Transcript Cuba and the United States

Cuba and the United States
BFFs?
History

Cuba the last Latin American country to
achieve independence from Spain

Between 1868 and 1878 Cuba fought a war
with Spain ending in a truce whose peace
agreements Spain later ignored. (Ten Years
War)

In 1898, the USA declared war on Spain and
won. Spain cedes Cuba to the United States.
Independence

Cuba is officially declared an independent nation in 1902 with the
election of Tomas Estrada Palma.

The US Platt Amendment places Cuba under the protection of the
US government and gives the USA the right to intervene in Cuban
Affairs.

The Platt Amendment promised the US would withdraw troops
from Cuba provided seven promises were kept including “That the
government of Cuba consents that the United States may exercise
the right to intervene for the preservation of Cuban independence,
the maintenance of a government adequate for the protection of
life, property, and individual liberty, and for discharging the
obligations with respect to Cuba imposed by the treaty of Paris on
the United States, now to be assumed and undertaken by the
government of Cuba”

Between 1906 and 1934 when the Platt
Amendment was rewritten, the USA
intervened in Cuban sociopolitical crises
at least four times.

In 1904 President Theodore Roosevelt
also altered the Monroe Doctrine, stating
that the USA had the right to intervene in
Latin America in cases of "flagrant and
chronic wrongdoing by a Latin American
Nation

It is not true that the United States feels any land hunger or entertains any
projects as regards the other nations of the Western Hemisphere save
such as are for their welfare. All that this country desires is to see the
neighboring countries stable, orderly, and prosperous. Any country whose
people conduct themselves well can count upon our hearty friendship. If a
nation shows that it knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and
decency in social and political matters, if it keeps order and pays its
obligations, it need fear no interference from the United States. Chronic
wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the
ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require
intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the
adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the
United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or
impotence, to the exercise of an international police power. If every
country washed by the Caribbean Sea would show the progress in stable
and just civilization which with the aid of the Platt amendment Cuba has
shown since our troops left the island, and which so many of the republics
in both Americas are constantly and brilliantly showing, all question of
interference by this Nation with their affairs would be at an end.

-Theodore Roosevelt: “State of the Union Address” December 6th 1904

In 1934, Franklin D. Roosevelt rewrote the
Platt Amendment as the U.S.-Cuba Treaty of
Relations

Four of the seven “promises” were revoked,
leaving only the US’ right to maintain a
military base at Guantanamo Bay.

This was part of Roosevelt’s “Good
Neighbour” policy, which proposed nonintervention in Latin American affairs beyond
“counsel”. The “Good Neighbour” policy
would eventually be shelved in 1945 because
of the Cold War.

According to Samuel Farber, the US’s
continuous presence in Cuban affairs lead
to a kind of “fatalism” among the political
and governing classes.

“The principal weakness of the Cuban
capitalist class may have been its view of
the US government as its political
guarantor of last resort….nothing could
be done without US approval.” (Cuba
Since the Revolution of 1959
Jose Marti

Poet, journalist and statesman, born in
Havana in 1853.

Poet, Statesman, and Journalist,
concretized both Cuban and Latin
American identity in his writings.

Was arrested in 1868 for protesting the
practice of slavery in his writings.

Lived in exile in Spain and Mexico
following his arrest. Returned to Cuba in
1878
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Began writing articles for multiple Latin
American Newspapers including La
Nacion in Argentina.

One year after returning to Spain was
once again accused of trying to
overthrow the Spanish and was exiled to
New York

Marti’s time in New York was fruitful, he
discovered the poetic work of Walt
Whitman and honed his own lyrical style.
Published several works of poetry
including Versos de Cuba and Versos
Sencillos.

Political views were “Classical liberal”
believed in democracy, Cuban
independence and the abolishment of
slavery.

Was also extremely wary of the United
States’ influence on Cuba. In “Nuestra
America” he exhorts the Latin American
Nations to present a United front against
their northern neighbor. In the prologue
to Versos Sencillos, he condemns the US’
designs on Cuba in strong language.