...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...
Words: 994 - Pages: 4
...| 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...
Words: 1015 - Pages: 5
...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....
Words: 471 - Pages: 2
...The War of 1898, also known as the Spanish-American War, was sparked on April 25, 1898. Three causes of this war were the United States support for Cuba's independence, yellow journalism, to protect U.S. business interests in Cuba, and the sinking of the USS. Maine. These all helped spark the war that would give Cuba its independence when the war would conclude. The United States supported the fight with Cubans for their independence from the Spanish. Cuban revolts all started with the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894. This American tariff put restrictions on sugar imports to the United States that severely hurt the economy of Cuba because they were based on producing and selling sugar. Spain sent in General "Butcher" Weyler to stabilize the situation...
Words: 450 - Pages: 2
..."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...
Words: 327 - Pages: 2
...A war started because Cuba wanted to be Independent from Spain. United States didn't like how Spain was treating the Cubans. The harsh manner and use of concentration camps. An explosion of the USS Maine, and the defeat of the Spanish navy. The future president who fought in the first U.S Army Cavalry. How did all this play out? Because of Napoleon's meddling with Spain's New World's territory, Cuba became neglected and to fend on it's own. Cuba wanted Independence from Spain, but it got a war out of it instead. The Cuban's had a small force of badly-trained, poorly-armed, rebels, compared to the army that Spain had. Spain were not merciful, they put the Cuban's in concentration camps. About 200,000 – 400,000 Cuban's died in the camps, which had little food and not the cleanness place ever....
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...history there have been many wars in which different parties were fighting for either freedom or territory and in the Spanish American War both Spain and the United States were in conflict for both. The Spanish American War began in April 1898 and ended August 1898 which was a brief rivalry between Spain and the United States that led to the death of three hundred and seventy-nine Americans . The United States found themselves intervening in Cuba’s fight for independence against Spain after President McKinley and the queen of Spain tried their best to keep a war from even happening. This has changed the countries future which some may say that it was a worthy entity or others thought it was a bad thing. As a result, they did indeed...
Words: 1164 - Pages: 5
...As wars go, the Spanish-American War (1898) was neither very long, nor extremely violent. It was nothing like the horrible Civil War (1861-1865) that the US had fought a few decades earlier, or the total warfare of World War I (1914-1918). Yet, the Spanish-American War had considerable historical significance. American success against Spain took many European powers by surprise, Demonstrating that the US had become a world power. For the US, perhaps the war was too successful or too easy, instilling an optimism about war in the American public, which was quick to forget just how horrible the Civil War had been. As a further result of the war, US national pride soared, and nationalism and jingoism peaked. The US took a first successful step...
Words: 276 - Pages: 2
...The Spanish American War was between the United States and Spain. The Spanish American War ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America (HISTORY). This war showed just how strong the U.S. was and showed how far america has come. The war started because the Cubans wanted independence from Spain. Jose Marti was the one who began the war for independence in 1895. The USS Maine was a battleship that was in Cuba's Havana Harvest which exploded and killed almost all of the people who were on the ship. The explosion of the USS Maine contributed to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898 (militaryhistory). Because of the explosion on the USS Maine...
Words: 526 - Pages: 3
...In Spain In Our Hearts, Americans In The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939, author Adam Hochschild describes the escapades of Americans during the Spanish Civil War. For three years during the 1930's the Spanish Civil War dominated headlines in America and around the world. Volunteers flooded into Spain to help its democratic government fight off a right-wing coup led by Francisco Franco and aided by Hitler and Mussolini. It was a shockingly brutal war, but it was soon overshadowed by the world war that it helped introduce. Today it is remembered through just a few classic accounts: Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, George Orwell's memoirs, Robert Capa's photographs. But in Spain...
Words: 286 - Pages: 2
...Theodore Roosevelt was not only our president but he was also an american war hero leading the rough riders in the Spanish American war. Before they recruited every one through volunteer the group was originally supposed to consist of men from native American territory such as New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. The group consisted of 1,250 cowboys, Indians, and college students. They participated in many important battles in the war. During the Spanish American war the Rough Riders got most of the publicity out of the whole unit. They were involved in the capture of Kettle Hill. But they couldn’t have all the publicity and the Rough Riders had a very intelligent leader. Theodore Roosevelt trained and supplied with the help of Colonel Leonard...
Words: 505 - Pages: 3
...This essay will discuss the reason why the United States became involved in the Spanish American War. There will also be comments on Theodore Roosevelt’s connection to the war. Lastly mentions why historian now call the war the Spanish-American-Filipino War. Spanish American War which took place in 1898, was the United States first time broke the geographic boundaries and began to set goals to make itself one of most powerful countries in the world in 20th century. From isolating to expansion the Spanish American War led America into the modern era. The War was a symbol that the United States was rising power. The Spanish American War was a War which launched in order to raid the Spanish colonies. At that time, the Philippines not only had the important economic value but also was the strategic base of America so it was important to occupy the Philippines. On February 15th the American vessel the Maine sunk in Havana harbor, and the United States seized the chance as an excuse to began to take military actions to declare war to Spain. This fact was overlooked at the time. “Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!” was said by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. This is thought to be the rallying cry used to propel Congress into a declaration of war. Theodore Roosevelt kept on President Mckinley and others that if War came to be that he wanted to leave from behind the desk in Washington and head to the front to fight. He contacted both General Tillinghast and General...
Words: 748 - Pages: 3
...Kenneth Wong 1 Mr. Hackett Section 001 SpanishAmerican War Wong Throughout the spanish american war and even before it began, until the end of the spanishamerican war the newspaper had the power to heavily influence the choices people made. It started with industrial revolution at the turn of the 19th century as the United States became the number one leading manufacturer and foremost industrial power in the world, jobs became harder to do and competition for their jobs grew. There were two people who controlled the newspapers at the time, Joseph Pulitzer of New York World and William Randolph Hearst, the editor of the New York Journal and they competed in the Newspaper business. Their competition lead to yellow journalism, which is an exaggerated way of reporting news in order to gain readership, profits, and influence. The conflict between spain and cuba for cuban independence and yellow journalism grew during this period allowing the influence of newspapers to once again grow. The USS Maine, in havana harbor on February 15th, 1898 caused the SpanishAmerican War. To protect American citizens, the USS Maine was sent to cuba to keep out the cuban revolution or in order words, national security. When the explosion happened, the immediate question for Americans was whether or not this was done by spain. Joseph Pulitzer, the editor of the New York World published in February 17, 1898, a newspaper under the headlines “USS Maine explosion caused by bomb or torpedo...
Words: 1156 - Pages: 5
...The Opposition to the War The Spanish-American war had two sides to the conflict. The side that was mostly publicize by the media was how important the war was to our country and how we supported Cuba and the Philippines. The opposing side of the war was shadowed by harsh media coverage of supporters for the war. Many people are unaware that there was an organization officially against Imperialism. In this organization there were many known figures who had voiced their opinions on expansion. Opposition of the Spanish-American War was rarely heard of due to the overpowering reactions to yellow journalism. Yellow journalism was the expression used for reporters who would travel to Cuba and write false articles of the events that were taking...
Words: 486 - Pages: 2
...America has justified its rise as a world power from the Spanish-American War through WWII by showing their determination to be economically strong as a country and set a standard for other countries. America has justified their imperialist practices by portraying a democracy ran country that focuses on peace, power, and being an example of peace for the rest of the world. And also by showing its strengths politically with Pearl Harbor, militarily with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and economically with the Executive Order 9066. Spanish American War relates to this would be when President Mckinley wanted to step in to help Cuba against Spain (The White Man’s Burden). America was powerful enough to gain control of those countries. They...
Words: 733 - Pages: 3
