Prior to the Spanish-American War of 1898, the majority of Latin America already won their independence from Spain, however, Cuba was an exception due to its surplus of sugar, coffee and tobacco plantations. This control imposed by Spain on Cuba left Cuban citizens resenting their rule due to a multitude of issues, particularly their high taxation and Spain’s rule on Cuba repelling Cubans any political representation in their own country. This distaste for the repressive rules that Spain inflicted on Cuba caused many failed attempts for independence, including the Ten Years’ War and the Little War. The United States sympathized with the Cubans and set out to help. The aid of the United States contributed to the Spanish-American War in 1898, which ended the colonial rule of Spain is …show more content…
Due to the aid of the United States and their attribution to the independence of Cuba in the Spanish-American War helped build a relationship with Latin America, however, the ongoing interference of the United States caused a development of rivalry among Cuban nationalists. The United States grew interested in the Cuban struggle through what is known to be yellow journalism, which over accentuated stories to sell more copies of their newspapers and overall caused an interest to assist Cuba in their fight for independence. Although this was a narcissistic approach to sell more copies of their newspapers, it prompted the American public to become more aware of Cuban circumstances which later escalated when the battleship USS Maine was sent to
This event in U.S. history regarding the USS Maine was unfamiliar to me. I knew of the Spanish American War, but never
Cuba would once again attempt to rid itself of Spanish rule, resulting in the American-Spanish War. While the war signified a strengthening of political ties between Cuba and the United States, it was also the culmination of a growing American imperialist movement. During the second half of the nineteenth century baseball had become part of the, “‘civilizing’ influence on other nations,” and the hallmark of American culture. It would become an American export, played in Japan, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico. But for Cuba, the game would hold a much more important
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
In the late nineteenth century, yellow journalism, exaggeration of news in order to sell papers, was coined by Erwin Wardman, editor of the New York Press. The term originated during the American Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century with the circulation battles between Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William randolph Hearst’s New York Journal. Both papers were accused by critics of sensationalizing the news in order to drive up circulation, although the newspapers did serious reporting as well. In 1898, the United States assisted Cuba in its fight for independence against Spain in order to protect its citizens and businesses in Cuba, and the war became known as the Spanish American War. The United States declared war on Spain after the U.S. warship, the Maine, exploded and sank on February 15, 1898 while visiting Havana, Cuba.
Third, there was the moral issue of Weyler;s treatment of the Cubans, which appealed to American humanitarianism (Schweikart and Zinn 483). In addition, Schweikart and Allen give detailed descriptions of the battles that happened during the Spanish American War, while Zinn simply states that the “Spanish forces were defeated in three months” (Zinn 309). The authors also explain the end result of the battle, reporting that the United States bought Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico, but did not annex Cuba.
This week, we had a variety of readings discussing the relations between certain Latin American countries and the United States, the Panama Canal, and the explosion of the American battleship Maine. Following the explosion of the battleship Maine, there was an outcry for war, with the declaration of war against Spain being approved by congress on April 22, 1898, a little over a month after the explosion. From reading the various news articles, one thing I find quite interesting is the role yellow journalism played in shaping American public perception of the event. Specifically, two articles, the one about the Maine survivor, and the article from Hearst’s Journal. The article about the Maine survivor outlines the tragedy that occurred and
With the inclusion of both Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, yellow journalists, together they influenced the public to feel the pain of the Cubans and immensely propelled the desire to finally go to war. The effects are numerous with yellow journalism, for example, Americans learned more about the Spanish American War through dramatized articles like “FEEDING PRISONERS TO THE SHARKS” and “blood on the roadsides, blood in the fields, blood on the doorsteps, blood, blood, blood” which exposed the violent tensions in Cuba. On top of this, Americans felt genuine emotion for the Cubans, they felt like we as a country should help them gain their independence from Spain. Also, American citizens were also infuriated that those currently
The Spanish-American war was fought for humanitarian, geopolitical, and Commercial reasons. that prompted the United States to take a larger Global role once the war was won. many Americans begin to wonder if the United States should have become an imperial power. The American people were assured by McKinley the aim of the war was to protect the sovereignty of the Cuban people. Not to create an empire.
For the reason that the U.S government had earlier supported Spain in their war against the Cuban people. The United States also benefited largely from the Spanish-American War which the U.S referred to as “splendid little War”. The “Treaty of Paris” gave the United States more territory which allowed them to expand both economically and graphically. The war was a turning point for the; for it rebirthed the U.S as a twentieth-century world power. They also establish predominance in the Caribbean region, which allowed them to trade with other countries around the world in a profligate period.
The explosion of the Maine was one of the primary reasons to the start of the Spanish-American War. One of the main economic reasons to why the Americans wanted to help Cuba was because of their economy aspects.
The war started with a Cuban revolt for independence against Spain. Popular yellow press circulated to the public that Spanish General Valeriano Weyler was committing atrocities and putting people in concentration camps. The press nicknamed him the “Butcher” and the stories generated a lot of sympathy for Cuba. The press also published a letter written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, which criticized President William McKinley by calling him weak. To make matters worse the American battleship Maine was sunk by an explosion in Havana Harbor.
Some Americans opposed New Mexico statehood because they questioned the loyalty of many New Mexico citizens. They also feared that New Mexicans might side with Spain, their former mother country, in the Spanish American War. Many Americans saw similarities between the Cuban struggle for independence and their own struggle for independence from England during the American Revolution. On February 15, the battleship exploded in Havana Harbor. More than 250 American sailors were killed The United States declared war on Spain for this and other reasons in April 1898.
The Spanish governor tried to stop the Americans from helping the Cubans but the Americans had too much sympathy for the Cubans. On January 5, 1898, the American ship the Maine was anchored in Havana Harbor. On February 15, she was destroyed by an explosion. People claimed that the Maine was destroyed by a mine, a Spanish ship.
During the Spanish-American War, more people were becoming Jingoist imperialists who wanted the US to assert its global dominance. Hoping to further US business interests and expand the Navy’s resources, American merchants, businessmen, and imperialists wanted to invest in Hawaii, Samoa, and especially Cuba. Jingoists wanted Cuba because of its vast
The Cubans finally gained independence, but while they were in the process of overthrowing Spain, Americans were deciding whose side they were on. The yellow press made it