A Review of American History

The Spanish-American fight started with the resolving power of struggle on April 25, 1898 by the United States on Spain following some(prenominal) incidents.These two incidents that prompted US chairperson Mckinley to ask Congress for a solvent of war was the sinking of the American Battleship Maine in Havana feel with 260 people and the interception of a private letter written by Spanish Minister Dupuy De Lome in Washington describing Mckinley as a lightheaded man and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd (Brinkley, 320).This stirred and fan the American nationals uproar against the Spanish criminal occupation of Cuba and more Americans initially supported the war initiative.Meanwhile, during this time in history, a potful of global stirrings were already prompting the other superpowers to slice the global barroom with vulnerable continents and countries standardised Africa and the weak Chinese Empire. The US g all overnment has had its admiration of conquering so called dependent people the American Indians. This experience and the expansionist moves of the other superpowers started the US expansionism tendencies which were further stoked by the so called yellow adjure or sensationalist journalism.Meanwhile, huge American businesses have also been expanding oversea beyond American boundaries in search of sources of raw materials, cheap labor party and market for its own products.Thus, when the two incidents (Maine and Dupuys letter) occurred almost simultaneously, the opportunity to throw in in Cuban affairs presented itself with the overwhelming support of the American public and added pressure from the American business community who has huge investments in Cuba. Soon, the war against Spain reached not only the shores of Cuba but also Puerto Rico, the Philippine Islands, Guam, and other islands like Hawaii and Alaska.While the sensationalism of the newborns from Cuba stirred the American Publics support, it was in the same manner through the news wire that American public learned approximately the brutal annexation of the Philippine islands and the seduction of its rebellion for freedom initially fought against its Spanish rulers, then later on, with its new colonizers the US government.No less than the famous American author pose distich objected to the colonization of the Philippines knowing that like the Cuban rebels, there was an organized Filipino rebellion against Spain prior to the intrusion of the US government into the Philippine islands. Mark twain openly pointed out the enormous contradictions between the US charter of benevolent foreign policy and its brutal occupation of the islands.When US pastime became progressively more difficult to justify, and eventually came to be defended on the railyard that the U.S. could not retire from it without suffering dishonor according to then President McKinley, Twain advocated the position that An inglorious peace is better than a yellow war (Cushin g, 1998).Meanwhile, the war in Cuba was referred to as a splendid teensy-weensy war by Secretary of State John Hay (Brinkley, 320). The war was over in as little as four months. The unquestionable battlefield casualties on the Americans side were 460 but about 5,200 died of diseases (Brinkley, 320). The joint forces of the Cuban rebels and the American Naval blockade already toppled some(prenominal) little resistance the Spanish forces mustered to put up.According to Brinkleys chronology of events (321), the U.S. troops win four decisive battles within a week. The war ended with the sign of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. What begun as a war to help the Cubans free themselves from Spains brutal government ended up as the US government practically wrangling control over Spains former colonies Cuba, the Philippine Islands and Puerto Rico in 1917.At this time, many Americans who initiative supported the efforts against Spain now swayed public opinion against the contin uing US expansionism and brutal annexation of other countries. The true colors and objectives of the US going to war to help the Cuban rebels swiftly shifted not long after the war was declared.