The Spanish American War

1. What connections did the U.S. have to Cuba in the late 1800s? List at least two.
-Thoughout the late 19th century America had been slowly gaining control of Cuba. So by 1890 there were many plantations owned by american citizens, growing crops such as sugar and coffee. By the late 1890s the United States had a huge interest in Cuba but could not fully control it because it was a Spanish Colony. Fortunatly Spain was a dying empire and was no match far the U.S. in the Spanish-American war. At the end of which (1898) the U.S. gained not total control but highly restricted the independence of the new free nation of Cuba.

2. What were the Spanish “reconcentration camps”?
-In 1896 Spain sends over a military general named Valeriano Weyler. His job is to keep the people of Cuba under (Spanish) control. He does this by rounding up thousands of native Cubans and forcing them into reconcentration camps. The intention is to separate the Cuban rebels from the rest of the population, therefore making it harder for the rebels to get supplies. Not only do they separate them but the conditions within the concentrations camps are so bad that thousands of cubans die of starvation or desease because the living conditions are so poor.

3. List three reasons why the United States went to war with Spain in Cuba.
a. The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine. This was an excuse and an incentive more than an actual actack against the U.S. by Spain.

b. Americans were eager to own Cuba and other Spanish colonies and by defeating Spain in a war they would surely gain much more control of them.

c. The De Lome letter was a huge incentive to go to war with Spain. This letter angered americans and anti-spanish sentiment grew.


4. Which do you believe was the most important reason? Why?
One of the more important reasons was that americans were so eager to gain control of spanish colonies. It was the end of the western frontier in america and many americans felt that with the death of the frontier they would lose values they asosiated with the wild west and the frontier. Bravery, ingenuity and patriotism were seen as key american values and if america lost those values or foriegn countries ceased to see america as having those values then americans would lose there true americaness. So the wild west was no longer wild, America stretched from coast to coast. But americans weren't satisfied with coast to coast any more and wanted to go further. This is when imperialism came about. The belief that America was to expand its boundry to the pacific and Latin America. This was a key factor in starting a war against Spain because America was so eager to gain Cuba and other spanish colonies that it didn't really need a real reason to attack. So they egsagerated the De Lome letter and acused the Spanish of attacking the Maine and that was good enough for americans to go to war with Spain.

5. What did the Teller Amendment say?
-Named after the U.S. senetor Henry Teller the Teller Amendment was a bill that said america had no interest in gaining control of the Cuban government. That Cuba was a free nation. However shortly after this the Platt Amendment was signed which greatly limitted the Cuban government without actualy defying* the Teller Amendment.

6. Why was a portion of the Spanish-American War fought in the Philippines?
- The first american attack in the Spanish-American war was in the Philippines, a Spanish colony with relitivly few spanish troops actually inhabiting it. This was a surprise for the spanish, who had not been expecting america to attack there.

7. Dewey’s victory in the Philippines sparked an outpouring of american pride in the United States.



8. Why did Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders want to fight in Cuba?

After Dewey's victory in Manilla boosted American pride and caused a serge in volunteers for the war. Among these volunteers was future president Theodore Roosevelt who had resigned from his previous job in the Mckinley administration to form a cavalry regiment called the rough riders.saadddd

9.
a. Why were many African-Americans eager to serve in the Spanish-American War?

Many African-Americans saw the opportunity to fight in the Spanish-American war as a chance to "elevate their status" in the U.S. There was a lot of discrimination against blacks in America and they were hoping to change that by fighting for their country.

b. What forms of discrimination and prejudice did they encounter?
-Only one of the black volunteer regiments was allowed to participate in the war in the Caribbean.
-At first only three states let black volunteers into the army.
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10. How did racism influence American perceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines? Give two examples of events where racism affected U.S. policy after the war.

a. Well America's attitude toward these countries in general was a very racist one. Americans saw the people of these lands as barbaric and primitive compared to themselves, unfit to dress or act properly therefore unfit to govern themselves. None of these islands resieved pure indipendence. America either completly controled them or granted a very limitted independence. The Platt Amendment is one example of Americas belief that Cubans were unable to fully govern themselves. It limitted their government so that Cuba was practically but not aficially part of the United States.


b. An other example is the fact that we bought the Philippines for $20,000 from Spain. Without letting the Filipinos have any say in their own countries future. We took over and if any of them rebelled the U.S. army would soon quell any efforts to overthrow american power in the Philippines.