Spanish American War Causes
De Lome Letter
Sinking of the U.S.S. Maine
A letter that was written by a Spanish
The ship was sunk in the Havana Harbor killing
Ambassador calling President McKinley “weak.” It 258 sailors. While the cause is unknown, the
was posted in newspapers, infuriating Americans. Pulitzer and Hearst newspapers blamed the
Spanish.
Yellow Journalism
Economics
The United States had many interests in Cuba,
including:
Spanish American War’s Impact on Cuba
Matthew Perry in Japan
Commodore Matthew Perry sailed to Japan with
gunships with orders to force Japan to open trade
to the U.S. under threat of military intervention.
U.S. & the Panama Canal
At the time Panama was part of Colombia
Roosevelt struck a deal with rebels who wanted to
overthrow the Government of Colombia
Dollar Diplomacy
Through U.S. investments they tried to:
Big Stick Diplomacy
Roosevelt
Roosevelt Corollary
Expanded the “Monroe Doctrine” preventing
European nations from intervening in the
Western “American” Hemisphere. It used the
military as a threat.
Wilson
Taft
Roosevelt
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Open Door Policy
Moral Diplomacy
Woodrow Wilson’s policy which established
that the U.S. would only support nations with
similar moral and political beliefs.