The Spanish-American War H-SS 11.4.2- Describe the Spanish-American War and U.S. expansion in the South Pacific

Cuba was a Spanish colony that provided wealth from sugarcane plantations In 1868 Jose Marti led a guerrilla war against the Spanish –it failed. He and his group fled to the U.S. to raise money for weapons to return to Cuba and continue fight.

In 1894, the U.S. imposed tariffs on Cuban sugar, it hurt the Cuban economy. Marti and his followers began a new rebellion in 1895. They took control of eastern Cuba and declared its independence.

At the start of the Cuban Revolution, Americans were neutral At the start of the Cuban Revolution, Americans were neutral. But, after two newspapers sided with the rebels and ran stories exaggerating Spanish atrocities. William Randolph Hearst = New York Journal Joseph Pulitzer = New York World These stories are known as Yellow Journalism

Cuban rebels attacked and destroyed U.S. property in Cuba. Spanish appointed Gen. Valeriano Weyler as governor to put down revolution. He caused the deaths of tens of thousands by putting them into reconcentration camps This brought U.S. into the war

Remember the Maine! In February 1898, the battleship U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor killing 266 sailors. Cause of explosion unclear. Press blamed the Spanish and “Remember the Maine!” Became the battle cry of the war

Yellow Journalism Remember the Maine!

President William McKinley did not want the U. S President William McKinley did not want the U.S. involved in the war but jingoism in the U.S. put pressure on him and the Congress to declare war. Jingoism- aggressive nationalism; support for warlike foreign policy.

A War on Two Fronts The U.S. Navy, led by Commodore Dewey, destroyed or captured the Spanish fleet in the Philippines- a Spanish colony. President McKinley sent 20,000 troops to the Philippines and seized the island of Guam- a Spanish possession, along the way

The U. S. Army was untrained and unequipped The U.S. Army was untrained and unequipped. More Americans died in training camps than in battle during the war. In Cuba, U.S. Army struggled but won the island from the Spanish.

Notable groups: Rough Riders- led by Theodore Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill and made Roosevelt famous. 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were all African American units that accounted for one-fourth of all troops in Cuba.

Spain and the U.S. agreed to a cease-fire on August 12, 1898 An American empire was born. Many wanted to annex the Philippines it would provide a naval base in Asia and a large market for U.S. goods. The U.S. and Spain Signed the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898

Treaty of Paris- Cuba became an independent country; The U. S Treaty of Paris- Cuba became an independent country; The U.S. paid $20 million dollars to Spain and gained Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Controlling new empire was not easy. Emilio Aguinaldo- a Filipino revolutionary, order his troops to attack U.S. forces. Gen. Arthur MacArthur set up concentration camps resulting in the deaths of thousands of Filipinos.

William Howard Taft was the First governor of the Philippines-later became U.S. President. He introduced reforms in education, transportation, and health care trying to win over the Filipino people. Hostility lessen and by 1902 all resistance stopped. Japan attacked and occupied the Philippines during WWII. U.S. Army liberated during the war Philippines granted independence in 1946.

1900- Foraker Act- made Puerto Rico an unincorporated territory of the U.S. Congress allowed them some self-government. In 1917 all Puerto Ricans were made U.S. citizens. Debate about the island becoming independent or a new state still exists.

After the war U.S. set up a military government in Cuba and steps taken to see that Cuba remained close to the U.S. Platt Amendment: Cuba couldn’t make treaty w/another nation that would weaken its power or give territory away Cuba had to allow the U.S. to buy or lease naval bases

3. Cuba’s debt’s had to be kept low to prevent foreign countries from landing troops to demand payment. 4. U.S. would have the right to intervene to protect Cuban independence Cuba reluctantly accepted the amendment- its was repealed in 1934