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Attempt to buy Cuba
In 1854, Dimplomats recommended to President Franklin Peirce to buy Cuba from Spain. America saw fortune with Cuba and its sugar availability. Spain responded to the request to purchase it by saying they would rather see Cuba sunk in the ocean. This was important because it was a big part of America's trade economy and trade would be cheaper if they were a part of us. -
Cuba's First War of Independence
The Cuban's revolted for independence from Spain due to American interest in having Cuba become part of America. The Spainsh said no to the deal and they would rather "see Cuba sink". That lead to Cuba rebelling for independence. This was
important because both Americans and Cubans wanted Cuba freed from Spain. -
Jose Marti
Jose Martí was a Cuban poet and journalist in exile in New York. He launched an organized Cuban resistance against Spain and propelled a revolution in 1895. Jose's plan was to organize a guerrilla campaign and destroy American-owned property. His plan was to provoke the U.S. to help the rebels gain control for a free Cuba. This was important because he got the US involved. -
The Yellow Press
1896 The yellow press, composed of the New York Journal and New York World, made stories regarding the war in Cuba that exaggerated the conditions of the Cubans due to the Spanish controlling them. This was to try and make the US even more sympathetic.
Important because the Yellow press created stories that were wild and false but it occupied the Americans with stories. -
Valeriano Wyler is sent to Cuba by Spain
In 1896 Spain sent General Valeriano Wyler to restore order to the Cuban revolt. Weyler tried crushing the rebellion by herding the entire rural population of central and western Cuba into barbed wired concentration camps where they could not receive care and aid. There were roughly 300,000 Cubans in these camps and thousands died from hunger and disease. This event was important because we think he is a tyrant in the ways he treated the cubans, leading us to more involvement. -
US forces invade Cuba
U.S. forces invaded cuba because of interest in the country's market. The beginning of the invasion the U.S. wasn't doing well and lacked effective training to fight. Despite all that, the troops would invade Cuba in June and attack the city of Santiago. The impotance for this event is it would be a huge gain if the U.S. could come out successful and claim Cuba. -
Publication of the De lome letter
The De Lome letter was a private letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lome of Spain.The letter was intercepted by a Cuban rebel and leaked to the New York journal and was published in February of 1898. The letter criticized president Mckinley of being "weak" and "a bidder for the admiration of the crowd." The Spanish Government being extremely embarrassed, apologized but the Americans were still angry over the insult. This was important because it enraged the US and drove us to start war. -
Explosion of the USS Maine
Shortly after the publication of the De Lome Letter, America was outraged. Early in 1898 the president ordered the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to evacuate American citizens in danger from the fighting. On February 15,1898 the ship blew up in the harbor of Havana. More than 260 men were killed and at the time no one knew why the ship exploded. Later, in 1898, American
newspapers claimed the Spanish were the ones to blow the ship up.
Severely ticked off the US of A -
U.S. declares war
After the USS Maine explosion, the public favored war on Spain for Cuba. Mckinley then asked for Congress' authority to apply military force against Spain. After a week long discussion congress agreed and on April 20, 1898 the U.S. was at war with Spain. This was important becasue we finally got involved in the war, we wanted to avenge the Maine and the men who died on the ship. -
US attack on Manilla Bay
In this attack Dewey's fleet came in from Hong Kong to Manila Bay in the Philippines to assult the bay. When they got there they destroyed all of the Spanish fleet's ships. This would also influence more people to join America's military. Imortant because it liberated Manilla and it allows us to claim the Philippines. -
Spanish surrender the Phillippeans
The Spanish thought the Americans would invade Cuba first, but instead America took the first battle to the Philippine Islands. On April 30th, the American fleet that was in the Pacific traveled to the Philippines. The Next day Commodore George Dewey opened fire and destroyed the entire Spanish fleet in Manila allowing the Americans to land. America had support from the Philippines who wanted to be free from Spain. In August after two months of rebellion led by George Dewey and Emilio Aguinal -
Battle for Kettle/San Juan Hill
In this battle, the Rough Riders charged up Kettle hill which made way for an important infantry attack. This was Teddy Roosevelt's regiment, so he was awarded most of the credit although he was hardly involved. After their victory, there was a clear path for an infantry for an attack on San Juan Hill. This was a great win for the US. This event was important because it gave leverage to the americans over the spanish in the war and showed the world that the U.S. was pretty powerful. -
Naval Blockade of Cuba
Two days after the US won the San Juan Hill battle, the US navy wthe coast of Cuba. After being defeated in the battle, The Spanish fleet tried to escape the blockade and this resulted in a naval battle along the Cuban coast, which ended in the destruction of the Spanish fleet. This was important, because it was the end of the Spanish American war. -
Destruction of the Spanish fleet
Two days after the battle of San Juan Hill, the Spanish fleet tried to escape the harbor of Santiago, but the American's had a blockade set up. The naval battle along the coast ended with the destruction of the Spanish fleet. The destruction of the Spanish fleet was significant for the U.S. because it was the downfall of the Spanish and they couldn't do much else but surrender. -
Capture of Puerto Rico
After defeating the Spanish in Cuba, the Spanish fleet tried to escape the American blockade of the harbor at Santiago. The naval battle that followed, along the Cuban coast, ended in the destruction of the Spanish fleet. Getting close to victory, American troops invaded Puerto Rico on July 25th. During the Treaty of Paris Spain gave the US Peurto Rico along with Cuba and Guam. This was important because we beome more imperialistic from claiming these pieces of land. -
Armistice is signed between US and Spain
On August 12th, the U.S. and Spain signed an armistice, which is a cease-fire agreement and bascically say the America is done fighting Spain. John Hay called it "a splendid little war." The fighting had lasted only 15 weeks. When the Amastice was signed the war was over and the U.S. gained their pieces of land that they had fought for. -
Treaty of Paris
The treaty of Paris was when Spain admitted defeat and the US and Spain met in Paris and made a peace treaty and Spain gave the US Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Spain also sold the US the Phillipines for 32 million dollars. This was important because now the US was even more of an imperialistic empire and they now had the power over countries that had already wanted freedom
from the last country that had owned them. This was important because it showed U.S. was an empire that could expand. -
Spanish Surrender the Philippines
The Spanish surrendered the Philippines and America become more imperialistic. Soon after the Philippinos came to a conclusion that they moved from one imperial power to another with later on would start the American/Philippino war. This event is important because it gave the U.S. an advantage over Spain now that they had the Pacific under America rule.
