Spanish-American War

Unit 3: Notes #4Mr. Welch11/9/12

War in the Philippines The Philippines islands

had been under Spanish rule since the 1500s

Before the U.S. declared war on Spain, Theodore Roosevelt (Assistant Secretary of the Navy) sent secret orders to Commodore George Dewey If war broke out Dewey

was to attack Spain in the Philippines

Battle of Manila Dewey, and his fleet, arrived in Manila Bay

in the Philippines on May 1, 1898 The Spanish immediately opened fire

Once the U.S. started firing they had the clear advantage w/ their modern naval ships made out of iron & steel The Spanish ships were made out of wood

In a matter of hours the U.S. won a decisive victory

Dewey then began planning an attack on the capital city of Manila Spanish forces surrendered on August 14, 1898

War in Cuba Before declaring war, Congress passed the

Teller Amendment This stated that once Cuba was freed from

Spanish control the U.S. would let them govern themselves w/out interference

Most of the soldiers who fought in Cuba were enlisted men, but some were volunteers

The most famous volunteer regiment was called the Rough Riders They were organized by Theodore Roosevelt, who left

his navy post Adventurous college athletes, cowboys, ranchers &

miners made up the Rough Riders

Battle of San Juan Hill The American strategy

was to capture Santiago, a port city To do this they needed

to capture the hills surrounding the city

After the Battle of San Juan Hill the U.S. had control of the hills & the city

In mid-July 1898 the Spanish surrendered

Consequences of War The Spanish had to give up all claims to

Cuba, Puerto Rico, & the Pacific island of Guam

The U.S. bought the Philippines from the Spanish for $20 million

The war costs the U.S. $250 million and 2,000 soldiers lives The soldiers did not die of battle wounds but of

yellow fever The outcome of the war also moved the

U.S. to the ranks of an imperialist nation

Annexation of the Philippines? When it came to the decision about

whether or not to annex the Philippines, many Americans were divided on this issue

Opponents views: Some were uneasy with the idea of having

overseas territory They felt it violated the ideal of self-

government Others feared it would open the door to

more immigrants

Annexation Support Arguments for

annexation: They believed that

imperialism would only make the U.S. stronger

That it was the duty of the U.S. to spread its values

Some wanted the Philippines for its economic value and strategic military location

Results of the War After a fierce debate, Congress approved

the annexation The Filipino nationalists were furious

They had been fighting for independence from Spain, only to exchange one ruler for another

For three years Filipino nationalists fought U.S. soldiers In 1901, the fighting stopped

The Philippines were under the control of the U.S. until 1946