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The US Attempts to Buy Cuba
Diplomats encouraged Franklin Pierce to attempt to buy Cuba from Spain using the Ostend Minfesto. The fee would've been around $130 million. Spain said they’d rather sink the island. This fueled our desire for a war and our dislike for Spain. -
Ten Years War Begins
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The Ten Years War/The First Cuban War For Independence
The Cuban's attempted to overthrow the Spanish control on the island. While ultimately unsuccessful, the Cuban people were able to get some reforms passed. The casualties were around 300,000 on the Cuban sides, most of them civilians, with an unknown number of Spanish casualties. This weakened Spain's control while at the same time fostering US resentment of Spain and sympathy for the rebels. -
José Martí leads Cuba’s Second War for Independence
José was a Cuban poet and journalist who was sent to New York City. He launched the revolution to bring a new Cuba. His campaign was to use a military force to embarrass the enemy, destroying American sugar mills and plantations. This led to Americans wanting to get involved to protect their properties, which eventually broiled over into the Spanish American War. -
José Martí Dies
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Valeriano Weyler was sent to Cuba by Spain
General of Spain, he was sent to Cuba to restore order, where he made barbed wire concentration camps with 300,000 Cuban civilians to try to deter the rebellion. Nicknamed "The Butcher", the stories of his brutality reached the American public and fostered anti-Spain sentiment. -
The Yellow Press Began to Shape America's View
Yellow Journalism is a style of writing that engages your reader. It was used by Pulitzer and Hearst to make the American public hate the Spanish. They used Valeriano Weyler’s evil acts and portrayed him to the public even worse. The shaped America's view even further, and prompted cries to interfere against the "evil" Spain. ------ While not actually the first piece of yellow journalism, this copy of the New York Journal blames the Spanish for something that was not yet fully explained. -
Publication of the De Lôme Letter
The New York Journal published a private letter headed to the Spanish minister sent from the Spanish ambassador in the United States, Enrique Dupuy de Lôme. In the letters contents were words that criticized McKinley, calling him “weak”. This insult to the American President gave the people a reason to dislike Spain even more than they already did. -
The USS Maine Explodes
On the day of February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded in Havana's harbor. 260 men of the about 400 on board were killed in the explosion. The USS Maine’s mission was to bring home American citizens from Cuba to protect them from the dangers of fighting and to protect American property. American people were outraged leading to major anti-Spain sentiment and eventual war. In 1976, researchers found it most likely was an accidental fire, not sabotage. -
U.S. declares war on Spain
After the USS Maine exploded on February 15, 1898, the American public gave an outcry for war. The Spanish agreed to a six-month cease-fire with the rebels, but it didn’t matter. On April 20, 1898, America declared war on Spain. The Americans didn’t just launch attacks on Cuban soil though, but also on the Philippines which were under Spanish control at the time. This lead to America controlling more islands and growing their empire, while at the same time, showing off our new military. -
Naval Blockade of Cuba
Admiral T. Sampson sealed off the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. This was significant because it showed America’s naval power, after being able to seal off the Spanish fleet. This is an example of imperialism because the United States were trying to overtake Spain's control of Cuba by flexing its new naval power. -
US Attack on Manila Bay
On this day US snuck by the outer defenses of Manila Bay. After the smoke had cleared, almost 400 Spanish sailors were killed and 10 of their warships were destroyed or captured. This was a major victory and lead to the capture and control of the Philippines, which expanded American influence, while at the same time, showing our naval power. -
US Forces Invade Cuba
American forces landed on Cuba in June, 1898. This is important as it started our fight against Spain in Cuba. We landed with around 17,000 men, including the Rough Riders. America had originally called upon 125,000 volunteers, with an additional 75,000 later requested. This showed that we were and wanted to be recognized as a world power, and of course, the war ended with the expansion of our empire. -
Battle for Kettle Hill/San Juan
A decisive victory for the American forces, the Americans crushed the Spanish forces on the hills and from the top, they were able to see Santiago, which when they captured it, also captured Cuba for the US. During the battle, TR charged up the hill first, commanding his men to follow him. This effectively ended Spain’s empire while leading to an increased empire for the US, as well as further publicizing TR. -
Destruction of the Spanish Fleet
The Spanish Fleet tried to escape the American blockade. The battle took place along the Cuban Coast, and ended with the destruction of the Spanish Fleet. This is significant because it showed the world that the United States truly now had a naval power to be reckoned with. This was also a key piece in America’s imperialism as it forced the Spanish to surrender, which expanded America's empire. -
Capture of Puerto Rico
We attempted to invade Puerto Rico after the destruction of the Spanish naval fleet. While we captured the island by mid- August, we officially gained control when we were given Puerto Rico while negotiating the Treaty of Paris with Spain. Puerto Rico was one of the Spanish colonies that were given to the United States. It expanded the United States empire, which is basically the definition of the world Imperialism. -
Spanish Surrender of the Philipines
After destroying every Spanish ship at Manila. This allowed the U.S. to land in the Philippines, and got the support of the filipinos. Over two months the U.S. troops (11,000) and the Filipino rebels (led by Emilio Aguinaldo). The Spanish then surrendered in Manila. This gave us leverage in the Philippines, expanded our empire, and showed that we were capable of going head to head with another world power. -
Armistice between Spain and the US
This was a cease fire agreement between Spain and the United States. The fighting only lasted 15 weeks. This was an agreement which then led to the Treaty of Paris being signed, which was a major piece in building America’s empire. We had also successfully showed off our naval might during the war and won against a world power. -
Treaty of Paris
The United States and Spain met in Paris to agree on and sign a treaty. Spain freed Cuba and the United States received the Philippines for $20 million, while getting Guam and Puerto Rico for free. This expanded our empire, and showed the rest of the world that we have a strong military now.
