hearst or Joseph Pulitzer know as yellow journalist. In February 1898, the relationship between the United States and Spain became even more strained, when a letter from the Spanish minister Dupuy de...
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...In the United States past, there was a policy called the Monroe Doctrine. The policy’s main goal was to limit Europe to invading our country. One reason to make this policy is to not interfere with Europe and it's concerns. Another is about Europe trying to extend their country to North and South America, and we’ll defend those countries. The last reason is that if Europe tries to come to our countries, we will see it as a threat. The one reason that the Monroe Doctrine was made is so we don’t interfere with any of its concerns, because we are it's enemy and heroes don't help enemies, do they? “..which is, not to interfere in the internal concerns of any of it's powers… (Excerpt, Monroe Doctrine)”. This quote from the excerpt tells us that...
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...Johnson Mr. Son Mai History 202 September 14, 2011 America’s Greedy Actions The late 19th century was a time when the United States was going through many changes, causing most of the citizens to be greedy for money, land and many other things. During this time period, the Civil War had just ended and reconstruction was taking place. Reconstruction meant improvement in the government and an entire new lifestyle. Because America had new methods of labor, founded natural resources worth a lot of money, and new land to work with, they became greedy and wanted more of whatever they had. In the 19th century, several immigrants came to America for jobs, which led to what is known as today “cheap labor.” Being that so many immigrants were coming across the border for money, every one of them were opposing against each other, causing the outcome to be people working for little pay and the companies were making more money. Greedy Americans would make them work close to ten hours a day for six days a week, while their pay was between a range of ten to twenty cents an hour, depending on each one of their abilities. Because of this, many organizations and unions formed and strikes came about to show Americans that they will not make the middle class their slave. The Knights of Labor, founded by Uriah Smith Stephens, was an organization that accepted skilled and unskilled workers, women, and black people. This association called for eight hours of labor a day, however; this eliminated any...
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...WAR IMMINENT: Spain and America to Fight After a recent publication in our sister publication, the New York Journal, a letter from the Spanish Minister de Lome to President McKinley, tensions rose to a point of combustion. Citizens all over the United States have complained about the insulting message contained within the letter from the Minister. This letter ridiculed McKinley, and lead to the eventual resignation of this Spanish Minister de Lome. Another catalyst that added to growing American distaste for the Spanish was the destruction of the battleship, the USS Maine. Although the source remains unknown for sure, we’re positive here at The Chronicle that the dastardly Spaniards committed this heinous crime. Many valuable American lives, as well as other less valuable foreign lives, were lost due to the explosion onboard the gunship. This blatant attack on an American Naval vessel is definite grounds for a war with the Spaniards. In response to the attack on the Maine, the United States Congress has raised an emergency fund of $50 million for President McKinley to do with as he pleases in order to fight the war that they declared also following the destruction of the Maine. Congress, through this declaration of war, desired to repay the indignation bestowed upon the US by Spain and to also help free the Spanish colonies of Guam, Cuba, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. The main catalyst that escalated this war was very much to the “Yellow Journalism” produced by such newspapers...
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...Andrew Watterson John Brown University 3/6/2013 American imperialism is believed to have truly begun in 1898 when America fought the Spanish in order to obtain Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The Spanish-American War was during the presidential administration of President McKinley. It was caused by the sinking of the U.S. battleship, USS Maine, in Havana harbor in 1898. War was declared and the United States won quickly. Under the treaty of the U.S. acquired Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines from Spain in return for $20 million. Later on President McKinley was assassinated in 1901 and vice president Theodore Roosevelt stepped up to fill his role as commander and chief. Now that the American army was a worldwide force to be reckoned with, and a headstrong, powerful leader was in control, the tone was set for an American empire to be formed. A glimpse into the newspaper articles of this era will help illuminate the thoughts of the American people’s thoughts of an empirical nation. In the all stages of the American empire, there have always been mixed feelings of the idea, that either it would be a commercial success and a glorious thing for the nation, where as others suggested that we were no better than the British empire that we broke away from. “It is pointed out that such an empire would be the greatest the world has ever seen, and, the possessions that America has won from Spain during the present war, it would be a federation the equal in extent of even...
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...Modern America (1890’s) >Civil war (1861-1865) Fredrick Jackson Turner >Speech at the Chicago world’s tour fair (1893) “And new, four centuries from the discovery of America, at the end of a hundred years of life under the constitution, the frontier has gone, and with its going has closed the first period of American history.” Modern Corporation (Began in 1850’s) Charter from a state Capital- Sale of stocks Limited personal liability Civil war Swift Meats Borden Dairy and groceries Carnegie – R.R’s and Steel Andrew Carnegie wrote in 1886 “if I asked what important law I should change, I would say none the laws are perfect” 1860 | 1900 Number of Americans 31 mill | 70 Mill Manufactured Goods 2 bill | 11 bill Miles of Rail Roads 30,000 | 200,00 Iron and Steel Production 0 | World’s largest Number of Industrial workers2.7Mill (40% of entire U.S. Population )|13 mill (65% of U.S. Population) America As A world Power ( the 1890’s) >European “imperialism” v American Imperialism (trade economic advantage) >from 1870-1900 America’s New Empire {18 Million square miles (1/5 of the earth’s land)~ 150 million people} >The 1875 Economic Depression Overseas markets for American goods (unemployment) >Need to sell a broad 70 % U.S. cotton / 40% U.S. wheat /50% U.S. copper /15% U.S. iron steel / 16% U.S. agricultural equipment to find overseas buyers – U.S. State...
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...mind its own business and only get involved in global politics when events threatened to directly affect the country's security. All this, though, would change by the late 1890's. When William McKinley took the office of president in 1897, a gradual change in the mindset of the United States populace, which had been fermenting since the end of the Civil War, was about to reach it's realization. While there were still many voices which supported inward looking policy and a non-involvement stance when it came to the international arena, the pendulum had swung toward a populace which viewed itself and it's country with a great sense of pride and self-importance, which would soon be exercised. When rebellion against Spanish rule again flared up in Cuba in 1895 (largely due to the detrimental economic effects of US tariff policies concerning imported Cuban sugar), many clamored for the United States to become involved. McKinley, though, did not want to entangle the country in any international disputes and thus acted cautiously. Even with the sinking of the US naval vessel, the Maine, in 1898 and negative remarks made by the Spanish minister to Washington, which referred to McKinley as "weak and a bidder for the admiration of the...
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...| The Spanish American War | | | Juan Jimenez | 12/1/2012 | Historia de Puerto Rico | The Spanish American War was fought in 1898 between the United States and Spain. Spain was a colonial power at the time, holding many territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. Revolts against Spanish rule were taking place in many of these territories. In Cuba and in the Philippines, the seeds of revolution were steadily growing. The United States found themselves in a position to assist these people with their fight for independence and to gain some land and power in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. It has long been thought that the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor was the catalyst that propelled the US into war with Cuba. I have found evidence that the US entered into war for a different reason. My research has led me to believe that the spread of disease, especially yellow fever, from Cuba into the US was the true reason for the American declaration of war against Spain. The sinking of the Maine has historically been accepted to be the cause of the US entering into war. It can be argued that it was, but, was the sinking really caused by the Spanish? There is no conclusive evidence that it was or was not. The Maine was sent to Havana Harbor in January of 1898. The ship, along with other US military vessels, was used to help blockade the port. This would keep the Spanish fleet from replenishing supplies and weapons to quell the...
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...American Imperialism PPT Questions 1. Give two examples of US imperialism in the Pacific Ocean -Commodore Matthew Perry takes naval fleet to Japan -US send the Marine Corp to help overthrow Hawaiian Queen 2. Why did the United States want to help Cuba rebel against Spain “Yellow Journalism” was responsible for support 3. Describe “Yellow Journalism” Sensational reporting, exaggerated or even made up stories 4. What two events were responsible for starting the Spanish – American War The De Lome Letter Explosion of the USS Maine 5. List the 2 fronts that the United States fought on during the Spanish – American War 1. Cuba – Caribbean 2. Philippines - Pacific 6. What Treaty ended the Spanish – American War, what did the United States gain Treaty of Paris 1898; Guam (Pacific) and Puerto Rico (Caribbean) 7. Describe the Teller Amendment The Teller Amendment was passed before the Spanish American War. Stated: US would not annex Cuba, even if it won the war against Spain 8. List the four provision of the Platt Amendment 1. Cuba will not have the power to make treaties with any other nation 2. United States will be allowed to build naval bases in Cuba 3. Cuba will not be allowed to go into debt with any other nation 4. United States can intervene at any time to help keep Cuba independent 9. Define: Open Door Policy, Big Stick Diplomacy, Roosevelt Corollary, & Monroe Doctrine • Open Door Policy - All nations will have access...
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...SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR There were several long-term factors that contributed to the outbreak of hostilities in the Spanish-American War. One of these factors dealt with sugar production. Sugar production, the backbone of the island’s prosperity, was crippled when the American tariff of 1894 restored high duties on the toothsome product. (David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Mel Piehl, The Brief American Pageant, 8th Edition, Wadsworth: Cengage Learning, 2012. 442) These sugar markets went sour in 1890 when the McKinley Tariff Act raised barriers against the Hawaiian product. White American planters’ mounting efforts to secure annexation by the United States were blocked by Queen Liliuokalani, who insisted that native Hawaiians should control the islands. Another long-term factor that contributed to the start of the Spanish-American War was the Explosion of the Maine in February 15, 1898. This explosion encouraged and amplified by the “yellow press” the outcry over the tragedy of the Maine, which helped to drive the country into an impulsive war against Spain. (David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Mel Piehl, The Brief American Pageant, 8th Edition, Wadsworth: Cengage Learning, 2012. 442) Two-hundred and sixty sailors loss their lives when the Maine mysteriously blew up in Havana Harbor. There were two different open investigations inquiring about this explosion; one by U.S. naval officers and the other by Spanish officials. In 1976, the U.S. Navy Admiral H. G....
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...• “The war of 1898 turned the United States into an imperial nation” (Hewitt, Lawson 630). The US. wanted to expend its power so they sought to compete with European countries for even bigger and stronger power (Hewitt, Lawson 630). Central American canal was built which allowed faster connection to Asian markets and helped the US. Navy to transfer between two oceans much easier and effective (Hewitt, Lawson 630). The other canal-Panama Canal was under American control as well, which was opened to sea traffic (Hewitt, Lawson). Wars were a big chance for expansion by increasing economics. In Cuba, they had a perfect opportunity to develop their market by using precious resources. Also, Conquer the Philippines, has grown the expansion, by good geographical connection with China. All in all, I would say that the wars were the first and the most important steps that allowed the US. to take next steps to become premier world power. • Compare and contrast the foreign policies of Presidents Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson and explain how they impacted (supported or detracted from) American expansion?...
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