CHAPTER 9SECTION 2

• AMERICAN POWER AND ECONOMIC INTERESTS AROUND THE WORLD WERE GROWING – THEY DID NOT WANT TO RISK WAR WITH OTHER POWERS TO ACQUIRE COLONIES

• THIS VIEW CHANGED IN 1898 WHEN AMERICA WENT TO WAR WITH SPAIN

CAUSES OF THE WAR

• SPAIN WAS AN IMPERIAL NATION IN DECLINE IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY – STILL HAD THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS IN THE PACIFIC AND THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS OF PUERTO RICO AND CUBA

CAUSES OF THE WAR1. CUBANS REBEL – CUBA IS 90 MILES OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA – TIRED OF SPANISH RULE – REPEATEDLY REBELLED AGAINST SPANISH RULE

• JOSE MARTI LAUNCHED WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN – REBELS USED GUERRILLA TACTICS OF HIT AND RUN RAIDS AGAINCE SPANISH FORCES

CAUSES OF THE WAR

• IN RESPONSE TO ATTACKS THE SPANISH PLANNED TO DEPRIVE FOOD AND RECRIUTS TO THE CUBANS – HERDED THE RURAL POPULATION INTO RECONCENTRATION CAMPS WHERE THOUSANDS DIED FROM DISEASE AND STARVATION

• AMERICANS FAVORED THE CUBANS – THEIR STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY REMINDED AMERICANS OF THEIR OWN STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN

CAUSES OF THE WAR

2. YELLOW PRESS – LED BY WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST AND JOSEPH PULITZER

• CALLED YELLOW PRESS BECAUSE THEY FEATURED A POPULAR COMIC STRIP CHARACTER CALLED THE YELLOW KID

• PULITZER’S NEW YORK WORLD AND HEARST’S NEW YORK JOURNAL USED SENSATIONAL HEADLINES AND EXAGGERATED SPANISH ATROCITIES AND COMPARED CUBAN REBELS TO THE PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

• PRESIDENT MCKINLEY WARNED THE SPANISH TO MAKE PEACE OR THE U.S. WOULD DO WHATEVER NECESSARY FOR PEACE

• CUBA DEMANDED INDEPENDENCE AND SPAIN REFUSED – MCKINLEY ORDERED THE BATTLESHIP USS MAINE TO HAVANA TO PROTECT AMERICAN CITIZENS IN CUBA

• HEARST PUBLISHED A LETTER FROM SPAIN’S AMBASSADOR TO WASHINGTON THAT WAS STOLEN BY CUBANS CALLING MCKINLEY WEAK AND STUPID – LETTER LED TO AMERICAN JINGOISM – AGGRESSIVE NATIONALISM – AND MADE RELATIONS WITH SPAIN WORSE

3. USS MAINE – EXPLODED SOON AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF LETTER – KILLING 266 OF THE 350 ON BOARD

CAUSES OF THE WAR

• YELLOW PRESS IMMEDIATELY ACCUSED SPAIN OF BLOWING UP THE SHIP – WANTED WAR TO BE DECLARED ON SPAIN

• PRESIDENT MCKINLEY ORDERED AN INVESTIGATION AND FOUND THAT A MINE HAD DESTROYED THE SHIP – YEARS LATER INVESTIGATION RAISED DOUBTS ABOUT THE NAVAL BOARD’S FINDINGS BUT AT THE TIME PEOPLE BLAMED SPAIN

• IN RESPONSE TO AMERICAN DEMANDS SPAIN AGREED TO ABOLISH THE RECONCENTRATION CAMPS AND MAKE OTHER CONCESSIONS – IT WAS TOO LATE

• MCKINLEY ASKED CONGRESS FOR AUTHORITY TO USE FORCE AGAINST SPAIN TO END FIGHTING IN CUBA

• CONGRESS ENACTED FOUR RESOLUTION THAT AMOUNTED TO A DECLARATION OF WAR ON SPAIN – THE FOURTH – THE TELLER AMENDMENT – WHICH STATED THAT THE U.S. HAD NO INTENTION OF ANNEXING CUBA

• THE NAVY BLOCKADED CUBAN PORTS AND SPAIN DECLARED WAR ON THE U.S.

AMERICAN WAR WITH SPAIN1. PHILIPPINES – GEORGE DEWEY LED AMERICAN SHIPS TO MANILA – CAPITAL OF THE PHILIPPINES – DESTROYED THE SPANISH FLEET

- EMILIO AGUINALDO – LED FILIPINO NATIONALISTS TO DEFEAT THE SPANISH ARMY – THEY WERE FIGHTING SPAIN FOR FREEDOM LIKE CUBA

- AFTER 15,000 AMERICAN SOLDIERS LANDED IN THE PHILIPPINES THE SPANISH SURRENDERED TO THE U.S.

AMERICAN WAR WITH SPAIN

2. CUBA – AMERICAN TROOPS LANDED IN CUBA JUNE 1898 – U.S. MARINES CAPTURED GUANTANAMO BAY

a. TROOPS FACED DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS:1. THEY WERE POORLY TRAINED AND SUPPLIED2. ISSUED OBSOLETE WEAPONS3. HAD HEAVY WOOL UNIFORMS UNSUITABLE FOR CUBA’S TROPICAL CLIMATE4. WERE PROVIDED WITH ROTTING AND CONTAMINATED FOOD

b. THE U.S. ARMY CONSISTED OF STATE NATIONAL GUARD

UNITS, REGULAR ARMY UNITS

– INCLUDING AFRICAN AMERICAN UNITS FROM THE WESTERN FRONTIER

AMERICAN WAR WITH SPAIN

c. FUTURE PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT ORGANIZED A CALVARY UNIT KNOWN AS:

THE ROUGH RIDERS – CONSISTING OF RUGGED WESTERNERS AND UPPER CLASS EASTERNERS

d. ROUGH RIDERS AND ROOSEVELT GAINED FAME FOR THE BATTLE OF SAN JUAN HILL

OUTSIDE SANTIAGO – JOINED BY AFRICAN AMERICAN SOLDIERS

AMERICAN WAR WITH SPAIN

e. TWO DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF SAN JUAN HILL THE SPANISH NAVY TRIED TO ESCAPE FROM SANTIAGO

– U.S. FORCES DESTROYED THE SPANISH FLEET – SPANISH FORCES SURRENDERED

AMERICAN WAR WITH SPAIN

f. ALMOST 3000 AMERICANS DIED IN THE WAR BUT ONLY 380 IN COMBAT

– MOST DIED OF DISEASE – EITHER MALARIA OR YELLOW FEVER

AMERICAN WAR WITH SPAIN

EFFECTS OF THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

• WAR WAS CALLED A “SPLENDID LITTLE WAR” BECAUSE OF THE EASY AMERICAN VICTORY

• NEXT DILEMMA – WHAT TO DO WITH SPAIN’S FORMER POSSESSIONS

TREATY OF PARIS 1898

• SIGNED BY SPAIN AND THE U.S. THE TREATY OF PARIS OFFICIALLY ENDED THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR – THE TREATY INCLUDED:

1. SPAIN GIVING UP CONTROL OF CUBA, PUERTO RICO AND THE PACIFIC ISLAND OF GUAM2. SOLD THE PHILIPPINES TO THE U.S. FOR

MILLION

• THE TELLER AMENDMENT PREVENTED THE U.S. FROM TAKING POSSESSION OF CUBA BUT DID NOT APPLY TO THE PHILIPPINES

• AMERICANS DISAGREED ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE PHILIPPINES – GIVE THEM INDEPENDENCE OR TAKE CONTROL

• PRESIDENT MCKINLEY WANTED TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE PHILIPPINES SO THE U.S. COULD: “TAKE THEM ALL, AND TO EDUCATE THE FILIPINOS AND UPLIFT AND CIVILIZE THEM”

• IMPERIALISTS SUPPORTERS BELIEVED THE U.S. HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO GOVERN THE FILIPINOS – IT WAS A STEPPING STONE TO TRADE IN CHINA – AND IF THE U.S. GAVE UP CONTROL OF THE PHILIPPINES SOME OTHER NATION WOULD TAKE CONTROL OF IT

• ANTI-IMPERIALISTS FORMED THE ANTI-IMPERIALIST LEAGUE – CONDEMNED IMPERIALISM AS A CRIME AND ATTACKED IT AS DISLOYALTY TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

• THE DEBATE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS ENDED IN THE SENATE – THE SENATE HAD TO RATIFY THE TREATY OF PARIS – VOTED 57 – 27 TO RATIFY – RATIFIED BY ONE VOTE – GAVE A 2/3 MAJORITY

• AS A RESULT OF THE SPANIS AMERICAN WAR THE UNITED STATES HAD AN EMPIRE AND A NEW STATURE IN WORLD AFFAIRS – MARKED A TURNING POINT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY