Underlying Causes of the Spanish American War

1. Date: April 11, 2014Topic: United States Imperialist Actions.Aim: How did the United States become a dominant imperialist power at the turn of the 20th century?Do now: Multiple Choice QUESTIONS.

2. Underlying Causes of the Spanish American War • A.) Economic • In Spanish controlled Cuba, economic chaos led to revolution and a demand for US intervention. • 1890’s: Spain had imposed increased taxes in Cuba. • United States placed a protective tariff on sugar which had previously entered the nation duty free. • The effect of these taxes was economic collapse. • Cubans provoked US involvement by destroying American sugar plantations and mills in Cuba.

3. Immediate Causes of the Spanish American War. • In addition to the underlying causes of the Spanish American War, several immediate events aroused Americans emotions. These fed a growing jingoism – a super patriotism and demand for aggressive actions – that created a warlike mood. • A.) Yellow Journalism • 1890’s: Both William Randolph Hurst of the New York Morning Journal and Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World were battling for readers. • Both newspapers printed the most sensational stories and pictures they could find about the Cuban revolution. • The stories often exaggerated and distorted events for an emotional effect – yellow journalism.

4. Immediate Causes of the Spanish American War. • B.) The De Lome Letter • February 1898: A personal letter written by the Spanish Minister to the United States, Enrique Dupuy de Lome was printed in the New York Journal. • de Lome called president McKinley “weak and catering to the rabble” – made it hard for the President and other political leaders to withstand demands for war. Besides the ingrained and inevitable bluntness (grosería) with which is repeated all that the press and public opinion in Spain have said about Weyler, it once more shows what McKinley is, weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd besides being a would-be politician (politicastro) who tries to leave a door open behind himself while keeping on good terms with the jingoes of his party.

5. Immediate Causes of the Spanish American War. • C.) Sinking of the Maine • Less than a week after publication of the de Lome letter, the United States battleship Maine exploded and sank in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, killing 266 Americans. The public blamed Spain, although a later investigation was never able to determine the cause of the explosion nor assign responsibility.

6. The Results of the Spanish American War • 1898: The Treaty of Paris granted Cuba its independence from Spain. • The Treaty of Paris also gave the Philippines to the United States for $20 million, and ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States. • This sparked a debate in the United States between imperialists and non-imperialists.

7. The Roosevelt Corollary • President Theodore Roosevelt, further reinforced, even reinterpreted, the Monroe Doctrine. Economic problems in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic led to threats of European intervention. In both cases, the United States stepped in to restore order. Roosevelt explained American policy in a 1904 message to Congress. If a nation in the Western Hemisphere is guilty of consistently behaving wrongly, he said, the Monroe Doctrine requires that the United States step in and act “as an international police power.” This policy is known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. ARE YOU ADDING TO MY FAMOUS DOCTRINE? Roosevelt Corollary

8. POLICE POWER OF THE UNITED STATES. The Big Stick Policy • With the Monroe Doctrine as its justification, the United States intervened often in Latin American affairs. • Speak softly and carry a big stick – the United States would use peaceful methods to protect its interests whenever possible, but would use military force if necessary. • Ex’s: The United States occupied Nicaragua with troops from 1912 to 1933. • Ex 2: The United States occupied Haiti (1915-1934) and the Dominican Republic (1916-1924).

9. The Panama Canal • Since the mid-1800’s, the advantages of a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, were well recognized. With a canal, navy and merchant ships could move more quickly between the two oceans. In 1901 the United States, through negotiations, gained the sole right to build and control such a canal as long as it would be open to all nations. • Under Theodore Roosevelt, the United States settled on a route across Panama, which was part of Columbia. When Columbia seemed reluctant to agree to financial terms, Roosevelt encouraged Panamanians to revolt and declare their independence. The United States quickly negotiated a treaty with the new nation of Panama, which gave the United States a 99-year renewable lease on a 10 mile wide strip of land across Panama. • Building the canal was a mammoth task, begun in 1904. Yellow fever and malaria caused delays as did the difficulty of moving more than 250 million cubic yards of soil. However, workers made the remarkable achievement of completing the canal ahead of schedule and under budget. The canal opened to traffic in 1914. • Responding to Panamanian demonstrations, the United States agreed in a 1977 treaty to turn the canal over to Panamanian control. Panama finally took over the canal on December 31, 1999. Why was the Panama Canal important for the US economy?