Imperialism and The Spanish-American War

Imperialism at the turn of the 20th Century

Global Imperialism:

1. European Imperialism (especially Britain and France in Africa & Asia)

2. Asian Imperialism (Japan in East Asia)

3. American Imperialism (Pacific Islands & Central America)

The Beginning of the Spanish/American War

Americans have interests in Cuba because:

1. Neighbor of U.S. 2. American corporate

interest in Cuban economy

3. Sympathy for war for independence from Spain

Pre-War Sympathy

1895: Second war for Cuban independence from Spain begins

1896: A Spanish general puts 300, 000 Cubans in concentration camps

The U.S. Declares War

April 1898: The U.S. declares war on Spain after the U.S.S Maine mysteriously explodes and sinks while docked in Havana, Cuba

June- July 1898: The U.S. Invades the Spanish colony of the Philippines and the Spanish surrender

The U.S. Wins

July 1898: The U.S. invades Puerto Rico, “liberating” Puerto Ricans from Spanish colonialism

August 1898: The war ends, as Spain and the U.S. call a truce

The Treaty of Paris

December 10, 1898–

Spanish-American War ends, officially, with signing of the Treaty of Paris. The United States pays Spain $20 million for Philippines. Spain also cedes Puerto Rico and Guam and agrees to renounce sovereignty over Cuba