-
The U.S had wanted to purchase Cuba for a long time but it wasn't until 1854 that they attempted to buy it from Spain. Spain responded, however, that they would rather see Cuba sink into the Ocean.
-
-
The Cuban's rebelled against Spain between 1868 and 1878, their rebellion was unsuccessful, however, the Cubans convinced Spain to abolish slavery in 1886
-
José Martí was a Cuban poet and journalist who began a revolution in 1985. He organized Cuban resistance against Spain, destroying American-owned sugar mills and plantations to anger the United States and cause them to join their forces to help Cuba become independent.
-
Weyler's actions started a firestorm in the newspaper world. Two newspaper tycoons Hearst and Pulitzer had a circulation war during this time, each trying to outdo the other, they exaggerated stories of the happenings in Cuba. This type of journaling that is made to entice the readers is known as yellow journalism.
-
In an attempt to restore order in Cuba, a man by the name of Valeriano Weyler was sent to Cuba by Spain. He tried to control the rebellion by putting the entire rural population of central and western Cuba into concentration camps, an estimated 300, 000 Cubans occupied theses camps. Thousands died from hunger and disease.
-
In February 1898, however, the New York Journal published a private letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lôme. This letter had been stolen by a Cuban rebel and was given to the newspaper. Once published this letter infuriated many Americans as it was a mockery of their President, calling him “weak” and “a bidder for the admiration of the crowd.” The Spanish government was mortified and Enrique resigned but the American people were still very angry and this gave them another reason to join the war.
-
Early in 1898, President McKinley had commanded the USS Maine to Cuba to bring American citizens who were in danger because of the fighting home, however, on February 15, 1898, in the harbor of Havana the ship exploded, killing more than 260 men. This turned American anger to outrage, the newspapers fanned the fire with rumors that the Spanish had blown the ship up but the real cause was unknown
-
One of the most famous land battles was The Battle of San Juan Hill. On July 1st the Rough Riders and two African-American regiments, the Ninth and Tenth Cavalries charged up nearby kettle hill That victory helped clear the way for an infantry attack on San Juan Hill, which was strategically important to winning the war. Although Roosevelt played a very small part in this battle, he was deemed the hero.
-
Two days after San Juan Hill, the Spanish navy tried to escape the American blockade and a naval battle ensued. The entire Spanish fleet was destroyed.
-
After the defeat of the Spanish fleet, the American troops, encouraged by the victory, captured Puerto Rico on July 25th.
-
On the 12th of August, an Armistice was signed by Spain and the United States agreeing to a cease-fire. This signaled the end of what John Hay the secretary of state called "A splendid little war." for, in truth, the actual fighting had lasted for only 15 weeks.
-
The Treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, 1898, in Paris. However, after the signing, a great debate arose: what to do with the Philipines. The United States had the power to annex the Philipines, however, imperialism was at play. President McKinley tried to cover it up by saying " “that there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all [the Philippine Islands], and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and Christianize them.” Yet the Philipinos had been Christian for centuries.
-
After meeting to talk about a peace treaty, Spain freed Cuba and turned over the islands of Guam in the Pacific and Puerto Rico in the West Indies to the United States. They also sold the Philipines to the U.S for $20 million dollars.
-
On the night of April 30, the naval fleet snuck into Manila Bay, waiting to attack until morning, on April 1, the call for open fire rang out from Commodore George Dewey, and the Spanish fleet was destroyed. This victory allowed for the U.S troops to land in the Philipines
-
All the stops were pulled, nothing could stop the U.S from declaring war, even Spain agreeing to almost everything the U.S demanded including a six-month ceasefire. Despite Spain's attempts, public opinion favored war, and, after a week-long debate, Congress agreed and the U.S declared war on April 20.
-
Admiral William T. Sampson, using a naval blockade, secured the Spanish Fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba.
-
American forces landed in Cuba in June of 1998 and converged in Santiago. The army consisted of four African-American regiments of the regular army and the Rough Riders.
