W I N T E R
2 0 1 3
the
Spanish-American War
Events Leading up to the War
By Amber Rexrode
What caused the SpanishAmerican war? This all started back in 1898 on January 25, and
three main things happened to cause the Spanish-American war.
These three things that caused the Spanish-American war were the
blowing up of the Maine, yellow journalism, and the DeLome
Letter.
The Maine was an American ship that blew up off the coast
of Cuba. American people thought that the blowing up of the
Maine was Cuba’s fault, but others thought the United Sates of
America could have blown up the ship on purpose to blame the
people of Cuba in order to get into the war. The explosion
killed 260 American sailors. This was one of the many
contributors in the Spanish-American war.
Because of yellow journalism, the Spanish and
America war began. The American people were very critical
of the people of Cuba and Cuba in general. Journalists tried
to get the attention of Americans by over-exaggerating the
truth of what they thought was really going on in Cuba. The
people of America were making a big deal about the Maine
blowing up off the coast of Cuba. They started to illustrate
what they thought was going on Cuba but not all of it was true.
Illustrate what they thought was going on Cuba, but not all of it was true.
Finally, Cuba sent a rude letter to America called the De Lôme letter. In the beginning of the
war, president William McKinley was supportive to the people of Cuba, but then a Spanish minster
wrote the United States of America a letter saying that he thought the president was weak. This
letter upset the American people and the president, and it also embarrassed the Spanish government.
A couple of days later, over 200 sailors were killed in the explosion of the Maine.
Three causes of the Spanish–American were blowing up of the Maine, yellow Journalism, and
finally the DeLome letter, Sent From Cuba. The rebellion ended in 1901, when the US captured
Aguinaldo. Before the war around 200 sailors in a
accident. After the war there were over 200 American
deaths.
Opposition to the War
Joshua Custer
Opposition to theBy
War
What was some of the opposition during the SpanishAmerican War? Quite a few were faced during the war. Well,
some opposition is the weather conditions, the fact that the
Americans didn’t know the land, and the Spanish had more ammo and soldiers.
The weather conditions were great for the Cubans, but the U.S. soldiers weren’t used to the warm
climate. The U.S. soldiers dressed like they were fighting in the winter, but they weren’t. Because of that,
the U.S. troops were getting really sick and got yellow fever and other deadly diseases. This was great for
the Cubans, who were used to the warmth. Many U.S. troops died from the diseases. The weather
conditions were a major setback during the Spanish-American war.
The U.S soldiers did not know the land of Cuba. Obviously, this gave Cubans a great advantage.
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The U.S. troops didn’t even know where the
brings out more troops when going to
Cubans were at or where to go, so they
somewhere else, but many different foreign
sometimes were lost in the forest and got
countries are mostly on their home turf. The
diseases. Many of the Cubans could have been
Cubans have an advantage for having more
around watching them and jump and kill them.
ammo and guns because they are in different
But, some U.S. troops could have learned the
places, so they can get it from where they are.
land to see what they could use to their
So, it would take some time to get ammo for the
advantage. This was another opposition to the
U.S.
war.
Even though there are really good
Lastly, many troops and ammo are the
weather it might be good for the other country.
Also, you always need to know where you are
most important in the war. Mostly the U.S.
going because your enemy might hijack you.
Lastly, you should always have more ammo
and more of your troops. So, those are the
oppositions of the Spanish-American War.
Maps of Cuba probably would have helped the Americans.
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Battles of the SpanishAmerican War
John Hay said of the Spanish-American war: “It
has been a splendid little war”. Indeed, the SpanishAmerican war probably felt like a delight after the
gruesome Civil War, as it caused little casualties to the
United States,
United States, and acquired new land for the growing
and acquired new land for the growing nation. The few battles
that occurred were mostly all decisive victories for the United
States. Three of the major, most important battles of the SpanishAmerican war were the Battle of Manilla Bay, the Battle of San
Juan Hill, and the Battle of Santiago Bay.
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Bay.
One of the main battles of the Spanish-American war was the Battle of Manila Bay.
Led by George Dewey, seven American ships fought against ten old, out-of-date Spanish ships in the
Philippine Islands. The battle was a decisive victory for the Americans: the fighting lasted from
approximately six A.M until twelve A.M, with no casualties for their side. Dewey seemed to have few
concerns about losing the battle, as his ships were armed with modern weapons and staffed with good,
experienced men; a sharp comparison to Spain’s obviously lowly prioritized ships. The victory at Manila
Bay allowed the United States to eventually occupy Manila, and cleared the way for the Philippines
becoming under American control. The Battle of Manila Bay was an early, strong victory in in the SpanishAmerican war, and paved the way for the later triumphs during that war.
Another battle with strong significance was the Battle of San Juan Hill. The battle began when a Spanish
fleet docked in Santiago de Cuba, and was soon blockaded by a superior United States fleet. One month
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later, both land and sea forces arrived in Cuba to fight. One of the most important groups to fight was the
later, both land and sea forces arrived in Cuba to fight. One of the most important groups to fight was the
“Rough Riders”, a cavalry troop comprised of a variety of different people that was led by Theodore
Roosevelt. The US attempted to capture the villages of San Juan Hill and El Caney. At El Caney, they
faced a small resistance for most of the day, but then advanced towards San Juan Hill. The Spanish began
attacking the United States immediately as the troops devised a plan that involved splitting into two flanks.
On the right flank, the Rough Riders attacked Kettle Hill and made it up first, allowing it to be taken. San
Juan Hill was taken soon after, and they started a siege upon the city the next day.
The final battle of the Spanish-American War was the Battle of Santiago Bay. When the war began, the
Spanish government sent a fleet of ships to defend Cuba; however, two days later, they found themselves
blockaded by the Americans. The morning of July 3, Admiral Pascual Cervera decided to break out of the
blockade and opened fire on one of the nearby ships. Due to the American’s superior ships, many of the
Spanish fleet were taken down early in the battle. The American Brooklyn took down the Spanish Vizcaya
during an hour-long battle. The Americans suffered only one death during the fight, and only one man was
injured, compared to the 474 casualties suffered by the Spanish, and the loss of all six ships. This battle
caused the Spanish to be effectively cut off from Cuba, basically forcing them to surrender.
The Spanish-American War was a short, easy war for the Americans to win. Although few battles
occurred, those that did ended with decisive victories for the American troops, with little loss of lives. The
main battles of the war- the Battle of Manila, the Battle of San Juan Hill, and the Battle of Santiago Bayall aided in gaining new territories for the United States and fueling its imperialist tendencies at the time.
With the smart strategies and experienced men of the time, the Spanish-American War was an easy war for
the Americans to fight.
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WINTER 2016
Works Cited
Causes
Stuckey, Sterling, Linda Kerrigan. Salvucci, and Judith L. Irvin.
"T200he Road to War." Call to Freedom. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart
and Winston, 2005. 294-95. Print.
Chapter / Anthology
""Suspended Judgment": A Times Editorial on the Maine
Tragedy." "Suspended Judgment": A Times Editorial on the Maine
Tragedy. American Social History Project / Center for Media and
Learning, 17 Feb. 1898. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Opposition
Site: PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Book: Stuckey, Sterling, Linda Kerrigan. Salvucci, and
Judith L. Irvin. "War with Spain." Call to Freedom. Austin,
TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2005. 296. Print.
Battles
"The Battle of Manila Bay." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d.
Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
"The Battle of San Juan Hill." History.com. A&E Television Networks,
n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
"Spanish-American War: Battle of Santiago De Cuba." About.com
Military History. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.