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U.S attempts to purchase Cuba
The U. S had an interest in buying Cuba from the Spanish. Diplomats encouraged President Franklin Pierce that he should try buying Cuba. "The Spanish responded by saying that they would rather see Cuba sink into the ocean then sell it to the U. S". -
Cuba's 1st war for independence
This was known as the 10-year war. It started on October 10th, 1868, when Cespedes proclaimed independence and formed the Republic of Cuba. Other leaders were Maximo Gomez and Antonio Maceo. this ended in 1878 when the Rebels Leader and Spanish government signed the Pact of Zanjon. -
Cuba's second War for Independence
Jose Marti, a Cuba poet and journalist launched a revolution in 1895 to start the second war for independence. He used the guerrilla campaign & destroyed American sugar mills and plantations. He did this to provoke the U.S in hopes they would come and help. -
Valeriano Weyler sent to Cuba by Spain
They sent Weyler to Cuba to restore order. He tried to end the rebellion by sending the rural population of central and western Cuba into concentration camps. -
yellow press
Weyler's actions fueled a war over newspaper circulation between the two American newspaper tycoons of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. The Journalist printed exaggerations of what was happening. They did this to deepen American sympathy for the rebels. This type of journalism became known as yellow journalism. -
Publication of the De Lome Letter
The letter was stolen by a Cuban Rebel. After it was stolen, they leaked it to the newspaper. The letter criticized President McKinley and called him weak and said that he only wanted the crowd's admiration. After this happened, Spain apologizes, and the Minister resigned. -
Spanish Surrenders the Philippines
Two months after the attack on Manila Bay, 11,000 U.S forces joined Filipinos rebels. In August of 1898, Spanish troops in Manila Surender to the U.S. -
U.S invades Cuba
4 African American regiments of the United States Army and the Rough Riders landed in Cuba in June. As soon as they landed, they converged on the Port city of Santiago and took over it. -
Explosion of the USS Maine
They sent the ship to Cuba to bring home U.S citizens in danger from the fighting and to protect U.S properties. The ship blew up in the Harbor of Havana and killed 260 people. -
U.S declares war on Spain
On April 11 - McKinley asked for a war on Spain after the explosion of the USS Maine. The U.S declared war on Spain on April 20th.
this is important because this leads to the U.S getting control over Cuba. -
Naval blockade of Cuba
In the Caribbean, hostilities began with a naval blockade of Cuba. Admiral William T. Sampson effectively sealed up the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. The army maintained only a small professional force and a volunteer force. About 125,000 Americans had volunteered to fight. -
U.S attack on Manila Bay
When the U.S landed in Manila Bay, George Dewey opened fire on Manila, the Philippines capital. Within hours they destroyed every Spanish Ship, Dewey's victory allowed the U.S troops to land in the Philippines. -
Battle of San Juan Hill
This was kind of two-part battle. The first part of the battle was on Kettle Hill. The victory of Kettle Hill cleared the way for an infantry attack on the tragically important San Juan Hill. -
Destruction of the Spanish Fleet in Cuba
Two days after the San Juan Hill Battle, the Spanish Fleet tried to escape the blockade in the Harbor of Santiago. The Naval Battle that followed went along the Cuban coast and ended in the destruction of the Spanish Fleet. -
The Capture of Puerto Rico
After the Spanish Fleet was destroyed, it left Puerto Rico with no defense/protection. With no defense, the American Troops invaded Puerto Rico and took it over. -
Armistice signed between U.S and Spain
Spain and the United States signed an armistice and a Cease-Fire agreement which ended the Spanish American War. The actual
fighting in the war had lasted only 15 weeks. -
Treaty of Paris
On December 10th, the U.S and Spain meet up in Paris to agree on a treaty. With the signing of the treaty, Spain freed Cuba and turned over the islands of Guam(in the Pacific) and Puerto Rico(in the west indies) to the U.S. Spain also sold the Philippines to the U.S for $20 million dollars.
