The Spanish American War Summary

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The Spanish-American War

What’s the cause of the Spanish-American war, a war that lead to the American annexation of the Philippines and establishing Cuba as a protectorate state through the Platt Amendment? The authors of this reading seeks to explore the realm of possibilities for the cause of the war.
The author of the first secondary source, Walter LeFeber of Cornell University argued that the Spanish-American war was the result of economic pressure at home that forced the McKinley administration into seeking a foreign market to expand American economy and influence, which can be summed up as strategy towards building an American empire, not because of some historical accident. However, Professor John L. Offner of the Shippensburg University …show more content…

As expected, the business and political leaders chose the solution that was less threatening to their power and required least risk: the traditional method of ferreting the nation’s surplus to a new physical frontier. Professor LeFeber established, “United States foreign policy, after all, is concerned primarily with the nation’s domestic system and only secondarily with the systems of other nations” (339). This meant that domestic affairs are the main determinant of foreign policy. Meanwhile, Professor Offner offers a contrary perspective; the war was the result of a colonial stalemate and domestic …show more content…

One important element for intervention was the American public’s support for Cuban independent. Offner stated, “During the conflict, Americans expressed their sense of morality, justice, and fair play as well as their self-interest and predjudices” (347). They opposed military tyranny and cheer on the oppressed minority seeking self-rule. They pressured the McKinley administration to break the stalemate, so more lives will not be lost during the conflict, especially when the US had the military power to stop the conflict. It was axiomatic that corrupt and cruel Spaniards should leave Cuba. The flame of public opinion was further fueled by the explosion of US warship, Maine, which was blamed on the Spanish government because a naval investigation concluded that the explosion was caused by a mine, so the public was prepared for a war with Spain. Leaving McKinley with no other choice, the United States entered the war to quell public

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