Download The Spanish-American War (CCP).

The
Spanish-American
War
Mr. Blais
America in the World
Take a few minutes and try your
best to define the following terms.
• The Monroe Doctrine:
• Manifest Destiny:
• Imperialism:
• Isolationism:
• The Monroe Doctrine was a doctrine established
in 1823 which stated that European powers could
no longer colonize or interfere with the affairs of
independent nations of the Americas.
• Manifest Destiny was the belief that the U.S. had
the ‘obvious right’ to expand its territory.
– It was originally used to justify Americas expansion
west and was later used to justify further American
expansion
• Imperialism is the policy of establishing colonies
and building empires in order to expand the
influence of one single power around the world.
• Isolationism is the political policy of separating
oneself and one’s country from the political
affairs of other countries. (Originally established
by George Washington)
Fulfilling the Monroe Doctrine:
Securing the Americas
• Step 1: Kick the
French out of Mexico
– Because Mexico refused
to pay its debts in 1860
France came in to force
them to pay. In 1865 the
U.S. finally sent 50,000
troops to the border and
made the French
withdraw.
Fulfilling the Monroe Doctrine:
Securing the Americas
• Step 2: Get territory
from Russia
– The czar of Russia saw
little value in a far off
land and sold Alaska to
the U.S. for 7.2 Million
dollars in 1867. (less
than 2 cents an acre)
Securing the Americas
• Step 3: Annex Hawaii
– Hawaii had been closely tied
with the U.S. economy since the
early 1800s.
– But when Queen Liliuokalani
tried to bring control back to the
Hawaiian people some American
business leaders, with the help
of some marines, took over the
Hawaiian government.
– Hawaii was annexed in 1898
Strengthen the Navy
• By 1880 the U.S. navy was
very limited in size and very
outdated.
• Captain Alfred Mahan called
attention to this problem and
believed the U.S. needed more
influence abroad and needed a
strong navy to do that.
• By 1895 Congress had passed
legislation for 20 new naval
ships, 6 of which were
battleships.
The Spanish-American War
1. Explain what the ‘reconcentration camps’ were used for in Cuba
during the late 19th century? Generally, what kind of conditions
could be found in these camps?
–
These camps were used to keep most Cubans confined at all times for the
Spanish could not tell the civilians from the rebels. The conditions were
horrible and thousands died from starvation and illness.
2. How did the American public feel about how the Spanish were
treating the people of Cuba?
–
They felt that these practices were inhumane and that the Cubans had a right
to govern themselves and have there freedom (like America).
3. What was ‘yellow journalism’ and how did it help lead the United
States into war?
–
Yellow journalism exaggerated stories of Cubans being maltreated and helped
rally Cuban support among the American population.
4. How did the De Lome letter damage U.S.-Spanish relations beyond
repair?
–
It was an insult to our nation and president which came directly from Spain
5. What was the final catalyst which began the war with Spain? How
did ‘yellow journalism’ help make this incident larger than life?
–
The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana, Cuba began the war with Spain
and yellow journalism blamed the entire incident on Spain where in reality no
one actually knew what happened.
6. How did the Teller Amendment help the people of Cuba during the
war?
–
It declared that ‘the government and control of the island (Cuba) would be left
to the people.’
7. Where did the first battle of the Spanish-American War take place?
Who was the commander of the American forces and what was the
overall outcome?
–
The battle took place at Manila Bay in the Philippines islands. Commodore
George Dewey commanded the U.S. ships and decisively won the battle.
8. Why did the Spanish surrender in the Philippines still leave the
islands in an unstable situation?
–
Now the island was turned over to the U.S. army, making it unclear as to who
would run the government there, the U.S. or the Filipinos.
The Spanish-American War
9. Give three examples of how the American soldiers were ill-prepared
to fight in Cuba.
–
They had heavy wool uniforms for tropic weather, ammunition was out-ofdate, very few medical supplies, and many rations were inedible.
10. At what Cuban city did the major battle of the Spanish-American
war take place? How did the Rough Riders help secure this
victory?
–
The major battle took place in and around Santiago. The Rough Riders
captured San Juan Hill just outside the city which helped force the Spanish
into surrender.
11. How did the Spanish navy fair against the U.S. forces outside of
Santiago harbor?
–
The Spanish navy was completely destroyed when it tried to escape.
12. Approximately how long did the Spanish-American War last AND
who was victorious in this war?
–
The war lasted about 3 and a half months and America was ultimately
victorious
America Gains New Territory
• The treaty between American and Spain after
the war was very beneficial to America.
• The U.S. gained territory throughout the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
• It gained influence or governance over the
following islands:
– Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines (The
Philippines cost 20 Million Dollars.)
Annexation of the Philippines
• Arguments AGAINST annexation:
– They believed it would drive down American wages, would cost
too much money, and was a violation of American tradition (the
idea that all people should be free and be allowed to govern
themselves.)
• Arguments FOR annexation:
– They supported America becoming more prominent in world
affairs, the growth of our economic markets, they liked the idea
of having an empire, some believed it was simply survival of the
fittest, and some even felt it was our destiny to emerge victorious
over other races and classes.
• McKinley (and others) support annexation because:
– He felt it was our duty to civilize, Christianize, and educate the
Filipinos.
Annexation of the Philippines
• The peace treaty to end the Spanish-American War was
only passed by a two-vote margin.
• The vote whether to annex the Philippines or not was even
closer. The Vice President had to come in to break the tie
in the Senate, officially ending the Filipino’s hopes for
independence.
• They paid 20 Million Dollars for the Philippines
• The Philippines islands are a difficult place to govern
because:
– There are over 7,100 islands in the Philippines, over 7.5 million
people, 43 different ethnic groups and about 87 different
languages and dialects. (Islands are also 6,000 miles away from
the United States.)
Filipino Resistance
• The Filipinos felt betrayed by the U.S. because:
– They had just helped the Americans fight the Spanish and now
America simply turned around and took the place of Spain.
• Emilio Aguinaldo led the resistance against Spain and also
against America.
– He worked to established a constitutional republic in the
Philippines.
• The Filipinos used guerrilla warfare, or hit and run tactics,
against the U.S.
• The Filipino resistance lasted about 3 years and was ended
when Emilio Aguinaldo was captured
Filipino Resistance
• The U.S. tried to Americanize the Philippines by:
– Replacing Spanish with English, changing street names,
and expanding American businesses across the islands
• William Howard Taft, American governor of the
Philippines tried to help the Filipinos by:
– Establishing public schools and passing new laws to
keep land in the hands of the Filipinos.
• America in granted the Philippines its independence
in 1946. Controlled it for almost 50 years.
• The U.S. Army stayed in Cuba after the war to:
–
Set up a republican government, establish health programs, and oversee Cuban
finances
• The Platt Amendment was put in place to:
–
Protect the interests of the United States in Cuba. (It governed the U.S.-Cuban
relationship for about 33 years.)
• The Platt Amendment included the following four points:
–
1. Cuba must allow the U.S. to build naval bases in Cuba, 2. Cuba’s debt is not
to exceed its income, 3. Cuba should not make treaties with other foreign
powers and 4. the U.S. can intervene to protect Cuba if it is threatened
• While Cuba was a protectorate of the United States Cuba
was more or less controlled by the United States and true
independence wouldn’t be possible as long as they remained
in this role.
• U.S. occupation of Cuba did bring an end to yellow fever on
the island though.
Puerto Rico
• The U.S. passed the Foraker Act to govern Puerto Rico. This act:
–
Established a civil government for the island with an elected legislature. But
gave full authority to a governor and executive council that were appointed by
the U.S. president.
• In addition the Supreme Court also decided that:
–
Puerto Ricans were NOT U.S. citizens therefore they had no constitutional
rights.
• As a dependency the U.S. had the power to:
–
Set taxes on Puerto Rican products and only had to grant full civil rights if they
wanted to.
• Puerto Rico was a hard place for the U.S. to govern because:
–
Puerto Rico had 300 years of Spanish language, Spanish tradition, and Spanish
culture.
• Puerto Rico was granted territorial status and made citizens of the
United States in 1917.