The SpanishAmerican War
12.4


By the end of the1800’s, Spain—once the
most powerful colonial nation on earth—had
lost most of its colonies.
It kept only the Philippines and the island of
Guam in the Pacific, a few outposts in Africa,
and islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico in the
Americas.



When the Cubans rebelled against Spain In 1896,
Spain responded by sending troops to Cuba to
restore order.
They tried to crush the rebellion by herding the
entire rural population of Cuba into barbed wire
concentration camps.
Here civilians could not give aid to rebels. An
estimated 300,000 Cubans filled these camps,
where thousands died from hunger and disease.




Spain’s actions fueled a war over
newspaper circulation that had developed
between US newspapers
Stories of poisoned wells and of children being
thrown to the sharks deepened American
sympathy for the rebels.
This sensational style of writing, which
exaggerates the news to lure and enrage readers,
became known as yellow journalism.
These newspapers fueled war fever in America

President McKinley ordered the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba
to bring home American citizens in danger from the
fighting and to protect American property.

On February 15, 1898, the ship blew up in the
harbor of Havana. More than 260 men were killed.

No one really knows why the ship exploded.

In 1898, American newspapers claimed the Spanish
had blown up the ship.

the Maine!” became
the rallying cry for U.S.
intervention in Cuba.
“Remember
 On
April 20th the US declared war

1. What events led to the US and Spain going to war?

2. Define yellow journalism. Explain how this
contributed to the war with Spain.

3. What actions in Cuba prompted American support
of the rebellion against Spain?

4. Describe the treatment of Cuban rebels when the
Spanish troops arrived.

5. Do you believe that newspapers should have the
right to exaggerate reports to sell more papers?
(12.4.2)


The destruction of the USS Maine in Havana
harbor combined with yellow journalism in US
newspapers led to the US declaring war on
Spain in 1898
The US forces began fighting not in Cuba but
in the Pacific



The war began in the Spanish colony of the
Philippines where US forces joined Filipino rebels
fighting the Spanish
Over the next two months, 11,000 Americans
joined forces with Filipino rebels led by Emilio
Aguinaldo.
In August, Spanish troops in Manila surrendered
to the United States
In the Caribbean, hostilities began with
a naval blockade of Cuba



American forces landed in Cuba in June 1898 and
began to converge on the port city of Santiago.
The army of 17,000 included four AfricanAmerican regiments of the regular army and the
Rough Riders, a volunteer cavalry under the
command of Leonard Wood and Theodore
Roosevelt




Although Roosevelt and his units played only a
minor role in the victory, U.S. newspapers
declared him the hero of San Juan Hill.
Two days later, the Spanish fleet tried to escape
the American blockade of the harbor at Santiago.
The naval battle that followed, ended in the
destruction of the Spanish fleet.
On the heels of this victory, American troops
invaded Puerto Rico on July 25.



The US and Spain met in Paris
to agree on a treaty.
At the peace talks, Spain freed Cuba and
turned over the islands of Guam in the Pacific
and Puerto Rico in the West Indies to the US.
Spain also sold the Philippines to the United
States for $20 million.




The Treaty set off a debate in the US over imperialism
and whether or not the US had the right to take over
the Philippines
Some felt that the treaty violated the Declaration of
Independence by denying self government to the
newly acquired territories.
On February 6, 1899, the annexation question was
settled with the Senate’s approval of the Treaty of
Paris.
The United States now had an empire that included
Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

1. What events led to the US declaring war on Spain?

2. Who aided the US in the battles in the Philippines?

3. Who were the rough riders? Do you think this groups
actions helped Teddy Roosevelt’s political career?

4. What new territory did the US gain as a result of the
Spanish American war?

5. Explain the debate over imperialism that began after the
Treaty of Paris. Do you think the US was right to take over
the Philippines and other Spanish colonies? Explain your
answer.