ipl-logo

Spanish American War Essay Topics

729 Words3 Pages

Ava Walker
Mr. Wormell
USHH1
8 May 2023
Spanish American War Essay
Throughout the history of the United States of America, the Spanish-American war has been illustrated as the United States stepping in and assisting Cuba in a time of need. The United States offered their aid to Cuba to obtain freedom and independence just like they had received from France in the Revolutionary War. However, this illustration is not universally perceived. As, the United States of America wrongfully forced themselves into Cuba's fight for independence against Spain and consequently stole land and power. Ultimately the United State’s involvement in Cuba's fight for independence created an imperialistic war solely benefitting the United States of America.
Although …show more content…

In the midst of “helping Cuba”, the United States also turned their attention to other territories close to the borders including Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Hawaii. During the late stages of the War, the United States proposed a treaty of annexation on Hawaii, which would allow the U.S. to establish a military base in Hawaii, claiming its use was to help with the pursuit of the war. However, this treaty violated the fundamental principles of the United States by imposing on the freedoms of citizens, an ideal the United States claimed to be very passionate about following. The United States went on to establish military occupation in Honolulu, without the consent of the Hawaiians. This left President Cleveland of Hawaii to have to tell his people in a letter that,” It appears that Hawaii was taken possession of by the United States forces without the consent or wish of the government of the islands, or of anybody else”(President Cleveland on Hawaii). By establishing a military base in Hawaii without the consent of anyone other than themselves the United States yet again demonstrated their selfishness in a pursuit for them to gain more territory, and used the excuse of assisting in the war as a deception to push their way into Hawaii.
Although some may argue that the United States successfully assisted Cuba in gaining their independence, this idea is inaccurate. Following the end of the Spanish-American war the United States did not choose to fight for ownership of the country of Cuba, however in agreement for the U.S.A, to un-occupied the country they created a treaty of independence for Cuba, and within that treaty was a rule known as the Platt

Show More
Related

Siege Of Baler Research Paper

1186 Words | 5 Pages

American journalists reported what was happening and Americans became enraged at Spain. The Yellow Press exaggerated what was happening in Cuba, which made Americans more man than they probably should have bee. Spain decided to give limited sovereignty to Cuba, but the USA did not agree with this; the USA said Spain should fully withdraw from Cuba. President William McKinley did not want to go to war, but a large portion of America wanted to help the Cubans. On April 24, 1898, Spain declared war on the United States of America.

Read More

Comparing Douglas And The Spanish-American Civil War

722 Words | 3 Pages

The Spanish-American war commenced with the Wilson- Gorman Tariff, 1894. The American tariff on sugar imports hurt the Cuba's economy that was manufactured sugar. Angry nationalists (insurrection) revolted against the Spanish Colonial regime. Therefore, Spain sent General Weyler to Cuba to deal with the situation.

Read More

The US Influence In The Spanish-American War

983 Words | 4 Pages

The United States wanted sole control over the island of Cuba in order to grow the American economy, and the congress stated that President William

Read More

What Is The Difference Between 1890-1920 American Imperialism

1142 Words | 5 Pages

After the annexation of Hawaii, US military and economic leaders knew that the Hawaiian Islands had value so they pressured Hawaii to allow the United States to build a naval base at Pearl Harbor. The base became a refueling station for American ships. When establishing the Cuban constitution, the United States insisted that Cuba add provisions to their constitution, which were known as the Platt Amendment. One of the provisions in the Platt Amendment was that America was able to buy or lease

Read More

Spanish American War Dbq

477 Words | 2 Pages

Even though, during war the United States rather argued it’s nobleness in world matters, protecting Cubans and Filipinos from Spaniards. An exemplar of this is America issuing the Teller Amendment; which declared that Americans had no interest in taking political control in Cuba. But, later the Teller Amendment was proved wrong by the Platt Amendment, which stated that; Cuba would never sign a treaty with foreign power, impairing it’s independence, let America maintain independence and order in the country, and the United States maintain Guantanamo Bay a permanent base. Therefore, the U.S. controlling Cuba’s policies. The Filipinos as well are another exemplar of it, during the Spanish-American war they were offered independence but, later on were taken as United States territory until, the Filipino Revolution led to independence.

Read More

Manifest Destiny And The Spanish-American War

489 Words | 2 Pages

One of the only instances of this case was the Open Door Policy, in which America insisted on each country having equal access to China. Nevertheless, the interactions with Spain were influential enough to set the course for future American foreign policy with other countries. For example, this war was the first time America got involved in another country's independence. Cuba was in revolution, and in order to subdue the uprisings and ensure an advantageous treaty, America’s naval force overtook the Philippine islands. In the end, the Philippines were annexed, and Spain ceded Puerto Rico to America; both of which gave a major foothold in the Caribbean for future foreign

Read More

Compare And Contrast Essay On American Imperialism

392 Words | 2 Pages

Essay One: Imperialism Flies circle great black lumps as the moist air ravages the corpses. Dried blood soaked into the ground after faceless soldiers brutally destroyed its owners’ lives. These were the stories in the newspapers, the movies, and the films. Horrified by these crimes against humanity, the American public was spurred into action against the Spanish oppressors. the United States invaded Cuba in 1898 to pursue humanitarian efforts.

Read More

Why Was The War Of 1812 A Turning Point

1579 Words | 7 Pages

In 1898, we finally see the United States begin to enforce the rules they before stated in the Monroe doctrine and began exhibiting their hemispheric power. As Cuba struggled to gain independence from Spain eventually America stepped in to help them gain their freedom. On April 24th Spain declared war on the United States and on April 25th America declared war on Spain.7 This war lasted for less than a year and was a big win for the United States. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10th, 1898.

Read More

Spanish American War Research Paper

409 Words | 2 Pages

Spanish-American War Who?- The Spanish-American War was a war fought between the United States and Spain. Significant leaders on the American side includes William Mckinley, Nelson A. Miles, George Dewey, and Theodore Roosevelt. Significant leaders on the Spanish side include Praxedes Sagasta, Patricia Montojo, and Pascual Cervera What?- The Spanish-American War was a war that led to many things such as the Treaty of Paris, the U.S. having Cuba being part of their territory, the U.S. being in control over Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands and also the Philippine-American War.

Read More

Spanish American War Research Paper

1365 Words | 6 Pages

During this time, government officials worked to speed up process giving Cuba limited government control. However, the United States reacted giving Cuba the right to independence, requesting Spain remove itself from Cuba and authorized the President to use force to remove them (Spanish American War). While yellow journalism was a contributing factor to the war, it is not the sole cause of the Spanish American War. The writers of the paper took some of the facts and add some opinion to gain sales. President Roosevelt pushed for the United States to expand overseas which was gaining strength starting the in 1880’s.

Read More

The Imperialistic Mentality Of The American Government After The Civil War

221 Words | 1 Pages

The imperialistic mentality of the American government after the Civil War, led to some degree to the Spanish-American war that would render a great acquisition of land for the United States. However, imperialism would not be the sole factor that led to the war against Spain, but also the sympathy felt by the American government towards Cuba’s efforts in fighting for their independence; additionally, the United States would seek to protect its commercial interests (sugar) in the island. Therefore, after invoking the Spanish to secede from their brutal practices towards Cuban rebels and attain a peaceful end to the situation, the United States arbitrarily sent a navy ship, “The USS Maine” to monitor the area.

Read More

Essay On How Far Was The United States Justified Or Unjustified?

1180 Words | 5 Pages

As stated by Walter LaFeber in his essay ‘Splendid Little War’, “the United States went to war for humanitarian reasons, to free the Cubans from the horrors of Spanish policies and to give the Cubans democratic institutions. This initial impulse resulted within ten months in an American protectorate over Cuba and Puerto Rico, annexation of the Philippines, and American participation” (pg 1). This quote is trying to present the idea that the American public wanted to save the Cuban people from being oppressed and had no intention of ruling over the

Read More

Impact Of Post Civil War On American Imperialism

1130 Words | 5 Pages

As the US aided Cuba in its independence from Spain, the appearance of America’s power grew. This allowed the US to take over other small islands from Spain like the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico for their gain. The US used these islands for military power and usage of coaling stations and naval bases to help spread its

Read More

American Imperialism In The 20th Century Essay

870 Words | 4 Pages

Cuba started to depend on the United States economically” (‘American Imperialism’). Naturally, after the gains of the Spanish-American War, the United States started to convert from an isolationist nation and began to take part in foreign issues and affairs. While American possession of these lands caused the Spanish Empire to crumble, the United States was able to prosper economically and technologically from

Read More

Spanish American War Causes

928 Words | 4 Pages

This explosion finally made the Americans want to go to war, and so the United States decided to get involved. On April 25, 1898, the United States officially went to war with Spain to help Cuba. Instead of the battles being fast and right away, the United States was hesitant and patient. After multiple articles from Hearst and Pulitzer exposing the horrors in Cuba and the rumors about the explosion of the U.S. Mains, America finally got involved in the Spanish American

Read More

More about Spanish American War Essay Topics

Related Topics

Open Document