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America Offers to Buy Cuba from Spain
Cuba was 90 miles south of Florida, which created an American interest in Cuba. In 1854 diplomats recommended to President Franklin Pierce that the U.S. buy Cuba from Spain. Spain did not sell, saying they would rather see Cuba sunk in the ocean. -
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Robo Timeline
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Americans Sympathised for Cubans
When the Cuban rebellion broke out in 1868, many Americans sympathies went out to Cubans. Americans felt they could relate to the Cuban's fight for freedom. -
Sugar Plantions in Cuba
Americans started investing millions of dollars in large sugar cane plantations. They waited until 1886 because that is the year when Cubans forced Spain to abolish slavery so that it was polititically ok to buy land there. -
Admiral Mahan's Theory
In 1890 Admiral Alfred T. Mahan published a book called "The Influence of Sea Power on History, 1660-1783". In this book Mahan expressed four ideas to help America become a world power. These ideas were to create a modern (two ocean) steam powered navy, gain Hawaii and build a naval base in Pearl Harbor, gain islands in the caribbean, and make a canal across Panama. -
Cuba's Second War for Independce
After the first attempt for independence failed in 1868, Cubans were still angered with their mistreatment from the Spanish. José Martí, a Cuban poet lauched a revolution in 1895. He organized Cuban resistance against Spain, and this resistance destroyed American owned sugar mills. Americans were angered with the Spanish.....................FINSIH,........ -
Yellow Journalism
Yellow Journalism encouraged a war with Spain. It exaggerated stories about the situation in Cuba and angered Americans. Yellow journalism came from Pulitzer's New York World and Hearst's New York Journal. -
De Lome Letter
In 1897 the Spain Minister Enrique Dupuy de Lome wrote the "De Lome Letter". The letter insulted President Mckinley by calling him weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd. It was published in 1888 by the New York Journal. Americans were outraged over it. -
Mckinley asks congress for war declaration
Most americans wanted U.S. intervention in Cuba because of the U.S.S. Maine explosion. So on Aprill 11, 1898 President Mckinley asked Congress for a declaration of war against Spain -
Declaration of War
Congress accepted McKinley's request for war against Spain on April 20th, 1898. Americans were angered over the distruction of their sugar plantations and the mistreatment of Cubans, so most Americans wanted war with Spain. -
War in the Philippines
The Spanish expected the U.S. to invade Cuba, so the U.S. attacked the Spanish colony of the Philippine Islands. The American fleet traveled to the Philipines and Commodore George Dewey commanded the fleet to open fire on the Spanish. The U.S. easily landed on the islands and with the help of the Filipino rebels forced Spanish troops to surrender in August. -
War in the Caribbean
This battle began with a naval blockade of Cuba. Admiral William T. Sampson blocked in the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. American forces landed on the island in June 1898 and the army of 17,000, including Theodore's Rough Riders, fought for the island. The U.S. forces took the island; two days later the Spanish fleet tried to escape the harbor, and it was destroyed. -
Treaty of Paris
The U.S. and Spain met in Paris to agree on a treaty on December 10, 1898. At this meeting, Spain freed Cuba and turned over the islands of Guam in the Pacific and Puerto Rico in the West Indies to the United States. Spain also sold the Philippines to the United States for $20 million. -
Foraker Act
This act ended military rule in Cuba, and it set up a civil government. The act also gave the U.S. President the power to appoint Puerto Rico's governor and members of the upper house of its legislature. Puerto Ricans could only elect members of the lower house of the legislature. -
Platt Amendment
The newly formed Cuban government set up a constitution in 1900, but in 1901 the U.S. insisted that changes be made. These changes were: Cuba could not make treaties that might limit its independence or permit a foreign power to control any part of its territory, The U.S. reserved the right to intervene in Cuba, Cuba was not to go into debt, and the U.S. could buy or lease land on the island for naval stations and refueling stations. -
Cuba becomes American protectorate
Cubans were reluctant to amend their constitution, but the U.S. wouldn't withdrawl its forces until they did. In 1903 they amended their constitution and the Platt Amendment became part of a treaty between the two nations, and it remained in effect for 31 years. Under the terms of this treaty, Cuba became an American protectorate, a country whose affairs are partially controlled by a stronger power.
