Download Spanish America War

“It has been a splendid little war; begun
with the highest motives, carried out with
magnificent intelligence and spirit”
- Secretary of State John Hay, 1898
• How is this description of war unusual?
• Why would anti-imperialists and pacifists object to this
description?
The Spanish American War (1898)
Underlying Causes
• Economic - we desired
trade with Spain’s colonies.
• Humanitarian – we were
concerned about Cuban
people
• Expansionist – we were
competing for overseas
territories
Immediate Causes
1. Yellow Journalism:
Exaggerated, false, or biased
news reporting
2. Jingoism:
super patriotism and demand
for government actions
3. Sinking of the U.S.S.
Maine
Wreckage Photos
Wreckage of the U.S.S. Maine
W. R. Hearst
(& Joseph
Pulitzer)
Yellow Journalism – exaggerated or false news
reporting designed to gain support for the war
War in the Philippines
Events of the War
• President McKinley asks Congress for war, Congress declares
war in April.
• War lasted 4 months. American victory is overwhelming.
• Commodore Dewey defeated Spanish navy at Manila Bay,
Philippines. (Major success for our new Navy)
• U.S. land forces defeated Spanish in Cuba. (Teddy Roosevelt
led “Rough Riders” at San Juan Hill.)
• More soldiers died from disease than combat.
War in the Caribbean
Charging San Juan Hill
Territorial Gains
Peace treaty get US new territories: (under U.S. control)
1. Cuba
2. Guam
3. Puerto Rico
4. the Philippines
Some Americans formed the Anti-Imperialist League,
opposing the creation of an American colonial empire.
U.S. Territories in the Pacific
New U.S. Territory
Cuba
Puerto Rico
The Philippines
• U.S. military
government put
in place.
• Commission was
sent to Cuba to
fight disease.
• Constitution
drafted and
included Platt
Amendment,
allowing
American
intervention in
Cuban affairs
• Like Cubans and
Filipinos, Puerto
Ricans had
hoped for
independence.
• Made a U.S.
territory
• Puerto Ricans
were granted
U.S. citizenship
in 1917.
• Spain
surrendered
Philippines for
$20 million.
• Filipinos revolted
against U.S.
control.
• Conflict ended in
1902.
• Congress passed
Philippine
Government Act
in 1902.
Platt Amendment – U.S. had right to intervene in
Cuba at any time (repealed in 1930’s).
To Imperialize or not to Imperialize?
• Imperialists (in favor)
–
–
–
–
Economic need
Naval bases
White man’s Burden
Abandonment of territory
is weak
– Honorable to those who
lost their lives
• Anti-imperialist (opposed)
– Financial burden
– Solve problems at home
– Non-whites should not be
assimilated
– More military involvement
– Violation of democratic
principle
American Empire (1898)
What does that mean for us?
Can a democracy be a colonial power?
How do we keep this empire?
Should we keep it?
T.R. and U.S. Role in Latin America
The Panama Canal allowed the United States to become more
involved in Latin America.
American military power grew stronger and allowed the United
States to enforce the Monroe Doctrine.
President Roosevelt created a policy called the Roosevelt
Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine to force debtor nations to
repay loans to Europe—the United States would intervene in
any “wrongdoing” by Latin American countries.
The United States became the “international police power” in
the Western Hemisphere.
The United States in Latin America
The Panama Canal
Promoting Interests in Latin America
• President William Howard Taft acted to protect U.S. interests in Latin
America.
– Used dollar diplomacy policy—influencing governments through
economic, not military, intervention
– Loaned money to Nicaragua in exchange for control of the National
Bank of Nicaragua and the railway
– Sent U.S. Marines to Nicaragua in 1911 to protect American interests
• Woodrow Wilson believed that the United States had a moral obligation
to promote democracy.
– Often sent troops into Latin America to prevent foreign intervention or
political unrest
– Sent troops to assist Mexico’s government in the Mexican Revolution
Foreign Policy
• Washington’s Farewell
Address
United States will not
become involved in
European affairs.
• Monroe Doctrine
United States will defend
its interests in Western
Hemisphere and keep
European powers out.
• Roosevelt Corollary
United States will police
wrongdoing by nations in
Western Hemisphere.
• Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy
United States will use
economic means to aid its
interests in Latin America.
• Wilson and Democracy
The United States will
promote and protect
democracy in the Western
Hemisphere.
Evolution of U.S. Foreign Policy
Review