The Spanish American WarDay One

SWBAT: identify the 3 major causes of the Spanish American War.

Homework: Finish the yellow journalism article. Also, vocab quiz on Thursday.

Do Now: Read the primary source account of the conditions in Cuba. After reading the account of the situation, answer the following questions:

How did reading this make you feel?Should the United States intervene in the wars or affairs of other countries if there are enough atrocities occurring? Name other times where the United States intervened in foreign affairs on the basis of human rights violations. What was the result?

How does the United States end up at war with Spain?!?!

The Spanish American War starts with a war between Spain and Cuba

Cuba wanted independence. Spain wanted Cuba to remain part of their empire. War erupted between the 2 countries.

VS

The War between Cuba and Spain gets Intense… Spain sends a man named

Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to end the rebellion.

Creates concentration camps where 300,000 Cubans were imprisoned and tens of thousands die from starvation and disease.

America considers getting involved due to human rights violations, but is hesitant.

But American interests in getting involved aren’t necessarily pure. Only 90 miles off the coast of

Florida. Remember what happened to

Alaska and Hawaii? American farmers owned sugar

plantations and mills. Idea of backing a revolution is

appealing to Americans. Why do you think this is?

Ultimately, there will be 3 Causes for American Involvement

Yellow Journalism De Lome Letter USS Maine

Yellow Journalism…the beginnings

A journalism war of sorts was starting between newspaper publishers William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer (New York World).

Fighting to see who could sell the most newspapers. Both attempted to lure readers to their newspapers by:

Exaggerating accounts Using gripping headlines Adding scandalous pictures.

This became known as yellow journalism.

Which would you rather buy?

Plane Falls from the Sky 250 dead, 9 missing.Sole survivor suggests pilot was drunk.

Plane Crash in NJPolice say pilot is under investigation for odd behavior before liftoff.

Newspaper One: Newspaper Two:

Reason 1: Yellow Journalism as it applies to the Spanish American War Both Hurst and Pulitzer took exaggerated stories coming from Cuba

and published them solely because they wanted to sell newspapers.

“Blood on the roadsides, blood in the fields, blood on the doorsteps, blood, blood, blood! ...is there no nation wise enough, brave enough to aid this blood-smitten land?” ---From Pulitzer’s New York World Newspaper

This exaggerated news get American’s attention and they start to support a war in Cuba on humanitarian grounds.

Reason 2: the De Lome Letter

February, 1898 the New York Journal published a private letter from Enrique Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish Minister to the US.

In it he called President McKinley “weak” and “a bidder for the admiration of the crowd.”

This infuriated Americans and the call for war with Spain grew louder.

Reason 3: The U.S.S Maine explodes

• Was sent to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger from the fighting.

• On February 15, 1898 the U.S.S. Maine explodes in harbor of Havana.

• 260 men are killed.

• No one knew at the time knew who was responsible.

Declaration of War

The explosion of the Maine leaves McKinley no choice but to ask for a declaration of war.

April 11, 1898 the US declares war with Spain.

Activity: Create a yellow journalism article Please read the directions on the sheet provided and make sure you

fulfill all of the requirements.

The Spanish American War

Day 2

SWBAT:

Homework: Study for vocab quiz tomorrow.

Do Now:

Prior to the Spanish American War…

Spain, like other imperialistic European countries, has territorial possessions beyond Spain itself: Cuba Puerto Rico Guam Philippines

At the beginning of the Spanish American War, Cuba is the only one trying to pull away.

However, the Philippines will follow soon after. This means that the war will be fought in two theatres: Pacific and

Caribbean.

The Caribbean

The Pacific

The Caribbean Theatre

Took place in Cuba. Began with a naval blockade of Cuba. Victories:

The Rough Riders led by Teddy Roosevelt helped with a decisive battle driving the Spanish to their ships for escape.

Blockage forces followed the Spanish fleet and destroyed it. Meanwhile, US invades Spanish occupied Puerto Rico.

July, 1898: Spanish surrender.

The Pacific Theatre

Took place in the Philippines. In one of the first battles, Americans

destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay in just 9 hours. Allowed soldiers to enter the island

Later, Americans and Filipinos together capture the capital, Manila.

August, 1898: the Spanish surrender the Philippines.

End of War and the Treaty of Paris

In total, fighting lasted 3 months, 2 weeks and 4 days. Causalities:

2,910 Americans lost 70,000 Spanish lost (mostly from disease)

The Treaty of Paris officially ended the war.

But the end of war does not mean the end of problems… As we discussed, the Treaty of Paris granted Cuba

independence. Problem? American troops still occupied Cuba and

show no intention of leaving. Cubans reacted by creating their own constitution

hoping that it would be enough to get the US troops to leave. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. doesn’t leave and wants to

add to the constitution.

Platt Amendment

Provisions the US insisted be added to the Cuban constitution. Stated that:

Cuba could not make treaties that might limit its independence or permit a foreign power to control any part of its territory.

The US reserved the right to intervene in Cuba. Cuba was not to go into debt that its government could not repay. The US could buy or lease land on the island for naval stations and refueling stations.

US made it clear that they would not withdraw troops until Cubans added the Platt Amendment to its constitution.

Reaction

Cubans had little choice but to accept the provisions. Cuba officially became a protectorate and the provisions of the Platt

Amendment stayed in effect for 31 years.

Fun Fact: The Platt Amendment is the reason we have Guantanamo Bay prison. Since 2002, it has been a detention camp, for alleged unlawful combatants

captured in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places. The torture of prisoners, and their denial of protection under the Geneva

Conventions, has been a source of international controversy