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The Cuban Revolt*
Anti-Spanish sentiment in Cuba soon erupted inot a second war. A poet and journalist by the name of Jose Marti, exiled in New York, launched a revolution in 1895. He organized Cunban resistance against Spain. He used an active guerrilla campaign and deliberatly ruined property, especially American owned sugar mills and plantations. Without their revolt, no war would have ever started, Spain would never have given in to U.S. demands -
The Threat of War- General Valeriano Weyler
Spain responded to the Cuban revolt by sending Weyler to Cuba to restore order. Weyler didn't believe that military action would be sufficent and affective against the guerrilla actions, so instead he moved the entire rural population of central and western Cuba into concentartion camps. An estimated 300,000 Cubans filled these camps. Many died within two years form hunger and disease. -
The De Lome Letter
Then New York Journal published a private letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish minister to the United States. A Cuban rebel had stolen the the letter from Havana post office and leaked the letter to the newspaper. With the ris eof yellow journalism, the paper sucked the news right up and printed the letter. The letter criticized Presisdent McKinley for being weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd. -
The Explosion of the U.S.S. Maine
A few days after the publication of the letter, American resaentment toward Spain turned to "outrage". President McKInley had ordered the U.S.S. MAine to CUba to protect American lives and property. On the 15th, an explosion sent the ship's ammunition up and flames and the ship sank. With it's sinking, the Maine took more than 260 of the 350 lives on board. There was never any evidence to why the ship exploded. The newspapers published that the ship had been exploded by the enemy. -
The Approval of the War
After the Maine had been sunk, there was no holding back. It hadn't mattered that the Spanish had agreed to almost all of the American's wants. The Americans now wanted war. The public opion at the time was in thhe favor of war. Mckinley went to congress and asked for ther authority to use military force against Spain in order to bring peace to Cuba. After a week of debate, the congress approved. -
The Treaty of Paris
The U.S. and Spain signed n armistice ending the, "splendid little war." The fighting had only lasted 16 weeks. About 300,000 Americans had served in the war. A total of 5,400 men lost their lives, 379 from battle and the rest from disease or other causes. In the treaty the U.S. and Cuba decided that Cuba would be independent, Spain would give both Puerto Rico and the island of Guam to America, and that the U.S. would pay Spain $20 million for the annexation of the Philippine Islands.
