Spanish American War Research Paper

The Spanish-American War was not started by one event alone, but with the accumulation many events which caused the war to explode. It started with the event surrounding USS Maine, was a "second class" battleship built up for the U.S. Navy. Spain sent General “Butcher” Weyler to control the situation in Cuba, so America sent the navy battleship called

The first reason is the main reason the U.S joined the Spanish-American war is territory and resources. According to a document by Jason Colby, Spain took control of Cuba, the Philippines Islands, and Puerto Rico. The U.S was worried that

Throughout the history of the United States, we have been involved in military conflict, both here and abroad. Whether fighting for independence in Yorktown or fighting terrorism in Baghdad, our nation’s military has been defined by brave soldiers, and their weapons or war. While weaponry has advanced incredibly throughout history, it is certain that the Colt Model 1911 can be considered one of the greatest military inventions of the 20th century. Great inventions are almost always born out of necessity, and the Colt Model 1911 certainly can claim that origin. In order to understand how this classic American firearm came to be, we need to revisit history.

As America climbed the ranks to become an imperial powerhouse, conflicts with Spain arose. Many factors contributed to the inevitable war that broke out in 1898; five key causes are believed to have initiated the Spanish-American War, more so than others. America saw the Cuban people as harshly governed, and wished to aid them in their time of need. Journalism infamous for stirring controversy and creating conflict was convincing Americans that their enemy was irrefutably the Spanish. Cuba’s location in the Pacific was glowing with opportunities for not only business, but also strategic military. The final of the five was the unexpected eradication of the USS Maine, an American battleship, blamed on the Spanish. This medley of conflict erupted into war with the Spanish, speculated to have ended with five core results: the gain of Puerto Rico, Guam, and purchase of the Philippines; the evental annexation of the Philippines; the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands; the assembly of the Panama Canal; and the rise to a world-power status. This was undoubtedly, one of the most impactful wars America has fought.

When the Spanish-American war came to an end and Spain gave up their power in the Philippines and Cuba, the US showed they had no interest in annexing Cuba but were debating on whether or not they should annex the Philippines. The possibility of annexation pleased some but it also made other unhappy, like Emilio Aguinaldo who wanted the Philippines to be free from colonization. In his fight for the island’s freedom, Aguinaldo started a rebellion against the US army and soon enough the Philippine American war began. The instability in this island led to much debate over whether or not the annexation would benefit or detriment the Philippines.

Both Nell Irvin Painter and Kristin L. Hoganson have two different prospective on the annexation of the Philippines. Painter’s approach of explaining the annexation was more of an economic view rather then Hoganson’s, which was a more sexiest view. An example of Painter’s view is when he said,” the culprit, it seemed, was agricultural and industrial overproduction” (Painter). He is saying the America simply produced too much, and they did not care. Business thought taking over The Philippines would help American gain access to trading with China. They saw it as the “perfect stepping-stones” trade with China and the rest of Asia. American business men felt it was necessary for the government to show some authority and capitalize on this opportunity. American saw Manila as their

The Philippines should not have been annexed because the US could still profit from the Philippines without annexation. “It is not necessary to own people to trade with them,”(document D). The US did not profit from annexing the Philippines, trade wise, because they could still trade with them whether they were annexed into the US or not. Separate countries trade with each other without having to be annexed in another country, so the US took away the Philippines independence and they did not truly profit. In the end, Annexing the Philippines to profit from trade was

The Spanish American War was short and fought over a period of 10 weeks. Most Americans supported the war because we were freeing the natives in territories such as Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines from Spanish rule, but our definition of freedom was to only make money. "But freedom was above all economic in nature for most Americans: it involved private property, free enterprise, and opportunities for material gain. Most Americans thought that political rights, civil liberties, and private enterprise were all of a piece and that it was not possible to have one without the other” (Boller 200). The press told the public that the war was for a good cause. It was to show the natives American ideals, but this was a lie. What ideals would we teach?

The Spanish-American war led to Cuba gaining independence from Spain, but Philippines came under the United States control. This move was criticized by anti-imperialists, as the aim of the war was to free Cuba and Philippines, not to advance the United States imperialist

The Spanish American war of 1898 was primarily based on sugar and land, but none the less, also for freedom and rights for the blacks and mulatto minority. A war consisting of Cuba, Philippines island, Puerto Rico, Guam, and other islands. This war included many men such as Major Rowan and General Calixto Garcia. As a

At the end of the Spanish-American War, in 1898, The United States of America acquired many new territories and protectorates, making it a global colonial power. America was able to achieve Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico as protectorates as an outcome of the Spanish-American War. Other nations were also occupied by America. America was able to do this through imperialism; when a nation expands its influence and power through economic, military, and diplomatic means.

Those that were for annexing the island based it on the business interests and industrialization of the United States. Which made perfect sense to them as all they wanted to do was expand and more than anything that didn’t want to lose out on the Philippines to Japan of Germany. Of course, there those that were against the annex stated that islands were 6000 miles away from the Pacific coast, so what good would have the island do

McKinley felt the Filipinos werent ready to govern themselves so he could not grant them independence. While fighting the Spanish American War McKinley led the Filipinos who were seeking to overturn Spanish rule that possibly they would be given their independence if they helped the Americans.

The Battle of Manila Bay was one of two major American naval victories in the Spanish-American War. This event occurred on of May 1, 1898, which was two days after war had been declared between Spain and the United States.

While the Filipinos sought independence after being released from Spain, the U.S. perceived the nation as incompetent. William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, in his decision on the Philippines mentions that they are ill-equipped to run a self-government and any attempt to do so will cause misfortune in the region, thus, the United States has no option but to rule over the Philippines. This concept of racial uplift influenced the treatment of Filipino citizens during and after the war, as Shi states the blatant racism and torture they experienced during the three years of war and after hindered any peaceful bonds between the two nations. After the Filipino resistance was reduced, the United States acquired the Philippines to mark its next bitter, controlling relationship with a foreign