Transcript The Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War
“And shall our country let it pass, this deed of foul
interest. And shall our country dare believe it was
an accident? Come arm, we all, and let us teach a
lesson to bold Spain. We will avenge, by more
than speech the destruction of the Maine!”
Why it Matters? America’s interests/power were growing, but we still
remained reluctant to risk war with other powers to acquire colonies. This
changed in 1898 when America went to war with Spain.
Causes of the War
• Cuba
– By 1897:
• America entrepreneurs
dumped $50 million
into sugar cane
plantations
• Businessman saw this
as an opportunity
• Island was very
unstable and constantly
sought freedom from
Spanish rule
Cuba Libre!
Free Cuba
Cont…
• 1895-Cuban patriot
Jose Marti launched a
war for independence
from Spain
– Used guerrilla tactics
• Hit and Run raids
– Reaction from Spanish
• Herded rural population
into reconcentration
camps-Reconcentration
Plan
• As brutal Spanish
tactics intensified,
America sympathized
with the Cubans
The Yellow Press Inflames Opinion
• Joseph Pulitzer and
William Randolph Hearst
• Cartoon character Yellow
Kid
– Sensational headlines
– Exaggerating Spanish
atrocities
• McKinley sent Maine
– Feb 1898 Journal published
a private letter sent by
Spain’s US ambassador
• Called McKinley “a weak
and stupid politician”
• Headline read “Worst
Insult to the United States
in its history”
• Letter fueled jingoism
(aggressive nationalism)
Quick Assessment
• Why did many Americans favor the Cubans in
their struggle for independence from the Spanish?
• Why did many business people support Spain?
• How did the New York World and New York
Journal encourage U.S. citizens to support a war
against Spain?
• What are some circumstances that can prevent the
news media from presenting ideas objectively?
Quick Activity
• Suppose you are living in the United States
in 1898. Write letters to the editor of either
the New York World or the New York
Journal that explain why they think the
United States should or should not go to
war against Spain.
The Maine Blows Up
• 354 officers and crew
– 266 died
• Headlines
– “War? Sure!
• McKinley asked a special
naval board of inquiry to
investigate
– Mar 21, 1898
– Concluded: Mine had
destroyed the battleship
– Most people blamed Spain
The Nation goes to War
• War fever!
– “Remember the
Maine”
• Spain agreed to abolish
the concentration camps
• Too Late
– April 11, 1898McKinley asked
Congress to declare
war
• Congress enacted four
resolutions
– 4th one-Teller Amendment
• Stipulated that the U.S.
had no intention of
annexing Cuba
– Navy blocked Cuban ports
– 100,000 volunteers joined
the army
• Spanish response-WAR
American Troops Battle the Spanish
• Dewey takes the
Phillipines
– May 1, 1898
– 1 American died
– 400 Spanish sailors died
• In August, after 11,000 US
landed on the islandsSpanish troops
surrendered
– Filipino nationalist Emilio
Aguinaldo led Filipino
troops fighting for
independence
U.S. Forces Win in Cuba
• June 1898-US troops
landed in Cuba
• U.S. Marines captured
Guantanamo Bay
• Under William Shafter
stormed ashore in
Santiago
• Troops:
– Faced deplorable conditions
– Poorly trained & supplied
• Issued obsolete weapons
• Heavy wool uniforms not
suitable for Cubas climate
Cont…
• Gen. Shafter’s Army
– National Guard units
– African American 9th
& 10th calvary
• Theodore Roosevelt
– Rough Riders
– Resigned his post as
Asst. Secy of the Navy
– Gained fame-Battle of
San Juan hill
• “They followed their leader up the terrible hill from whose crest the
desperate Spaniards poured down a deadly fire of shell and musketry. They
never faltered…Their aim was splendid, their coolness was superb…The
war had not shown greater heroism”
Surrender
• Two days after San Juan
Hill
– Spanish navy made an
attempt to escape Santiago
harbor
– US forces blockaded the
harbor, destroyed the
Spanish fleet
– Spanish forces surrendered
– 3000 American died
• 380 from combat
• Others from disease such
as malaria and yellow
fever
Effects of the War
• Secy. Of State John
Hay referred to the
war as “a splendid
little war”
• Dilemma: What
should the US do with
Spain’s former
possessions?
The Treaty of Paris
• Dec 1898-Official end
of the war
– Spain gave up control
of Cuba, Puerto Rico,
and Guam
– Sold the Philippines to
the US for $20 million
– Teller amendment:
couldn’t annex Cuba,
but it did not apply to
the Philippines
Americans debate Imperialism
• McKinley
– America had no choice but
to:
• Take them all, and to
educate the Filipinos, and
uplift, and civilize them
– Imperialist
• Responsibility
• Island-stepping stone to
trade with China
– Anti-Imperialist
• Formed American AntiImperialist League
• Anti-Imperialist
– Crime
– Open disloyalty to the
distinctive principles of our
government
America Assumes a New Role
• William Jennings Bryan v.
McKinley/Roosevelt
ticket
• McKinley soundly
defeated Bryan
• Established US as an
imperialist empire and a
turning point in the history
of American foreign
policy