us spanish american war

Armed conflict broke out between U.S. forces and the Filipinos when U.S. troops began to take the place of the Spanish in control of the country after the end of the war, quickly escalating into the Philippine–American War. We have got a battleship in the harbor of Havana, and our fleet, which overmatches anything the Spanish have, is masked at the Dry Tortugas. In the 333 years of Spanish rule, the Philippines developed from a small overseas colony governed from the Viceroyalty of New Spain to a land with modern elements in the cities. The Spanish–American War was a war fought between Spain and the United States of America in 1898. But even greater were our interests from the standpoint of humanity. In the fall of 1897 a new Spanish ministry offered concessions to the insurgents. The higher naval losses may be attributed to the disastrous naval defeats inflicted on the Spanish at Manila Bay and Santiago de Cuba. U.S. consul Fitzhugh Lee learned of these plans and sent a request to the U.S. State Department to send a U.S. warship to Cuba. [117] More than 200 U.S. soldiers were killed and close to 1,200 wounded in the fighting, thanks to the high rate of fire the Spanish put down range at the Americans. In March 1898, Washington promised the Secretary of the Navy that war would be answered by "at least ten thousand loyal, brave, strong black men in the south who crave an opportunity to show their loyalty to our land, and would gladly take this method of showing their gratitude for the lives laid down, and the sacrifices made, that Blacks might have their freedom and rights. On April 23, a council of senior admirals of the Spanish Navy had decided to order Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete's squadron of four armored cruisers and three torpedo boat destroyers to proceed from their present location in Cape Verde (having left from Cádiz, Spain) to the West Indies.[126]. The arrival of large numbers of troops spurred its transition from a frontier military outpost to a modern army base. In 1894, 90% of Cuba's total exports went to the United States, which also provided 40% of Cuba's imports. [111] On December 10, 1898, the Spanish government ceded the Philippines to the United States in the Treaty of Paris. Wood was given command of the regiment that quickly became known as the "Rough Riders".[113]. Liberal Spanish elites like Antonio Cánovas del Castillo and Emilio Castelar offered new interpretations of the concept of "empire" to dovetail with Spain's emerging nationalism. Major battles took place in the Spanish colonies of Cuba and the Philippines. The war originated in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, which began in February 1895. Georgia's Virtual Vault - Spanish-American War Service Summary Cards. (help us defray costs!) An attempt was made to negotiate a peace before McKinley took office. [131] Two of Spain's most powerful warships, the battleship Pelayo and the brand-new armored cruiser Emperador Carlos V, were not available when the war began—the former undergoing reconstruction in a French shipyard and the latter not yet delivered from her builders—but both were rushed into service and assigned to Cámara's squadron. Their press exaggerated what was happening and how the Spanish were treating the Cuban prisoners. More than 2,000 died from tropical diseases. "A Splendid Little War." Naval forces were moved in position to attack simultaneously on several fronts if the war was not avoided. On April 20, 1898, McKinley signed a joint Congressional resolution demanding Spanish withdrawal and authorizing the President to use military force to help Cuba gain independence. Lieutenant Carter P. Johnson of the Buffalo Soldiers' 10th Cavalry, with experience in special operations roles as head of the 10th Cavalry's attached Apache scouts in the Apache Wars, chose 50 soldiers from the regiment to lead a deployment mission with at least 375 Cuban soldiers under Cuban Brigadier General Emilio Nunez and other supplies to the mouth of the San Juan River east of Cienfuegos. The Panic of 1893 was over by this point, and the U.S. entered a long and prosperous period of economic and population growth, and technological innovation that lasted through the 1920s. [21] However, after the United States Navy armored cruiser Maine mysteriously exploded and sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, political pressures from the Democratic Party pushed McKinley into a war that he had wished to avoid. Once completed, these parapets were occupied by U.S. soldiers and a new set of excavations went forward. The American squadron consisted of nine ships: Article 3 of the peace protocol provided: "The United States will occupy and hold the city, bay, and harbour of Manila, pending the conclusion of a treaty of peace which shall determine the control, disposition, and government of the Philippines.". The Spanish-American War of 1898 ended Spain’s colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and secured the position of the United States as a Pacific power. [23] Both sides declared war; neither had allies. The Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July 3, was the largest naval engagement of the Spanish–American War and resulted in the destruction of the Spanish Caribbean Squadron (also known as the Flota de Ultramar). Wall Street, big business, high finance and Main Street businesses across the country were vocally opposed to war and demanded peace. There had been war scares before, as in the Virginius Affair in 1873. The war went on in Cuba, and a series of incidents brought the United States to the brink of intervention. [123] At the western approaches to the city, Cuban general Calixto Garcia began to encroach on the city, causing much panic and fear of reprisals among the Spanish forces. Roosevelt returned to the United States a war hero, and he was soon elected governor of New York and then became the vice president. For quite some time the Cuban public believed the United States government to possibly hold the key to its independence, and even annexation was considered for a time, which historian Louis Pérez explored in his book Cuba and the United States: Ties of Singular Intimacy. The war served to further repair relations between the American North and South. In rapid campaigns, American forces seized the Philippines and Guam. [65] A study commissioned by National Geographic magazine in 1999, using AME computer modeling, stated that a mine could have caused the explosion, but no definitive evidence was found. The American offensive began on May 12, 1898, when a squadron of 12 U.S. ships commanded by Rear Adm. William T. Sampson of the United States Navy attacked the archipelago's capital, San Juan. This is a list of weapons of the Spanish–American War. Thus, despite that Cuba technically gained its independence after the war ended, the United States government ensured that it had some form of power and control over Cuban affairs. Protestant churches and most Democrats were supportive, but business interests called on Washington to negotiate a settlement and avoid war. Others were also moved just off the shore of Lisbon, and others were moved to Hong Kong too. Agriculture began to shift toward coffee production, which required less capital and land accumulation. “Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!” became a popular rallying cry. The Spanish government was caught upon the horns of a cruel dilemma. Accordingly, most business interests lobbied vigorously against going to war. The Spanish forces at Guantánamo were so isolated by Marines and Cuban forces that they did not know that Santiago was under siege, and their forces in the northern part of the province could not break through Cuban lines. Marines in the Spanish-American War, 1895-1899 PCN 19000314400_1.pdf [135][133][136] Accordingly, he sortied from Cádiz on 16 June[137] and, after detaching two of the transports for their voyages to the Caribbean, passed Gibraltar on 17 June[138] and arrived at Port Said, at the northern end of the Suez Canal, on 26 June. A group of concerned officers of the American army chose Theodore Roosevelt to draft a request to Washington that it withdraw the Army, a request that paralleled a similar one from General Shafter, who described his force as an "army of convalescents". During the stand-off, U.S. Assistant Naval Constructor, Lieutenant Richmond Pearson Hobson had been ordered by Rear Admiral William T. Sampson to sink the collier USS Merrimac in the harbor to bottle up the Spanish fleet. The focus on preserving the empire would have negative consequences for Spain's national pride in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War.[33]. [16], The main issue was Cuban independence. Fighting began in the Phillipines Islands at the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1 where Commodore George Dewey reportedly exclaimed, "You may fire when ready, Gridley," and the Spanish fleet under Rear Admiral Patricio Montoj… The Platt Amendment also provided for a permanent American naval base in Cuba. Though President William McKinley had wished to avoid war, American forces moved swiftly once it began. This movement eventually led to the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. In the spring of 1896 both the Senate and the House of Representatives declared by concurrent resolution that belligerent rights should be accorded the insurgents. The leading railroad magazine editorialized, "From a commercial and mercenary standpoint it seems peculiarly bitter that this war should come when the country had already suffered so much and so needed rest and peace." The United States demanded that Spain work to end the fight for independence between Cuba and Spain. The Spanish-American War, short as it was and relatively inexpensive in both resources and human life, was an important turning point in the history of both antagonists. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [66] They both used sensationalistic and astonishing accounts of "atrocities" committed by the Spanish in Cuba by using headlines in their newspapers, such as "Spanish Murderers" and "Remember The Maine". From June 22 to 24, the Fifth Army Corps under General William R. Shafter landed at Daiquirí and Siboney, east of Santiago, and established an American base of operations. Both papers denounced Spain but had little influence outside New York. A two-month stand-off between Spanish and American naval forces followed. Before 1898 the sugar industry in Puerto Rico was in decline for nearly half a century[citation needed]. [85], On April 23, 1898, a document from Governor General Basilio Augustín appeared in the Manila Gazette newspaper warning of the impending war and calling for Filipinos to participate on the side of Spain. Spain had been declining as an imperial power since the early 19th century as a result of Napoleon's invasion. [73][74][75] On April 11, McKinley ended his resistance and asked Congress for authority to send American troops to Cuba to end the civil war there, knowing that Congress would force a war. [54] However, with the election of a more liberal Spanish government in November, Spain began to change its policies in Cuba. Cuba became independent. Spain would end the reconcentration policy. "William McKinley and the Coming of the Spanish–American War: A Study of the Besmirching and Redemption of an Historical Image,". Newspapers in the U.S. printed sensationalized accounts of Spanish atrocities, fueling humanitarian concerns. No U.S. forces were left on Guam, but the only U.S. citizen on the island, Frank Portusach, told Captain Glass that he would look after things until U.S. forces returned. The Army wanted 50,000 new men but received over 220,000 through volunteers and the mobilization of state National Guard units,[77] even gaining nearly 100,000 men on the first night after the explosion of USS Maine.[78]. The Spanish-American War lasted only six weeks and resulted in a decisive victory for the United States. In 1897 McKinley appointed Stewart L. Woodford as the new minister to Spain, who again offered to negotiate a peace. In 1897, the United States purchased 19.6 percent of Puerto Rico's exports while supplying 18.5 percent of its imports. [25] The invaders obtained the surrender of Santiago de Cuba and Manila despite the good performance of some Spanish infantry units, and fierce fighting for positions such as San Juan Hill. (New York: Russell & Russell, 1968), 1: 3-2, 401, and Appendix to the Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation , … At the same time, Cuba and Spain, traditionally the largest importers of Puerto Rican coffee, now subjected Puerto Rico to previously nonexistent import tariffs. To pay the costs of the war, Congress passed an excise tax on long-distance phone service. Other investigations in later years came to various contradictory conclusions, but had no bearing on the coming of the war. The U.S. Army employed Civil War–era skirmishers at the head of the advancing columns. Prepare yourself for the battle and united together under the glorious Spanish flag, always covered with laurels, let us fight, convinced that victory will crown our efforts and let us reply the intimations of our enemies with a decision befitting a Christian and patriot, with a cry of "Long live Spain! [167] The tariff system also provided a protected market place for Puerto Rican tobacco exports. However, the Spanish refused to take part in the negotiations. The United States emerged from the war as a world power with significant territorial claims stretching from the Caribbean to Southeast Asia. The revolution had been in a state of truce since the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897, with revolutionary leaders having accepted exile outside of the country. Both the U.S. regular cavalry and the volunteer cavalry used smokeless ammunition. The American tariff, which put restrictions on sugar imports to the United States, severely hurt the economy of Cuba, which was based on producing and selling sugar. First Lieutenant John J. Pershing, nicknamed "Black Jack", oversaw the 10th Cavalry Unit during the war. Fought between April and August 1898, the Spanish-American War was the result of American concern over Spanish treatment of Cuba, political pressures, and anger over the sinking of USS Maine. Spokesmen noted that 33 African-American seamen had died in the Maine explosion. In a separate note, however, he made it clear that nothing less than independence for Cuba would be acceptable. The amendment, disclaiming any intention to annex Cuba, passed the Senate 42 to 35; the House concurred the same day, 311 to 6. [22] In response, Spain severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 21. [20] After years of severe depression, the economic outlook for the domestic economy was suddenly bright again in 1897. U.S. Military. U.S. victory in the war produced a peace treaty that compelled the Spanish to relinquish claims on Cuba, and to cede sovereignty over Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. His speech, as The Wall Street Journal remarked on March 19, “converted a great many people on Wall Street.” Religious leaders contributed to the clamour for intervention, framing it as a religious and humanitarian duty. The Americans, gratified with their social progress, have drained off our patience and have instigated the war through wicked tactics, treacherous acts, and violations of human rights and internal agreements. We know you will not allow them to mock the faith you are professing, their feet to step on the temple of the true God, incredulity to demolish the sacred images you honor; you will not allow the invaders to desecrate the tombs of your forefathers; to satisfy their immodest passions at the expense of your wives and daughters' honor; you will not allow them to seize all the properties you have put up through honest work in order to assure your future; you will not allow them to commit any of those crimes inspired by their wickedness and greed, because your bravery and patriotism suffice in scaring them away and knocking down the people who, calling themselves civilized and cultured, resort to the extermination of the natives of North America instead of trying to attract them to live a civilized life and of progress. In his autobiography,[83] Theodore Roosevelt gave his views of the origins of the war: Our own direct interests were great, because of the Cuban tobacco and sugar, and especially because of Cuba's relation to the projected Isthmian [Panama] Canal. Spanish-American War (1898), conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. Spanish troops successfully defended Fort Canosa, allowing them to stabilize their line and bar the entry to Santiago. [127], On August 7, the American invasion force started to leave Cuba. Senator Lodge wrote that 'There may be an explosion any day in Cuba which would settle a great many things. Dewey was in the perfect position to strike, and when given his orders to attack on May 1, 1898, the American navy was ready. The loss of Cuba caused a national trauma because of the affinity of peninsular Spaniards with Cuba, which was seen as another province of Spain rather than as a colony. This was an important development, since many soldiers in this war were the children of Civil War veterans on both sides. The Spanish American War of 1898 was a conflict between Spain and America over territory in Latin America and the Far East. The United States seized control of Fajardo on August 1, but were forced to withdraw on August 5 after a group of 200 Puerto Rican-Spanish soldiers led by Pedro del Pino gained control of the city, while most civilian inhabitants fled to a nearby lighthouse. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. It funded and smuggled weapons. United States commanders hoped to deplete Spanish fuel reserves before engaging them in battle. The land offensive began on July 25, when 1,300 infantry soldiers led by Nelson A. Some recent historians prefer a broader title to encompass the fighting in, harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFPérez1998 (, Pérez, Louis A., Jr, Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution. [37], Cuba attracted enormous American attention, but almost no discussion involved the other Spanish colonies of the Philippines, Guam, or Puerto Rico. On the one hand, it sought support from the principal European governments. "The Political Economy of Sugar Production and the Environment of Eastern Cuba, 1898–1923". [43][44], The Spanish government regarded Cuba as a province of Spain rather than a colony. Number is the total for all Cuban rebels active from 1895 to 1898. [57] Spain repeatedly promised specific reforms that would pacify Cuba but failed to deliver; American patience ran out. Of more importance than its effect on U.S. monetary interests was the appeal to American humanitarian sentiment. The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence. When the Spanish squadron finally attempted to leave the harbor on July 3, the American forces destroyed or grounded five of the six ships. [40], Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, the architect of Spain's Restoration constitution and the prime minister at the time, ordered General Arsenio Martínez-Campos, a distinguished veteran of the war against the previous uprising in Cuba, to quell the revolt. General Consideration of the Object of the War, the Results Desired, and the Kind of Operation to be Undertaken", The Battle of Manila Bay by Admiral George Dewey, "Historical Setting – Outbreak of War, 1898", The Spanish–American War in Cuba : Battle of Las Guasimas, The Battles at El Caney and San Juan Hills, The Crowded Hour: The Charge at El Caney & San Juan Hills, Information from abroad: War notes, Issues 1–8. The tobacco industry went from nearly nonexistent in Puerto Rico to a major part of the country's agricultural sector[citation needed]. Spain’s military was outmatched from the opening of hostilities, and an armistice signed on August 12, 1898, brought an end to the fighting. Omissions? [20] President William McKinley ignored the exaggerated news reporting and sought a peaceful settlement. Miles disembarked off the coast of Guánica. Cánovas made clear in an address to the University of Madrid in 1882[31][32] his view of the Spanish nation as based on shared cultural and linguistic elements—on both sides of the Atlantic—that tied Spain's territories together. [147] The treaty came into force in Cuba April 11, 1899, with Cubans participating only as observers. 196,000 in Cuba and 10,000 in Puerto Rico. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. p. 138. Political scientist Robert Osgood, writing in 1953, led the attack on the American decision process as a confused mix of "self-righteousness and genuine moral fervor," in the form of a "crusade" and a combination of "knight-errantry and national self- assertiveness. While Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he placed the Navy on a war-time footing and prepared Dewey's Asiatic Squadron for battle. [28], The defeat and loss of the Spanish Empire's last remnants was a profound shock to Spain's national psyche and provoked a thorough philosophical and artistic reevaluation of Spanish society known as the Generation of '98. [146] After over two months of difficult negotiations, the formal peace treaty, the Treaty of Paris, was signed in Paris on December 10, 1898,[147] and was ratified by the United States Senate on February 6, 1899. Most American leaders believed that the cause of the explosion was unknown. The major portion of Spain's Pacific fleet was located in the Spanish Philippines at Manila Bay. The United States occupied Cuba and took possession of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. The US declared war on Spain on April 25, 1898, but dated the beginning of the war retroactively to April 21. On the night of February 15, a mighty explosion sank the Maine at her Havana anchorage, and more than 260 of her crew were killed. [62] Germany urged a united European stand against the United States but took no action. While McKinley urged patience and did not declare that Spain had caused the explosion, the deaths of 250 out of 355[61] sailors on board focused American attention. By that time, the United States Department of the Navy had announced that a U.S. Navy "armored squadron with cruisers" would assemble and "proceed at once to the Spanish coast"[141] and word also reached Spain of the annihilation of Cervera's squadron off Santiago de Cuba on 3 July, freeing up the U.S. Navy's heavy forces from the blockade there. [35] U.S. business interests indicated that while Spain still held political authority over Cuba, it was the US that held economic power over Cuba. London: Greenhill, 1998, Killblane, Richard E., "Assault on San Juan Hill,", Maass, Matthias. Humanitarian concern for the suffering Cubans was added to the traditional American sympathy for a colonial people struggling for independence. It was our duty, even more from the standpoint of National honor than from the standpoint of National interest, to stop the devastation and destruction. Cuba was freed, but under U.S. tutelage by terms of the Platt Amendment (see under Platt, Orville), with Spain assuming the Cuban debt. [54] The liberal Spanish government also recalled the Spanish Governor-General Valeriano Weyler from Cuba. "[81] Osgood argued: In his War and Empire,[24] Prof. Paul Atwood of the University of Massachusetts (Boston) writes: The Spanish–American War was fomented on outright lies and trumped up accusations against the intended enemy.

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