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Before the War
Before actively being in the war, the American Political sphere was devoting its support to the Cuban Revolutionaries against the Spanish Conquistadors in the fight for their independence. American involvement wouldn't begin until William McKinley gained the presidency and denounced the "bloody struggle against Spain". With Havana being an epicenter against Spanish resistance, the American battleship arrived on the Cuban port for the safety of Americans in Cuba. -
Explosion Exploit
The night of February 15th saw an explosion occur which caused the destruction of the USS Maine. This destruction would not be given a cause until 1976, so in the late 1890s the American Public believed the narrative that it was caused by Spanish mines. Sensational Journalism aka Yellow Journalism would go further to push the narrative that the explosion was caused by the Spanish, making it a major influence in Public Opinion in support of the war now called the Spanish-American War. -
Looming Arguments
In March of 1898, the McKinley administration was actively communicating with Spain. The American front demanded that Spain must give up Cuba. However the Spanish refused to acknowledge Cuban independence. A month in late April 1898, Spain declares war against the United States and a day later, vice-versa. The war would ultimately be fought in BOTH Cuba and the Philippine Islands, locations the United States had been seeing as key figures for trading. -
Manila Mayhem
Commodore George Dewey arrived and led the American attacks on Spain near the coast of Manila. The United States entered combat alongside the Filipino resistance with the agreement of being free from the Spanish rule. The battle of Manila Bay was a decisive victory for the American side, a battle so quickly and unprecedentedly won there wasn't a "what's next" on the agenda -
Spanish Sorrows
The beginning of July saw the Battle of Santiago saw American forces complete their assault on San Juan Ridge in Cuba by capturing its highest point, San Juan Hill. Trying their best to evade being captured, Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete led the Spanish forces out of the Santiago Harbor. This led to the Spanish ships being under severely heavy fire from the US fleet and thus were destroyed. Days later on the 17th, Spain surrendered to the United States at Santiago. -
Puerto Rico Precioso
July 25 of 1898 saw the invasion of over 16,000 American Troops to Puerto Rico through Guanica to "liberate" its people from the evil clutches of Spanish oppression. However, Puerto Rico would be later involved in the negotiations of the Paris Peace Treaty and instead would find themselves under American oppression rather than the Spanish. To this day, Puerto Rico is still under American rule and despite its people having American citizenship, the country does not benefit from its privileges. -
The Philippines Fight
In August 1898 the Philippines saw an occupation of their lands with over 11,000 troops. A few months later on October of 1898, the United States demanded that in order for peace talks to be serious, Spain needed to give up the Philippine Islands along with Cuba. -
Paris Pains
Spain and the United States agreed to the signing of the Treaty of Paris. It was here that Spain officially denounced its "ownership" of Cuba as well as leaving Guam and Puerto Rico to United States Sovereignty for a payment of $20 million dollars. In the Philippines, the promised liberty from Spain arrived but now they faced a brand new oppressor. -
Cuban Conflicts
Cuba saw disastrous conflicts and was left severely damaged from the war. It was apparent that its high society elites were not going to be producing the materials needed for reconstruction. This was because the societal elites felt a connection more with Spanish culture. They also felt that the struggle for independence was an issue that had no connection to their personal regard. American occupation killed all positive outlooks to Cuban independence -
American Lies
The Americans had promised the Philippine Peoples that they would fight alongside them to back away the Spanish colonizers. The Filipino fighters were double crossed and a year after their war with the Spanish, a new one was brewing with the Americans. Many pro-independence Filipinos believed the Spanish regime was simply swapped out for the Americans. Because of the rising revolts, the United States declared martial law on the islands until the revolts died down