Chapter 7 Section 2The Spanish-American War

War with Spain• In the late 1890s,

newspapers published stories from Cuba.

• Cuban rebels were fighting for independence from Spain.

War with Spain• To attract readers, the newspapers printed

sensational, often exaggerated stories.

• This technique is called yellow journalism.

• These vivid stories about Spanish brutality convinced Americans that the U.S. military should support the rebels.

War with Spain• President William

McKinley was a supporter of Cuban independence.

• A few events led to war……

War with Spain• The first event –

• Spanish minster wrote a letter to the U.S. president calling the U.S. weak.

• Americans were outraged!

War with Spain• After the letter, the

president sent a battleship, the Maine, to Cuba.

• One day it exploded and sank, killing 266 men.

• The reasons for the explosion were unknown, but the American press immediately blamed Spain.

War with Spain• “Remember the Maine” became a rallying

cry for angry Americans.

War with Spain• President McKinley asked Congress to

approve going to war & they did.

• Cuba was not an American territory, but the U.S. issued a resolution stating Cuba was now an independent nation.

• The U.S. also demanded Spain leave Cuba within 3 days.

War with Spain• Attached to the resolution

was the Teller Amendment.

• This stated that the U.S. had no interest in taking control of Cuba.

• In response to this, Spain declared war on the U.S.

• The next day, we declared war on Spain.

War in the Philippines• While attention was on Cuba, the U.S.

quickly won a victory on the other side of the world.

• The Philippines was a Spanish colony.

War in the Philippines• Filipinos, like the

Cubans, were rebelling against Spanish rule.

• As soon as the Spanish-American War began, American commodore, George Dewey, raced to the Philippines with 4 large warships and 2 small gunboats.

War in the Philippines• He sailed into Manila

Bay & destroyed the Spanish fleet that was stationed there.

• Dewey’s forces sank or captured 10 ships.

War in the Philippines• U.S. troops

arrived & with the help of Emilio Aguinaldo, a Filipino rebel, took control of the Philippine capital, Manila.

War in the Caribbean• The navy was

prepared for war, but the army was not.

• New volunteers brought the number of soldiers from 28,000 to 280,000.

War in the Caribbean• The Army did not

have enough rifles or bullets for these soldiers.

• Many soldiers had to wear wool uniforms in Cuba’s tropical heat.

War in the Caribbean• The soldiers faced harsh conditions in Cuba.

• Many soldiers caught yellow fever.

• More than 2,000 Americans died from disease while only 400 were killed in battle.

War in the Caribbean• The most colorful

group of soldiers was the Rough Riders.

• Second in command of the group was Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt.

• Roosevelt had organized the Rough Riders to fight in Cuba.

War in the Caribbean• The Rough Riders

were a group of volunteers that included Native Americans, college athletes, cowboys, miners & ranchers.

• Newspaper stories of their heroism earned the Rough Riders America’s admiration.

War in the Caribbean• After many battles,

Spain & the U.S. began peace negotiations.

• A few days later, the U.S. invaded Spanish-held Puerto Rico.

• Spain signed a cease-fire agreement on August 12, 1898.

U.S. Gains Territories• The peace treaty with Spain, placed Cuba,

Guam, Puerto Rico & the Philippines under U.S. control.

• Some Americans opposed imperialism and created the Anti-Imperialist League.

• They argued that the treaty threatened democracy because it denied self-government to the people living in the newly acquired territories.

Cuba• The Teller Amendment had declared that the

U.S. would not annex Cuba.

• McKinley wanted to create stability & increase U.S. economic activity there.

• He appointed Leonard Wood as governor there and he quickly began building schools & sanitation system.

Cuba• Even with the new

sanitation system, disease remained a problem.

• Dr. Walter Reed was head of the army’s Yellow Fever Commission.

• He was sent to Cuba to help fight the disease.

Cuba• He & his volunteers

conducted experiments.

• They soon proved that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes.

• Getting rid of the standing water where mosquitoes lived helped health officials to control the disease.

Cuba• Governor Wood also

oversaw the writing of a Cuban constitution.

• The document included the Platt Amendment.

• This amendment limited Cuba’s right to make treaties and allowed the United States to intervene in Cuban affairs.

Cuba• It also required Cuba to sell or lease land to

the U.S.

• The Cubans reluctantly accepted the amendment & U.S. troops withdrew.

• The amendment remained in force until 1934 & the U.S. stayed active in Cuban affairs until the late 1950s.

Puerto Rico• Like the Cubans, the Puerto Ricans hoped for

independence after the war.

• Instead, the U.S. made the island a territory.

• The Foraker Act established a civil government.

Puerto Rico• Puerto Ricans were

considered citizens of the island, but not of the U.S.

• In 1917 the Jones Act gave Puerto Ricans citizenship.

• Today, the island has its own constitution & elected officials, but is considered a commonwealth of the United States.

The Philippines• Spain had surrendered the Philippines

in return for $20 million.

• McKinley argued that the U.S. could benefit from the naval value & that annexing the island would keep European nations from seizing them.

The Philippines• Filipino rebels had

expected independence after the war because they had helped U.S. forces capture Manila.

• Filipino rebels, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, started a guerilla war against the U.S.

The Philippines• After thousands of deaths, the U.S.

Congress passed the Philippine Government Act.

• It provided that an appointed governor would rule the Philippines.

• In 1946 the U.S. granted full independence to the Philippines.