Spanish-American War

Today’s LEQ: How did the Spanish American war strengthen the U.S.’s

influence around the world and make it a world power?

Trouble Brewing in Cuba

• The island of Cuba was founded as a Spanish colony by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and lies just 90 miles off the coast of Florida – Hundreds of thousands of slaves worked on its

plantations– For over three centuries, Cuba was a part of Spain’s

vast empire• By the late 1800s, a growing independence

movement was threatening Spanish rule in Cuba

Cubans Struggle for Independence

• In 1868, a revolutionary group made up of poor whites, free blacks, and slaves demanded independence from Spain

• Spain rejected these demands and bitter fighting followed

• Spain eventually crushes the revolt but tried to ease tension by giving limited reform– Cubans were given some representation in government– Slavery was abolished in 1886

Cuban Struggle Again for Independence

• In 1895, Cubans revolted again– Used guerrilla warfare, launching surprise attacks

against Spanish forces• Spanish forces forced tens of thousands of

Cubans into reconcentration camps– Overcrowded, unsanitary prison camps with little

food or shelter– Resulted in thousands of deaths from disease

and starvation

Influence of the U.S. on Cuba

• American business leaders saw Cuba as a good place to trade and invest– With millions of dollars invested, they worried

about Cuba’s political instability• Many Americans sympathized with the

rebellion, seeing it as a struggle for freedom, like the American Revolution– They called on the government to get involved

and help the rebels

American Newspapers React

• Most Americans learned about the events in Cuba through newspapers and magazines

• In competition for readership, two New York newspapers wrote exaggerated stories about the Cuban rebellion– This yellow journalism sold a lot of

papers but had other effects as well:– It whipped up American public

opinion in favor of the Cuban rebels!

Competition Ensues!!!William Randolph HearstNew York Journal

Joseph PulitzerNew York World

Sample Headline

Cuban Babes Prey to FamineThousands of Children Perishing in

Island TownsSights that Sicken Strong Men

• The New York Journal reports "...blood on the roadsides, blood in the villages, blood, blood, blood!"

When William Randolph Hearst sent a reporter to cover the rumored war, he cabled back that there was no war going on. Hearst wired back: “Please remain. You supply the pictures, and I'll supply the war.”

Americans Call for War with Spain

• In February 1898, two key events aroused American Anger and led to increasing calls for war

The De Lome Letter Incites the Public

• The Spanish ambassador to the U.S., Enrique Dupuy De Lome, wrote a letter to a friend in Cuba

• The letter insulted President McKinley– De Lome called McKinley “weak and

catering to the rabble and, besides, a low politician.”

• The letter was stolen from the mail and was published in Hearst’s New York Journal

• Americans were outraged and insulted – anti-Spanish sentiments intensified

De Lome – The Spanish Ambassador to the U.S.De Lome – The Spanish Ambassador to the U.S.

The Sinking of the USS Maine

• To get the attention of the U.S. government, Cuban rebels burned plantations owned by U.S. businessmen

• The U.S. sent the USS Maine to Havana Harbor to protect American citizens and property

• On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded and sank – this was the last straw!

Newspapers Decry the Maine Incident

• An official navy investigation began immediately, but the Journal and other newspapers immediately blamed Spain

• Navy investigators concluded the explosion was caused by an underwater mine but never confirmed who was responsible

The United States Responds

• On April 11, 1898, President McKinley asks Congress to declare war

• The first attack was on May 1st, 1898 in the Philippines– This was the largest remaining Spanish colony– Commodore George Dewey sank an entire

Spanish fleet in Manila Bay

Fighting Moves to Cuba

• The U.S. Army in Cuba consisted of various forces – Among them were four

regiments of African American soldiers

– There were also volunteer regiments such as the First Volunteer Calvary led by Theodore Roosevelt (better known as the Rough Riders)

Video Clip: The Battle of San Juan Hill

The U.S. Wins the War

• On July 4, the Spanish tried to leave Santiago Harbor but the entire fleet was sunk by the U.S. – This ended the war

• Nicknamed the “Splendid Little War”• About 5,500 Americans died but only

400 died in battle!!!– Most died of yellow fever, malaria, food

poisoning, and bad meds

A New Power on the World Stage

• The U.S. had won a major victory in its first overseas war and emerged as a new world power

• In the Treaty of Paris, the U.S. solidified its new position in world affairs– Independence was granted to Cuba– Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the

Philippines to the U.S.• The U.S. was now a colonial empire

The U.S. Stays in Cuba

• The U.S. originally agreed to the Teller Amendment (April 18, 1898)– Stated the U.S. could not annex Cuba but only leave

"control of the island to its people."

HOWEVER…• By 1899, the Platt Amendment replaced the Teller

Amendment– Gave the U.S. and open door to intervene in Cuban

affairs– By 1934, the U.S. agreed to repeal the Platt

Amendment but still has a naval base at Guantanamo Bay