Spanish-American War

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Course

Lecturer

April 16 , 2009

The Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War was not a major war yet it marks an important turning point since it led to the recognition of the United States as a powerful nation . The United States had a special interest in Cuba owing to its proximity and strategic location . Quite a number of Southerners had wanted the annexation of Cuba before the Civil War . Cuban insurrectionists attempted to get American aid in their struggle for independence after the war . Spain however maintained their hold

on the Pearl of Antilles tenaciously , this being the last best chunk of her great empire in America . In 1895 , the Cubans revolted partly because of the depression in the sugar industry which came as a result of the increased rates on sugar in the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act (Bradford 1993 :56

Numerous factors led to the war against the Spanish . On a broader sense , there were those individuals who advocated for a new imperialism and a big navy . Of less importance were the fairly substantial investments in Cuba and trade relations . The desire for naval bases in Cuba and in the Spanish possessions in the Pacific was probably of much more consequence . The thought of assuming the burdens of and glory of an empire interested the American public . This was indicated by the popularity of the war . According to some historians , the yellow journalism in America was the single most important cause for the involvement of the United States in the...