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Americas attempt for Cuba
President Franklin Pierce offered to buy Cuba from Spain for $130 million. Spain refused the offer and would not sell Cuba to anyone. Spain said that they would rather see Cuba at the bottom of the ocean then in Americas hands. This was important in history because it was the start of it all. -
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Factors that started U.S. interest in Cuba
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Cuba's first war for independence
The Cuban's revolted independence from Spain due to American interest in having Cuba become part of America. The Spanish would not take the deal and they would rather see Cuba sink. That lead to Cuba rebelling for independence. This was important because both Americans and Cubans wanted Cuba freed from Spain. -
Cuba's Freedom
When the civilians of Cuba found out that the U.S. wanted Cuba part of America they fought Spain. The cuban's wanted their independence, but Spain would not give it to them. Later the cubans forced Spain to stop slavery and the U.S. invested in sugar plantations. -
Treaty of Paris
Signed on December 10, 1989 at the end of the Spanish-American war. The Treaty of Paris did the following: freed Cuba and turned over the islands of Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. Spain also sold the Philippines to the United States for $20 million. This was important because it helped Cuba and Puerto Rico become part of america. -
Cuba's second war for independence
Jose Marti was a Cuban poet and journalist who launched a revolution against Spain by using an active guerrilla campaign and destroying Spanish property. He destroyed American owned sugar plantations to get America involved in the war. The rebels in Cuba needed Americas help to make Cuba free. This was important because it was when America got involved -
Cuban Rebals
This was the start of when Cuba rebelled. The Rebels decided that they were going to do anything they could to bring America into the war. They knew America hated Spain so what they decided to do was destroy American properties in Cuba, making it so that America had to intervene in an effort to protect its people and investments in Cuba. It was important because it is when cubans decide that things needed to change. -
American press
Soon after Valeriano Weyler was sent to Cuba to restore order for Spain concentration camps were opened for civil citizens to stay while rebels were being shot and killed in the streets. American Press were exaggerating the truth by saying wells were being poisoned and children fed to sharks. American citizens were becoming furious with the Spanish government by what they were reading in the newspapers. This was important because it showed that americans cared about the cubans. -
U.S.S. Maine
The Maine was sent to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger of the fighting and to protect American property in Cuba. It was parked in the harbor of Havana. On Feb. 15,1898 the ship blew up and 260 men were killed. This was important because it made america even more angry with Spain. -
Publication of the De Lome letter
The 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 letter from a havana post office and linked it to the new paper, which was thirsty for scandal. The letter criticized McKinley, calling him "weak" and "a bidder for the admiration of the crowd." It was important because he called the U.S. president weak and it helped the was start -
War with the Spanish
The U.S. official declared war with Spain saying that the reason they were in the war was to spread Democracy to Cuba. About 125,000 Americans volunteered to fight. Their training camps were a failure since they lacked supplies and effective leaders who really did not care about training new soldiers. This was important because this was the start of the war.
