Spanish American War Speech Analysis

The United States began its history with the Revolutionary War. A war that was necessary but unwanted. The desire to avoid war continued. Although the country started with isolationist ideals, the Spanish American War proved that the United States would be forced to fight battles outside of its own borders. Never one to pick a fight, the United States would be called many times to step into a battle to take the defense of an ally or defend the ideals of freedom that are so much a part of Democracy. The American government and the people it represented had faith in the United States Armed Forces and how it would wage war. The Korean war proved to be a turning point in how the United States handled a state of war. These changes have been many, including how war is declared, who determines the strategy of war, and the attitude the President and American public have toward the soldiers who are sent to war on the behalf of the United States.

In conflicts that required the participation of the United States Armed Forces prior to the Korean War, the President of the United States would be required to go before Congress to ask for a declaration of war before sending troops into the

As part of this speech, the president would explain why the use of the United States Armed Forces was necessary and what the desired results would be. This was done to satisfy Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution which states that “Congress will have the power to… declare war”. President Wilson did precisely that when he addressed Congress asking for a declaration of war on February 3, 1917 in response to Germany’s unrestricted use of submarine warfare. President Wilson stated, “I have called the Congress into extraordinary session because there are serious, very serious, choices of policy to be made, and made immediately, which it was neither right nor constitutionally