The Spanish-American War (Coursework Sample)

The Spanish-American War Michelle Yanez Junior Division Historical Paper Professor’s Name Date The Spanish-American War Primary Sources Smith, J. (2014). The Spanish-American War 1895-1902: Conflict in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Routledge. According to Smith (2014), the Spanish-American war sparked up by the struggle between Cuba and Spain. There is no Spanish-American war without the mention of the Spanish-Cuban war for that is where it all started (1895-1898). One of the reasons that sparked up the war was the onset of the harsh economic depression in 1893 which led to severe consequences such as high levels of unemployment. The economic depression served as a significant fuel to the resentment against Spain. The Spanish-American war began in 1895 and ended in 1902, and was fought in the Pacific and Caribbean regions, later proceeding to America’s marine/naval strength. The war was short and decisive, having far-reaching consequences worldwide. At the end of the Spanish-American war, Spain was stripped of all monarchical powers, and for the very first time, the United States of America was now seen as a force to reckon with in world affairs. Despite domestic disputes, the US acquired empires in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. The war had heavy consequences on twentieth-century America. Miller, B. (2011). From Liberation to Conquest: The Visual and Popular Cultures of the Spanish-American War of 1898. University of Massachusetts Press. The United States citizens strongly supported the government’s move on entering the Spanish-American war which resulted in the country’s imperial expansion into the Pacific and Caribbean. According to Miller (2011), the lead media makers in the US- stage performers, photographers, film makers, cartoonists and editorialists stirred up public interest in the Cuban plight through hearty depictions of Cuban citizens, mostly women, and brutality executed by bloodthirsty Spanish rulers. Initially the US media’s intention was for the US to intervene and rescue the Cuban citizens from Spain’s colonial oppression. However, the war came to an end several months later with the US having taken possession of new territories in what was left of Spain’s empire (Philippines, Guam ,Puerto Rico, and Cuba. President William McKinley openly accepted the call for war, as the Americans supported him. The President took advantage of the war to further the US’s foreign policy agenda in the far East and Caribbean. Miller (2011), shows how the leading media in the US portrayed the US government’s actions during the war, from the steps of liberation to the final conquest. The media took advantage of the people’s thirst for spectacle, action and drama, and adapted it to upcoming imperial possibilities. McCullough, M. (2014). The Cross of War: Christian Nationalism and US Expansion in the Spanish-American War. University of Wisconsin Press. This book takes a spiritual look into the Spanish-American war. According to McCullough (2014), the test was whether America, a country born out of liberty and equality for all humanity could long endure. The author talks of Lincoln’s belief that the sacrifice of those who died was so that the living could realize that a country under God would have a new birth of freedom, and that a government made of the people, for the people and by the people shall not be wiped off the face of the earth. According to McCullough (2014), Lincoln was strongly convinced that the United States of America was the last best hope of the world. Both Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Lincoln believed that The US, with God’s provision, was the hope for the world. In 1898 the USS Maine sank while monitoring the war between the Spanish Military and the Cuban Insurgents. The sinking of the battleship Maine marked a significant defining moment in the war. Many heroes died, including Charles Sigsbee, and the cry “Remember Maine” caused many to volunteer in the fight. Christian leaders worked tirelessly to try sort out the argument for or against America’s intervention in Cuba. Ultimately, the Christian leaders defended the war because they argued that it was in accordance to Christian principles “be your brother’s keeper”. Barnes, M. (2010). The Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection, 1898-1902: An Annotated Bibliography. Routledge. The book delves into the history of the Spanish-American war, and also details timelines of the background of where and why the war began. The book documents all the events that led up to the Spanish-American war; including dates, months, years and location. There are details regarding even names and newspapers, an example, in p. 55, as Puerto Rico resisted Spanish rule the author documents that the Puerto Rican newspaper have different views about commercial trade between Puerto Rico and the United States. The Liberal newspaper was in support of Puerto Rico having an autonomous government and also supported trade with the United States. The newspaper saw trade with the US as beneficial to Puerto Rico’s exports: tobacco, coffee and sugar. On the other hand the Conservative newspaper were strong supporters of the Spanish government, as they agreed that Puerto Rico should maintain its status quo under the governors elected by their Spanish rulers. Barnes (2010), explains that Puerto Rico, Philippines and Cuba were under the colony of Spain, but they began resisting the Spanish rule. In Chapter 8 (p. 258) Branes (2010) writes about how the volunteers who took part in the Spanish-American war were called into federal government service by President McKinley. This commissioning to federal service was done from Ohio state. Quesada, Gonzalo de, excerpt from “Cuba's great struggle for freedom,” Digital Public Library of America, http://dp.la/item/ddf1f02d2b6502d860ed00259f32b715. This document is an excerpt from Cuba's Great Struggle for Freedom, 1898 titled “Appeal to Americans”. Just as the title connotes, this was an appeal written by Cuba to the United States calling for their help in fighting for their freedom. The document also describes the history and beauty of the land of Cuba, scenery and culture of the people, and its longing to enjoy freedom from Spanish rule. It also addresses vividly how the war began. “The Cleansing of New York,' Puck Magazine, 1900,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/b02b9d55be33971f27dc8aed39802f7d. This was an illustrated cover of the issue Puck. The illustration shows William Randolph Hearst on the right, and Joseph Pulitzer on the left lifted up in the air by a hand written law (probably to imply the hand of law). The two men are holding newspapers that have words such as; extra crime, scandal, and filth. The caption below them reads “The cleansing of New York, why not make a clean job of it while we’re at it?”. It is vital to note that in the 1890s there was a lot of Yellow Journalism (fake news) especially in New York, US as the journalists tried to paint a picture of how oppressive the Spanish government was. Secondary Sources History.com Editors. (2021, November 11). Spanish-American War. History. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/spanish-american-war In research from History.com Editors (2021), the Spanish-American war started in 1898. The war was based on a conflict between Spain and the United States of America, and resulted in the end of Spain’s rule in the Americas. Additionally, the Spanish-American war ended with the United States acquiring territories in Latin America and Western Pacific regions. According to the article, the Spanish-American war is rooted in the war between Cuba and Spain as Cuba fought for her independence from Spanish rule. Spain was brutal in its oppressive measures to stop Cuba’s rebellion, and this was vividly painted for the US public by a few sensational newspapers participating in yellow journalism (fake/sensational/exaggerated news). Because of yellow journalism the US took pity on the Cuban rebels, and their sympathy to intervene arose. The Treaty of Paris is what marked the end of the Spanish-American war. The end of the war not only made the US have a say in world affairs, it also resulted in significant economic development in Spain. Kapur, N. (2011). William McKinley's Values and the Origins of the Spanish‐American War: A Reinterpretation. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 41(1), 18-38. According to Kapur (2011), the main causes of the Spanish-American war were political forces in the Congress that forced President William McKinley into the war which he never wanted or sought, business interests and yellow journalism. Months before the Spanish-American war, President William McKinley had made decisions based on “Victorian” values such as; mainly self-restraint, humanitarianism, pacifism and arbitrations. President McKinley’s decisions were centrally based on the values and not on any external forces. The President’s speech during Congress (April 11, 1898), strongly suggests that it was a moment of unparalleled presidential authority rather than a display of personal weakness. The war brought division among the American people, as some did not see the need for the war as they saw it as uncalled for, unwarranted and unnecessary. McCartney, P. T. (2012). Religion, the Spanish-American War, and the Idea of American Mission. Journal of Church and State, 54(2), 257–278. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24708288 In this article by McCartney (2012), the author talks about how US Statesmen often used morality to explain America’s identity with regards to its foreign policy vision. The US standing to defend Cuba against Spain’s rule, was from a point of feeling that they had a moral obligation to defend the “weak”, and stand against oppression. During the Spanish-American war in 1898, the tendency to crea...