The Spanish-American War

Spain was an imperial nation but in a state of decline. Its formerly vast empire had dwindled to a small number of possessions, including the Philippine Islands and the Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Cubans Rebel• American entrepreneurs had

invested $50 million in sugar cane plantations in Cuba.– Cubans repeatedly rebelled

against Spanish rule which could possibly cost America investments.

• Cuban patriot, Jose Marti launched a war for independence from Spain.– Rebel fighters used guerilla

tactics of hit-and-run raids against Spanish forces.

– Spanish General devised a plan to deprive rebels of food and recruits.

– He also herded the rural population into concentration camp, where tens of thousands died of disease and starvation.

Yellow PressYellow Press• Americans favored the

Cubans.– The brutality of Spanish

tactics intensified American sympathy for the rebels.

• Rival newspaper publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst heightened the public’s dislike of the Spanish gov’t.– Newspapers sensationalized

headlines and pictures on the front pages.

– Their stories exaggerated Spanish atrocities and compared Cuban rebels to the patriots of the American Revolution.

Joseph PulitzerJoseph Pulitzer

William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst

U.S.S. Maine• American battleship U.S.S. Maine is ordered to the Havana Harbor to

protect any American citizens by President William McKinley.– He warned the Spanish to quickly establish peace or the U.S. would take

whatever steps necessary to make it happen.

– Spain recalled their brutal General and offered the rebels some reforms.

– They did not accept. They insisted on independence.

– Spain refused to grant them that.

The Maine Blows Up• The Maine exploded in Havana

Harbor.– 266 died out of the 350.

– Newspapers quickly blamed Spain for the incident.

• McKinley did not ask Congress to declare war just yet.– Instead, he ordered a special naval

board of inquiry to investigate the cause of the explosion.

– The board concluded that a mine had destroyed the battleship.• Years later, follow-up investigations

raised doubts about the naval board’s findings.

• War fever gripped the nation.– “Remember the Maine!”

• Spain agreed to abolish the concentration camps and make other concessions, but it was too little too late.

• April 11, 1898, McKinley asked Congress for the authority to use force against Spain to end the fighting in Cuba.– “In the name of humanity, in the name of civilization, in behalf of endangered

American interests.”

““Remember the Maine and to Hell with Spain!”Remember the Maine and to Hell with Spain!”

•4 days later, Congress said that the U.S. had no interest in annexing Cuba.

–The navy quickly blockaded Cuban ports and called for more than 100,000 volunteers to join the army.–In response, Spain declared war on the U.S.

Funeral for Maine victims in HavanaFuneral for Maine victims in Havana

Anti-Spain PropagandaAnti-Spain Propaganda

The Philippines• 200,000 volunteers enlisted in the army.

• Commodore, George Dewey steamed his squadron into Manila Bay, Philippines.– This was currently held by the Spanish fleet.

– He ordered, “Fire when ready” and watched his ships quickly destroy the fleet.

– No American died but nearly 400 Spanish died.

– Dewey became a war hero.

• Filipino nationalist, Emilio Aguinaldo was defeating the Spanish army on the mainland.– Much like the Cubans, the Filipinos wanted

independence from the Spanish.

– 15,000 U.S. soldiers landed on the islands and Spanish surrendered.

Cuba’s Independence

• U.S. Marines landed in Cuba and captured Guantanamo Bay and then stormed the shore east of Santiago.

• The army was poorly trained and lacked sufficient supplies.

• Rough Riders– Led by Teddy Roosevelt consisted of rugged westerners and upper-class

easterners who relished the “strenuous life.”

– They gained fame for the battle of San Juan Hill outside of Santiago.

– They were joined by the African-American 9th and 10th cavalries and together charged the hills.

– 2 days after the battle, the Spanish navy made a desperate attempt to escape from Santiago’s harbor.

– The U.S. had blockaded the harbor and destroyed the fleet as it tried to break out.

– Spanish eventually surrendered.

– The U.S. also occupied Puerto Rico

– 3,000 Americans died, only 380 in combat. The rest died of malaria and yellow fever.

The first prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba—

The Spanish

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 1979

“Gitmo” today

How do we always end a war?• What should the U.S. do with

Spain’s former possessions?

• Treaty of Paris was signed by Spain and the U.S.– Spain gave up control of Cuba,

Puerto Rico, and Guam.

– It sold the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million.