The 1898 Spanish-American War Flashcards
1
Q
The 1895 Cuban Revolution
A
- Main cause for Span-Ame War
- Revolt against Spanish rule by Cuban nationalists, led by Jose Marti, 1895
- Rebels received support from American sympathisers
- Support grew stronger after Spanish army used brutal methods to crush the revolt
- Many Americans demanded intervention to secure Cuban independence
- Cuba’s economy dependent on exporting tobacco/sugar to US markets
- Cuba only 90 miles away from the US
2
Q
US Imperialism Motives
A
- Rapid growth of US economy, US needed more overseas markets, create ‘Open Door’ to trade with China
- 1890: Closing of the frontier, new frontier needed/Manifest Destiny
- Belief in ‘Social Darwinism’, Anglo-Saxons needing to ‘civilise’ dark-skinned natives
- Influence of Alfred Thayer Mahan, believed US should have a ‘forward’ foreign policy based on naval sea power
3
Q
The ‘Yellow Peril’
A
- US threatened by instability of China and fast modernisation of Japan
- Concerns about ‘Yellow Peril’ intensified by US hostility in the 1890s due to Chinese/Japanese immigration
- Offensive, racist term, coined by the German Emperor, Wilhelm II
- Expressed fear of the rise of China and Japan, already current in Britain and US
4
Q
Remember the Maine!
A
- US Yellow Press accused the Spanish of sabotage in causing the Maine explosion (266 died)
- Spanish investigation concluded that explosion was due to fault on board the ship
- US investigation concluded that explosion was due to a Spanish naval mine
- US public opinion was inflamed causing a naval blockade to be imposed on Cuba
- Later emerged that the explosion was actually caused by a design flaw in the ship
5
Q
The Yellow Press
A
- William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer were 2 New York journalists in competition with each other in a circulation war to attract readers
- Both ran sensationalist stories of alleged Spanish atrocities in Cuba
- Remington, an illustrator, sent to Cuba to cover the insurrection, however, cabled to Hearst that there was no war to cover
- Hearst allegedly replied to this, ‘You finish the pictures. I’ll furnish the war.’
6
Q
The Cuban Invasion
A
- Peace could have easily negotiated, US wanted war
- US navy blockaded Cuba
- Combination of land forces and a naval blockade force the surrender of Spanish troops
- Less than 3 weeks of fighting, 379 US soldiers killed
- War made a national hero out of ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt, part of ‘Rough Riders’
- Spain made peace with the ‘Treaty of Paris’
- Cuba remained under US rule until 1902, became American protectorate
7
Q
The Philippine Invasion
A
- Included annexation of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines
- Previously independent islands of Hawaii annexed at the same time
- US Pacific squadron sailed into Manila Bay, destroyed outdated Spanish fleet
- American land forces arrived to establish military control
- Filipino revolt against American rule in 1899
- Crushed in 1902 after ruthless US military action
8
Q
The Treaty of Paris (1898)
A
- USA didn’t seriously consider Cubans in the final peace settlement with Spain
- US allowed to keep Guantanamo Bay as a strategic naval base
- Spain surrendered Puerto Rico and Guam
- US purchased Philippines for $20 million
