Spanish American War and Imperialism Study Guide
Background
Key Question: What were the causes of the Spanish American War?
1. Americans wanted to protect their business interests in Cuba
2. American newspapers told exaggerated reports of the events in Cuba, known as yellow
journalism
3. Americans were willing to assist Cubans in their fight for independence from Spain
4. Rising tensions in the United States as a result of the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine
Background
American companies built large sugar plantations in Cuba. It was a Spanish colony. These
Americans wanted to enforce the Monroe Doctrine which stated that no European nation should
control territory in the Western Hemisphere, including Spain. In addition, they wanted to protect
American businesses in Cuba.
The Cuban people tried to become independent from Spain. After many Cubans died at
the hands of the Spanish, American newspapers reported the events. Since they were competing for
customers, the newspapers wrote many exaggerated stories. This type of reporting is called yellow
journalism.
Americans reading the newspapers could not distinguish between fact and fiction. Public
opinion was influenced the sensationalized stories. Many people became willing to go to war with
Spain in order to assist the Cubans in their fight for freedom.
President McKinley sent the new battleship, U. S. S. Maine, to Havana Harbor in case the
Americans living there needed to evacuate. There was an explosion, and on February 15, 1898, the
battleship was sunk and 260 American sailors were killed. No one knew if the explosion was an
accident, but Spain was blamed. Tensions rose in the United States as a result of the sinking of the
U. S. S. Maine.
War fever broke out in the United States. The cry, "Remember the Maine" encouraged
many young men to join the army. The president was told that if he did not act, he would be seen
as a coward. He soon declared war. The United States Army and the local Cuban soldiers waged
war against Spain. The Pacific fleet of the American Navy was sent to the Philippines. The islands
of the Philippines formed a Spanish colony in the Pacific Ocean. Since the United States was at
war with Spain in the Caribbean it would also be at war with Spain in the Pacific. It didn't take long
for the Spanish to lose the battle against the Americans and Filipinos. The entire war lasted for four
months.
The Filipinos had wanted to become independent from Spain, and did not want to be
annexed by the United States. They battled for three years with the United States to become
independent. The United States finally granted the Philippines independence in 1946.
Results
Key Question: What were the effects of the Spanish American War?
1. Cuba gained its independence from Spain
2. The United States gained possession of Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico
3. The United States emerged as a world power
It had been called, "a splendid little war." The peace treaty with Spain called for Cuba to gain its
independence from Spain, and the United States gained possession of the Philippines, Guam, and
Puerto Rico. The United States emerged as a world power. Economic interests and public
opinion often influence the United States’ involvement in international affairs.
President Theodore Roosevelt
Key Question: How did Theodore Roosevelt assert his power over other nations?
1. He wrote an addition to the Monroe Doctrine called the Roosevelt Corollary to the
Monroe Doctrine. It stated that the United States had the right to interfere in economic
factors in nations in the Americas, and a right to exercise international police power. He
wanted to prevent European nations from becoming involved in Latin American countries.
2. This style of forcing other nations to do as Roosevelt wanted was called Big Stick
Diplomacy.
3. As a result of his efforts, the Panama Canal was built.
Theodore Roosevelt had a big impact on United States foreign policy. Beginning with the
Spanish American War, he resigned his position in the United States government in order to
command a regiment in Cuba, called the Rough Riders. He was later William McKinley's vicepresident, and when President McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt became president of the
United States. He was an expansionist, and created a change to the Monroe Doctrine. The
addition was known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. It stated that the United
States had a right to interfere in economic matters of nations in the Americas, and it claimed that
the United States had a right to exercise international police power.
President Roosevelt's style was known as the Big Stick Diplomacy. It came from an
African proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." It meant that he would use the United States
Navy in order to preserve order. He did not want European countries to interfere if western
nations had problems in their own countries.
Since the United States controlled territory in both the Atlantic and Pacific regions,
President Roosevelt felt that a canal would allow easier access to both regions. The United States
paid Panama for a 99-year lease on a strip of land on which to build a canal. The length of a future
canal would be about 50 miles from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Building the canal
would save about 7,000 miles for ocean-going vessels instead of sailing around Cape Horn. It took
11 years to build that Panama Canal. It was considered a major engineering feat.