-
US attempt to purchase Cuba
The US had an interest in Cuba for a long time. The diplomats suggested to President Franklin Pierce that the United States buy Cuba from Spain. This is important because the United States' interest carries into many more events to occur, like the Spanish American War. -
Cuba's first war for independence
This war called for Cuba's independence from Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. This is important for Cuba, making the move to Cuba being free from Spain. They even wrote a constitution abolishing slavery and annexed the country to the US. -
Jose Marti led Cuba’s second war for independence
José Martí was a Cuban poet and journalist. Resistance against Spain was formed by deliberately destroying property. The rebels provoked the US to help achieve a free Cuba. This is important because unlike the first Cuban war, the second war was not unnoticed by the US. -
Valeriano Weyler was sent to Cuba by Spain
Cuban revolts were responded by the Spanish by sending General Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to restore order. To destroy the rebellion, Weyler gathered the entire population into barbed wire concentration camps. Many of the 300,000 Cubans in the camps died of hunger and disease. This is important because Weyler's actions made Americans sympathize for the rebels. The feelings of the citizens of the US only pushed to help the Cubans being mistreated. -
The yellow press began to shape American public opinion with respect to Cubas civil war
Weylers actions began a war in reality and in the newspaper. William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer lured readers into reading Hearst New York Journal and Pulitzer New York World. Their stories were exaggerated to show Weyler's brutality. They wrote about poisoned wells and throwing babies to the sharks. The stories were yellow journalism, which is news based upon an extreme exaggeration. The stories lured readers and enraged Americans on how the rebels were being treated. -
Publication of the De Lome Letter
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme was the Spanish minister to Washington. On February 9, 1898, a letter he had written to a government official in Havana was published in the American press. The private correspondence labeled President McKinley as “a low politician" and a man who was weak and catered to the rabble. The letter is important because it caused the Spanish to upset the United States. This made Spain a target to the US for insulting their president and the mistreating of the rebels. -
The explosion of the USS Maine
President Mckinley ordered the USS Maine to Cuba to protect American property and bring home American citizens in danger from the fighting. The ship was blown up in the harbor of Havana. More than 260 sailors were killed. We did not know who blew it up but later assumed that it was the Spanish. The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine was important because it made the US more furious at the Spanish. More power was brought later to fight the Spanish. -
Naval blockade of Cuba
A Spanish fleet under Admiral Pascual Cervera arrived in Santiago. The Spanish fleet was blockaded in the harbor by superior U.S. warships from the U.S. squadrons in the Atlantic, under Rear Admiral William T. Sampson and Commodore Winfield S. Schley. The blockade was important because of the U.S. warships stopping the Spanish fleet from harming more Cubans. -
The US declares war on Spain
The public opinion of America favored any war. We went to Congress on April 11, asking to declare war on Spain. After a week of thinking and debating, Congress finally agreed and the US declared war. The main reason for war out to the public was to free Cuba from the Spanish. This is important because if we hadn't gone into war against the Spanish, then we might not have had Cuba or other countries at this time. -
US attack on Manila Bay
The defeat of the Spanish Pacific fleet by the US Navy resulted in the fall of the Phillippines and contributed to the final US victory in the Spanish-American war. After an explosion sank USS Maine in Havana harbor in February 1898, the United States declared war with Spain on 25 April in support of a Cuban rebellion against Spanish colonial rule. -
Destruction of the Spanish fleet in Cuba
Spanish fleet got blockaded by the American ships in Santiago de Cuba. The Spanish fleet tries to break out but they get destroyed This is important because it shows that America has more power of the Spanish during that time. -
US invades Cuba
American forces landed in Cuba in June and began to converge on the port city of Santiago. The army of 17,000 included four African American regiments and the Rough Riders landed and began making their first way through Cuba. This is important because finally, we have landed in Cuba to protect our land and save the rebels from the Spanish. -
Battle of San Juan Hill
This occurred east of Santiago and was on Kettle Hill. US soldiers tried taking over the hill and gained an advantage to take San Juan Hill. It managed to hold off a much larger US force from advancing. Many U.S. soldiers were gunned down trying to take the hill. Rough Riders led us to victory in this battle. This is important because this was a huge factor in succeeding in the capture of Cuba. -
Capture of Puerto Rico
The United States and Spain met in Paris to agree on a treaty. At the peace talks, the Spanish freed Cuba and turned over the Guam islands and Puerto Rico to the United States. This is important because it increased our empire. -
Armistice is signed between the US and Spain
Spain knew that they would lose so they decided to agree to sign an Armistice which means we stop shooting at each other. The Treaty of Paris was signed later. This is important because this is what stopped the fighting which prevented more casualties. -
Spanish surrender the Phillippines
The first battle of the war took place in the Phillippines, which was owned by Spain at that time. Dewey destroyed every Spanish ship that was located there within hours. With the help of the Filipinos, they wanted freedom from Spain. In August, Spanish troops in Manila surrendered to the US. This is important because it benefited the US empire being built overseas. -
Treaty of Paris
This was the official peace treaty between the US and Spain. It ended the war and we gained Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Phillippines. This is important because this gave the US control over all of these countries that we originally wanted to create an empire
