The Spanish American War,
1898: “A Splendid Little War”
Guided Reading Activity Answers
1.
Spain: Colonial Rulers of Cuba
2.
Spanish “Reconcentration” Camps
200,000 deaths
The Revolutionary Jose
Marti
Cubans Demanded Independence
from Spanish Colonial Rule.
3.
Sugar Cane Plantations
Americans wanted to
help Cubans win their
independence, and
were opposed to the
cruel methods used by
Spaniards to control
the Cuban people, and
to protect American
investments in Cuba.
Americans had over
$50 Million invested in
Cuban industries like
sugar cane, rice,
railroads, oil, or iron
mines.
4.
President William McKinley

President McKinley
was opposed to war
with Spain, claiming
that “there seems to
be an epidemic of
insanity in the
country” when he
heard Americans
clamoring for war. But
yellow journalism was
wearing down his
efforts for peace.
5.
Yellow Journalism
Yellow Journalism
is a style of reporting
and displaying news using
sensational, exaggerated,
and frequently untrue
ways which distort
reality and mislead
readers or viewers of a
news program. The
name comes from a
newspaper comic strip,
“The Yellow Kid.” (LEFT)
6.
Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World
6.
William Randolph Hearst of the
New York Journal
7.
THE USS MAINE
The USS Maine was sent to Havana Harbor in Cuba in January of 1898, in
order to protect the property and interests of American businessmen
and visitors there. On February 15th, 1898, the ship mysteriously exploded.
7.
Although no one
really knows what
happened to cause
the explosion of the
USS Maine,
Americans blamed
the Spanish –
especially after
reading newspaper
headlines like this
one, from Hearst’s
New York Journal.
8.
THE SPANISHAMERICAN WAR
The battle cry of the United States of America once the
war with Spain began in April of 1898:
“Remember
the Maine!”
9.
The Battle of Manila Bay,
The Philippines
9.
The Battle of Manila Bay
The Battle of Manila Bay was the first major
event during the Spanish-American War – in
May of 1898.
 Theodore Roosevelt, the Asst. Sec. of the
Navy in 1898, had ordered the invasion.
 Commodore George Dewey and his men
launched a surprise attack against the
Spanish ships at anchor in Manila Bay.
 The United States Navy sank the entire
Spanish Armada, and not a single American
life was lost.

10.
Emilio Aguinaldo,
Emilio Aguinaldo, the leader of Filipino troops who fought
with the United States against Spain – then against the
United States from 1898 to 1901.
the leader of
Filipino forces
seeking
independence from
Spain, helped the
United States to
defeat the Spanish
on the Philippine
Islands. When the
US decided to claim
the Philippines as a
colonial possession
later, Aguinaldo
fought the US Army.
11.
THE ROUGH RIDERS
Before Theodore Roosevelt was ever president of the United States, he quit his job as the Assistant Secretary
of the Navy and organized his own volunteer cavalry unit – the Rough Riders – to fight in Cuba.
11.
At the Battle of San Juan Hill, Buffalo Soldiers played a
major role in the fighting against Spanish troops.
The Rough Riders at San Juan Hill
The Rough Riders did
successfully lead an assault
on Spanish troops in Cuba.
Theodore Roosevelt’s
egocentric version of the
events which took place at
San Juan Hill (they called it
that although the fighting
actually took place at the
less exotic sounding Kettle
Hill) was ridiculed by one
humorist of his day, who
suggested the TR should
have called his memoirs,
“Alone in Cuba.”
12. & 13.
COLONIES ACQUIRED BY THE UNITED
STATES IN THE TREATY OF PARIS OF 1898
The United States acquired several of Spain’s colonial possessions following the SpanishAmerican War – and they were forced to liberate the island nation of Cuba, which became an
American protectorate. The US also acquired Puerto Rico, the Philippines (for
$20 Million), Guam, and Wake Island.
12.
CUBA
Cuba was liberated, but the United States kept control of a naval
base at Guantanamo Bay – which we still control today.
12.
Puerto Rico
12.
Guam
12.
Wake Island
12.
The Philippine Islands
14.
Debating the Treaty
Those who opposed the treaty believed
“taking colonies violated the Declaration
of Independence-all people had the right
to self-government.”
 Expansionists believed the colonies gave
the US important bases and new business
opportunities. They also believed the US
had a ‘duty to spread the ideas of
democratic government to other parts of
the world.

The US Naval Base at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
15.
Cuba becomes a PROTECTORATE-an
independent country whose policies are
controlled by an outside power.
 The Platt Amendment, an addition to Cuba’s
new constitution, allowed the United States
to take control over certain Cuban affairs.
 Cuba could not borrow money or create
treaties of its own without American
permission.
 Most importantly the United States was
allowed a naval base at Guantanamo.

16.
The Filipino War for Independence,
1898 - 1901
After fighting with the United States to win
its liberation from Spain, Filipinos were
surprised and felt betrayed to learn that the
United States intended to keep the
Philippines as a colony of its own.
 Starting in 1898, a three year war began
between Americans and Filipinos led by
Emilio Aguinaldo. According to your text,
“about 4,000 Americans and 20,000 Filipinos
were killed.” But other sources believe the
casualties in the Philippines were much
higher.

The Filipino War, 1898
In his book, The Imperial
Cruise, author James Bradley
claims, “Most American
history books claim that U.S.
Forces killed about twenty
thousand freedom fighters
and two hundred thousand to
three hundred thousand
Filipino civilians; other
sources estimate that the U.S.
military sent one million to
three million to their early
graves.” (Bradley, James. The
Imperial Cruise: A Secret History
of Empire and War. New York:
Little, Brown, and Company,
2009, p. 127)
WATERBOARDING
DURING THE PHILIPPINE
WAR, 1898 - 1901
Waterboarding, a controversial torture technique which was used to interrogate terrorist suspects during the
Bush administration’s War on Terror, was first practiced by American soldiers during the Philippine War.
The Philippines
were granted
Independence only
after World War II
came to an end.
The flag of the Philippines, which gained its independence
in 1946, following World War II.