-
America tries purchasing Cuba
In 1854, diplomats recommended to President Franklin Pierce that the United States buy Cuba from Spain. Spain responded by saying they would rather see Cuba sink into the ocean. American interest in Cuba continued. This is important because it kind of shows how America was more interested in "owning" Cuba instead of actually wanting Cuba to be free from Spain. -
Period: to
Spanish American War
-
Cuba's first war for independence
When the Cubans rebelled against Spain between 1868 and 1878, American sympathies went out to the Cuban people. The first Cuban revolt against Spain was not successful but in 1886 the Cuban people did force Spain to abolish slavery. The first war for independence is also called the Ten Year War because it lasted ten years. This is important because it was the beginning of the Spanish/American war even though America didn't fight in this war. -
José Martí led the second war for independence
In 1895 José Martí organized Cuban resistance against Spain, using an active guerrilla campaign and deliberately destroyed property, especially American-owned sugar mills and plantations.
Martí counted on provoking U.S. intervention to help the
rebels achieve Cuba Libre!—a free Cuba. -
Valeriano Weyler was sent to Cuba by Spain
In 1896, Spain responded to the Cuban revolt by sending
General Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to restore order. Weyler tried to crush the rebellion by herding the entire rural population of central and western Cuba into barbed-wire concentration camps. An estimated 300,000 Cubans filled these camps, where thousands died from hunger and disease. This is important because it shows how bad things got for Cubans while they were trying to be free from Spain. -
Influence of Yellow Press on Americans
Weyler’s actions fueled a war over newspaper circulation that had developed between the American newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Stories of poisoned wells and of children being thrown to the sharks deepened American sympathy for the rebels. This sensational style of writing, which exaggerates the news to lure and enrage readers, became known as yellow journalism. This is important because Americans became more outraged with what was happening in Cuba. -
Spanish surrender of the Philippines
The battle of Manila was a mock battle. We would steal the win from the Philippines rebels. We viewed the Philippines people as children that would have to teach how to make a government. While Americans were talking to the Spanish about their surrender the Philippine commanders were not invited. Instead, they were down the street speaking about their government among their own people. Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States for the sum of $20 million. -
Publication of the De Lome Letter
The United States and Spain signed an armistice, a cease-fire agreement, on August 12, ending what Secretary of State John Hay called “a splendid little war.” The actual fighting in the war had lasted only 15 weeks. On December 10, 1898, the United States and Spain met in Paris to agree on a treaty. At the peace talks, Spain freed Cuba and turned over the islands. -
Explosion of the USS Maine
Early in 1898, McKinley had ordered the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger from the fighting and to protect American property. On February 15, 1898, the ship blew up in the harbor of Havana. More than 260 men were killed. At the time, no one really knew why the ship exploded. In 1898, however,
American newspapers claimed the Spanish had blown up the ship. American resentment toward Spain turned to outrage. -
America declares war on Spain
Despite the Spanish concessions, public opinion favored war. On April 11, McKinley asked Congress for authority to use force against Spain. After a week of debate, Congress agreed, and on April 20 the United States declared war. -
U.S invades Cuba
On April 20, 1898, McKinley signed a joint Congressional resolution demanding Spanish withdrawal and authorizing the President to use military force to help Cuba gain independence. In response, Spain severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 21. On the same day, the U.S. Navy began a blockade of Cuba. Both sides declared war; neither had allies. -
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. -
U.S attack on Manila Bay
On May 1, 1898, at Manila Bay in the Philippines, the U.S. Asiatic Squadron destroyed the Spanish Pacific fleet in the first major battle of the Spanish-American War. The United States went on to win the war, which ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in the U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. -
Battle of San Juan Hill
The first part of the battle, on nearby Kettle Hill, featured a dramatic uphill charge by the Rough Riders and two African-American regiments, the Ninth and Tenth Cavalries. Their victory cleared the way for an infantry attack on the strategically important San Juan Hill. Although Roosevelt and his units played only a minor role in the second victory, U.S. newspapers declared him the hero of San Juan Hill. -
Destruction of Spanish fleet in Cuba
The Spanish fleet tried to escape the American blockade of the harbor at Santiago. The naval battle that followed, along the Cuban coast, ended in the destruction of the Spanish fleet. -
Capture of Puerto Rico
The naval battle that followed, along the Cuban coast, ended in the destruction of the Spanish fleet. On the heels of this victory, American troops invaded Puerto Rico on July 25. The Spanish and Puerto Ricans suffered 429 casualties which included 17 dead, 88 wounded and 324 captured. The American forces suffered 43 casualties: 3 dead and 40 wounded Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898, Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States. -
Armistice is signed between the US and Spain
On July 3, the Spanish fleet was destroyed off Santiago by U.S. warships under Admiral William Sampson, and on July 17 the Spanish surrendered the city—and thus Cuba—to the Americans.
In Puerto Rico, Spanish forces likewise crumbled in the face of superior U.S. forces, and on August 12 an armistice was signed between Spain and the United States. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris touched off a great debate in the United States. Arguments centered on whether or not the United States had the right to annex the Philippines, but imperialism was the real issue. The annexation question was settled with the Senate’s approval of the Treaty of Paris. The United States now had an empire that included Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. The next question Americans faced was how and when the United States would add to its dominion.