The Five Key Causes Of The Spanish American War

Spanish-American War

As America climbed the ranks to become an imperial powerhouse, conflicts with Spain arose. Many factors contributed to the inevitable war that broke out in 1898; five key causes are believed to have initiated the Spanish-American War, more so than others. America saw the Cuban people as harshly governed, and wished to aid them in their time of need. Journalism infamous for stirring controversy and creating conflict was convincing Americans that their enemy was irrefutably the Spanish. Cuba’s location in the Pacific was glowing with opportunities for not only business, but also strategic military. The final of the five was the unexpected eradication of the USS Maine, an American battleship, blamed on the Spanish. This medley of conflict erupted into war with the Spanish, speculated to have ended with five core results: the gain of Puerto Rico, Guam, and purchase of the Philippines; the evental annexation of the Philippines; the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands; the assembly of the Panama Canal; and the rise to a world-power status. This was undoubtedly, one of the most impactful wars America has fought.

Cubans, at the time, were under the watchful eye of Spain. It wasn’t a long shot to say the Cubans resented it. Americans felt sympathetic, some even empathetic, for the Cuban citizens. Their situation was less than ideal and Americans definitely understood, if they didn’t already relate to the situation at hand. This mentality led to the circulation of the idea of helping them break from the Spanish to be able to act freely for themselves. Americans’ views of Cubans led to hatred and disagreement with Spain. The people of America began to see Spain as an enemy; some journalists took advantage of this growing rage. They went down in history as the Yellow