“A Splendid Little War”The War of 1898

Focus Question

In a short reply of one to three sentences, respond to the following prompt:

• Explain what reasons might lead people to refer to a war as “splendid?”

The War of 1898• The War of 1898 was America’s first imperialist

war• Fought over territories in the Caribbean and Pacific• Stress placed on the four main arguments for Imperialism

• Revolved around matters in Cuba• Fought in both Caribbean and Pacific• Involved numerous nations

The Last Major Spanish Outpost

• Cuba remained part of the Spanish Empire in the 1890s•Major gem in the Caribbean•Major supplier of sugar•Left without autonomy

Why should the U.S.get involved?

Cuba and the United States

• The U.S. long had an interest in Cuba•Close to the U.S.•Major sugar producer•Tried to acquire Cuba in the early 1800s

Ten Years’ War

• Cuban rebels rose against Spain in 1868•Rebel leaders driven from Cuba in 1878•The island was devastated•Spain was bankrupt•Cuban emigrés settled in U.S.

• Cuban planters turned to the U.S. for loans•Major U.S. investment in sugar

Role of the Yellow Press

• Inexpensive, sensationalized newspapers•Pioneered by William Randolph Hearst•Saw a war as a way to sell papers

• Focused sympathy for the Cubanpeople in the Cuban War forIndependence

Spanish Atrocities

• Cuban rebels quickly seized the countryside

• Governor Weyler responded brutally•Periodic executions•Mass exiles•Destroy plantations•Reconcentration Camps

Reconcentration Camps

• Weyler ordered peasants collected into camps•Remove support from rebels•Keep an eye on suspected rebels

• Disastrous policy•Poor sanitation and medical facilities•Lack of food•Wiped out 1/3 of Cuba’s rural population

Policy shocked Americans

• Incredible sympathy for the Cuban people• Belief that Spanish were fiendishly cruel

Trifecta

• U.S. long-term interest in Cuba• U.S. business investment in Cuba• Public opinion highly sympathetic to the

Cubans

• All that was needed was a spark

The Sinking of the Maine

• The U.S. battleship Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana on February 15, 1898

• Public opinion blamed the Spanish for “mining” the Maine

War!!

• Congress declared War on Spain on April 25, 1898•Sought to “secure peace in Cuba”•War ends in August 1898

• Treaty of Paris, 1898•Cuba granted independence•U.S. gains Puerto Rico and Guam•U.S. paid Spain $25 million for the Philippines

Summary• Identify two ways you would improve this lesson.