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U.S. Attempts to Purchase Cuba
In 1854, diplomats recommended to President Franklin Pierce that the U.S. should purchase Cuba from Spain. The Spanish resounded to this by saying, "We would rather see Cuba sink the ocean." This did not deter Americans from having an interest in Cuba. When Cuban's rebelled against Spain in 1868 to 1878 American's had great sympathy over the Cuban people. -
Cuba's First War for Independence
Cuba's First War for Independence was also know as the 10 years war. Cubans rebelled against Spain between 1868 and 1878. The Cuban revolt against Spain was not successful, but in 1886 Cuban people did force Spain to abolish slavery. After abolishing slavery in Cuba American capitalists began investing millions of dollars in large plantations of sugar cane on the island. -
José Martí led Cuba's Second War for Independence
José Martí was a Cuban journalist who launched a revolution in 1895. Martí organized Cuban resistance opposing the Spanish, using the guerrilla campaign and deliberately destroying property. The properties that were destroyed was American owned sugar mills and plantations. Martí was trying to provoke U.S. to interfere with Cuba and Spain, so then Cuba could achieve a free Cuba. -
Valeriano Weyler was sent to Cuba by Spain
In 1896, Spain responded to the rise in rebellion in Cuba by sending General Weyler to restore order in Cuba. Weyler tried to stop the rebellion in Cuba by putting the whole central and western rural population into concentration camps that were surrounded by barbed wire. In these concentration camps Cuban civilians could not provide aid to the rebel, so many of them died due to diseases and starvation. These camps were inhuman because of the conditions that the Cuba rebels lived in. -
The Yellow Press begun to shape American public opinion with respect to Cuba's Civil War.
The Yellow Press would exaggerated news stories to lure people in to want to pay attention to what is going on in the war. People believed that they stories that the press was putting out were true. They were somewhat true but they were exaggerated a lot. Some of the Newspapers where the New York Journal by William Hearst and the New York World by Joseph Pulitzer. The two writers helped people to get more interested into the Spanish American War. -
Publication of the De Lome Letter
In February, 1898, the New York Journal published a private letter that was written by Enrique Dupuy de Lome who was the Spanish Minister to the U.S. When the letter was sent, a Cuban rebel stole it from a Havana post office. The rebel then leaked it to the New York Journal to be published. In the letter, Enrique criticized McKinley by calling him "a bidder admiration for the crowd" and "weak". This made many Americans angry. The Spanish government apologized, and the minister resigned. -
Explosion of the U.S.S. Maine
The U.S.S. Maine was a ship that President McKinley ordered to Cuba to save American Citizens that were in danger because of the fighting in Cuba. On February, 15,1898, the ship was blown up in the Havana harbor. Over 260 men were killed due to the ship blowing up. At the time of the ship blowing up no one knew who had done it. American Newspaper claimed that it was the Spanish but no one knows for sure. There then was an award that was put out if someone found the Spanish responsible ($50,000). -
U.S. Declares war on Spain
The U.S. believes that there is no reason to hold back from the war due to the U.S.S Maine blowing up. On April 11, President McKinley asked Congress for the authority to use forces against Spain. After a week of decision-making congress decided on April 20th to declare war on Spain. -
Naval Blockade of Cuba
On April 22, 1898, Admiral William T. Sampson sailed his ships to Cuba to begin the Naval Blockade around Cuban Shorelines. Sampson was pressured due to having to to cover 2,000 miles of Shoreline with just 26 ships. Sampson was not able to have a complete blockade from the start but eventually his squadron grew to 124 ships. -
U.S. Attack on Manila Bay
On May, 1, 1898, Admiral Dewey attack Manila Bay. Dewey attacked Manila Bay on his flag ship, the Olympian. The goal of the attack on Manila Bay was to destroy the Spanish fleet. Dewey attacked early on May 1, defeating the Spanish fleet with minimal injuries to his crew. The victory that day showed how strong the U.S. Navy really was. -
U.S. Invades Cuba
The U.S. Invasion of Cuba occurred on June 22, 1898. The U.S.S. Maine was one of the main causes of the war. A great deal of Americans had volunteered to fight in the Spanish American War. The soldiers were sent to training camps. When they arrived at the camps they found out that their was not enough room on the ships for all of them. About only 15,000 soldiers could board the ships. Their also wan't enough capacity for all the supplies. The soldiers had to wear heavy woolen uniforms. -
Battle for San Juan Hill
The Battle of San Juan Hill is the most famous land battles in Cuba. The first part of the battle took place nearby Kettle Hill which both the Rough Riders and the Ninth and Tenth Cavalries from the African-American Regiments charged up the hill. Due to them charging the hill it cleared the way for an infantry attack on San Juan Hill. Although Roosevelt and his troops played a small part in the second battle he was still declared "The Hero of San Juan Hill" by the U.S newspapers. -
Destruction of the Spanish fleet in Cuba
The Spanish fleet was trying to escaped the American Blockade in the harbor of Santiago, Cuba. When the warships of America destroyed it off coast of Santiago. The warships were under the command of Admiral William Sampson. The destruction of the Spanish fleet in Cuba happened on July 3, 1898. -
Capture of Puerto Rico
In July 1898, near the end of the Spanish American War. The U.S. invaded Puerto Rico which was one of two possessions in the Caribbean that Spain had. With little effort and only seven American deaths, the U.S. troops were able to secure the island on July 25, 1898. But the official cession of Puerto Rico from the Spanish to the U.S. didn't happen until the Treaty of Paris was signed. -
Spanish surrender the Philippines
The Spanish surrender the Philippines when the United States formally annexed the Philippines as part of its peace treaty with Spain. But it wasn't until the Treaty of Paris when the U.S. Purchased the Philippines form the Spanish for 20 million dollars. -
Armistice is signed between the U.S. and Spain
On August 12, the Spanish and Americans signed an armistice cease-fire agreement ending the Spanish American war. Which then Spain surrender Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United states. The actual fight only lasted mere 15 weeks. -
Treaty of Paris of 1898
The United States and Spain signed a cease-fire agreement, on August 12. Which ended after 15 weeks of fighting. On December 10,1898, the two countries meet in Paris to agree on the Treaty of Paris of 1898. Spain would lose control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and sold the Philippines to the U.S. for 20 million dollars.
