apr 21, 1898 - Spanish-American War (Apr. 1898 - Aug 1898)

Description:

Cuba's masses = misgoverned, rose up against Spanish (1895), US side w/ Cuba; (1896) arrival of Spanish general "Butcher Weyler", Atrocities in Cuba → more sensational new "yellow journalism"; Hearst publicized private letter from Spanish minister in Wash - Dupuy de Lome who insulted Pres McKinley; (early 1898) Wash sends battleship Maine to Cuba to protect and evacuate Amer which blows up, US thinks Span blew it up & yellow journalism sensationalizes event; McKinley had little faith in Spain's promises, worried about Dem retaliation if he continued to be indecisive during crisis, acknowledged business interests in Cuba when made decision


Apr 11 1898 McKinley sent war message to Congress; Urged armed intervention to free oppressed Cubans; Leigis said this was essentially dec of war; Adopted Teller Amendment, proclaimed that US had overthrown Spanish misrule & would give Cubans freedom;

Amer went into war lightheartedly;

Dewey (May 1 1898) Sailed w/ 6 warships into fortified harbor of Manila, fought w/ stinky 10-ship Spanish fleet, Spanish ships overmatched, quickly destroyed, 400 Span killed, no Amer die; George Dewey = national hero quickly, but couldn't storm forts of Manila w/ sailors, had to wait in bay while troops reinforcements assembled in US, Appearance of German warships deepened tension;

US troops arrived, captured Manila Aug 13 1898, collab'd w/ Filipino insurgents led by leader Emilio Aguinaldo, Dewey brought Aguinaldo from exile to weaken Span resistance; Events in Philippines → focus attention on Hawaii, Ppl think that US needs Hawaii as coaling and provisioning way station to send supplies & reinforcements to Dewey; McKinley worried that Japan might take Hawaiian islands while US was distracted; Joint resolution of annexation rushed through Congress, approved by McKinley (July 7 1898), Grated Hawaiian residents US citizenship, got full territorial status in 1900;

After war started, Span gov't ordered fleet of weak warships to Cuba→ panic of E seaboard of US; Spanish fleet went into Santiago harbor, easily blockaded by more powerful US fleet; Strategy dictate that US army be sent in from rear to drive out spanish, Invading force led by grossly overweight General William F. Shafter whose troops were ill-equipped for war in tropics; Rough Riders part of invading army, regiment of volunteers

In middle of June, US army of 17k men left Tampa, FL amid confusion; Diversionary tactics of insurrectos → Shafter's landing near Santiago = smooth; Fighting broke out (July 1) at El Caney and Kettle Hill, Colonel Roosevelt & Rough Riders charged up hill w/ help from 2 black regiments;

US army close to Santiago = bad for Span fleet;
(July 3) Span left harbor into waiting US warships; Cap't Philip of the Texas commented on how all span died, Santiago soon surrendered;

Prep made for descent upon Puerto Rico before war should end; US army meet less resistance here than they did in Cuba; (Aug 12, 1898) Spain signed armistice

(Late 1898) Span & US negotiators met in Paris, Cuba freed from Spain; US easily got control of remove Pacific Island Guam - captured early in conflict w/ Span, Span ceded Puerto Rico to US as payment for war cost, Last part of Spain's new world empire → 1st territory annexed to US w/o promise of statehood, US investment in Puerto Rico & imm to US makes the getting of PR most heavy responsibility;

Spanish-Amer war declared that US = world power, US prestige grew a lot, Euro give US more respecc; New martial spirit in US, Span-Amer war closed divide btwn N and S, New imperial US not prepared for full status of imperialist nation, Become full E power by taking Philippines, Took on commitments they couldn't maintain/defend;

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