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Diplomats want Cuba!
In 1854, diplomats recommended to President Franklin Pierce that the United States should buy Cuba from Spain. The Ostend Manifesto was a written document describing the U.S. purchase of Cuba from Spain, and if Spain refused, the U.S. would declare war. It also was a proximity to the U.S. It was only 90 miles off the coast of Florida! -
Abolishment of Slavery.
The abolishment of slavery was a big deal to the Americans. Since there was no more slavery, Americans could now step foot into Cuba because there was no one harvesting sugar. Wealthy american investors could begin investing millions into sugar cane plantations. -
Cuba Libre!
Jose Marti, a cuban poet and journalist, started a revolution in 1895. He organized Cuban resistance agaisnt Spain. He destroyed property, and he mostly focused on American-owned sugar mills and plantations. He provoked U.S. intervention because they were ruining American profits. -
Sympathy for Cuba.
In 1896, Spain sent their best General Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to restore order because of the rebellion. Weyler tried to stop this by herding the entire rural population of central and western Cuba into concentration camps. The civilians who were in the concentration camps were not the rebels. 300,000 Cubans were in these concentration camps. Thousands died from hunger and disease, and this made headlines in the U.S. The Americans felt sympathic towards Cuba. -
Yellow Journalism & American's emotions.
Yellow journalism is a style of writing that exaggerates the news to engage more readers. This is what happened in 1896 when Pulitzer and Hearst found a way to make money. William Randolph Hearst had the newspaper, New York Journal, and Joseph Pulitzer had the other newspaper, New York World.They printed crazy stories about Cuba such as Weyler's brutality, poisoned water wells, and children being thrown to the sharks. This created American sympathy for the Cuban rebels. They demanded war! -
The De Lome Letter.
President William McKinely took office in 1897 while Americans were demanding for American invertions in Cuba. He preferred to avoid war with Spain. The New York Journal published a private letter written by the Spanish Minister to the U.S. Enrique Dupuy de Lome. He called Mckinely "weak" and "a bidder for the admiration of the crowd." This angered many for the insult on the President, and the minister resigned. -
"Remember the Maine!"
The U.S.S. Maine was one of American's strongest naval warships. President McKinely ordered this ship to Cuba to bring home American citizens from the fighting and to proctect U.S. property. It also was a sign that the U.S. was a strong nation. On the day of February 15, 1898, the warship exploded in Havana harbor. In total. 260 men were killed. Till this day, no one knows what blew up the ship. Newspaper claimed it was the Spanish, and this was the last straw for Americans! We demand war! -
Battle of Manila Bay.
Commodore George Dewey was assigned to the coastal waters of the Philippines to "capture or destroy" Spanish Pacific fleets. On April 31, he commanded to open fire on the Spanish fleets at Manila Bay, The Philippine captital. His men destroyed every Spanish ship there. This victory let U,S, troops to enter the Philippines. The Filipones wanted freedom from Spain, and in August, Spanish troops surrendered to the U.S. -
The Battle of San Juan Hill.
The most famous land battle in Cuba was near Santiago Hill on July 1st. It was carried out by the Rought Riders, a volunteer cavalry under command of Leonard Wood and Theodre Roosevelt. The battle was a dramatic uphill charge by the Rough Riders and The Ninth & Tenth cavalry. They were African-Americans. Theodre Roosevelt said, "follow me," instead of, "charge." He was declared the hero of San Juan Hill. -
Battle @ Harbor of Santiago de Cuba.
Admiral William T. Sampson was in charge of the Caribbean, and he began with the blockade of Cuba. He sealed up the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. Once Americans captured San Juan Hill, the Spanish tried escaping the American blockade. This ended in the destruction of the Spanish fleet. -
American troops invade Puerto Rico!
On July 25, 1898, Americans invaded Puerto Rico and soon captured the Spanish colony. The Spanish had lost so much, they could not rebound back. Puerto Rico was now in the hands of the U.S. -
Treaty of Paris.
The United States and Spain signed an agreement on August 12, 1898 to cease fire. The actual war only lasted 16 weeks. On Decemeber 10, 1898, the U.S. and Spain met in Paris to agree on a treaty. Spain freed Cuba and gave Americans the islands of Guam in the Pacific and Puerto Rico in the West Indies. They sold the Philippines for $20 million to the United States. -
Debate over the Treaty of Paris.
The Treaty of Paris greated controversy between the American people. Arguements were started if the U.S. had the right to annex the Philippines, and if the United States were acting imperialistic. McKinely said that we needed to christianize the Filipones, but the truth is, they have been Christian for centuries. Americans thought it was politically, morally, and economically wrong. On Feb 6, 1899, Senate approved the Treaty of Paris, and that was the end of debate. -
Rebellion in the Phillipines.
Filipinos were outraged about the Treaty of Patris. Emilio Aguinaldo believed that the U.S. had promised independence. In February 1899, the Filipinos rose in rebellion. The U.S. was playing the role that Spain did to Cuba. The United States forced Filipinos to live in designated zones with poor sanitation, starvation, and disease. It took 3 years to put down the rebellion. 20,000 Filipinos died, and 4,000 Americans. It cost $400 million for this war; 20 times the price the U.S. bought it for.
