There were many reasons for the initiation of the Spanish American War. It started mainly because of a series of resolutions that Congress ratified on April 19, 1898, which virtually ended the friendly relations between the United States and Spain. The reason for passing these resolutions were because of the brutal treatment of Cuba which was reminiscent of the treatment Americans received from the British over one hundred years earlier. It was ordered on January 24 by the Secretary of the Navy that the U.S.S. Maine would be ordered to Havana. Some people wanted the U.S.S. Maine to start the war with Spain, but its intentions while in Cuban waters were harmless. It was a scouting mission to see if any preparations for war were taking place in Cuba. It was believed that a torpedo blew up the ship killing 260 men. On February 8, 1898, the publication of a letter written by Senor Dupuy de Lome, who was Spanish Minister of the United States, speaking disparagingly o

At the present time of 1898, President William McKinley was proclaimed an imperialist for the attack on Cuba against the Spanish. This left one to suspect that the Spanish only wanted to cause some reaction by the unexplained explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine. Revealed later in 1969 that the U.S.S. Maine exploded due to a defective boiler.

The war had major consequences on the Filipinos. Led by Emilio Aquinaldo, the Filipinos had fought for independence from Spain, but after the Americans occupied the Philippines, it had become clear that independence was to be denied. The US waged a three year military campaign against Filipino nationalists, and some charged that the American methods were little different from those used by hated Spanish general Valeriano Weyler to suppress the Cuban independence movement.

In 1823, James Monroe issued a bold proposal called the Monroe Doctrine that stated one of the goals of the U.S. government was to prevent further European influence in the Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine proclaimed that the United States would fight rather than to have Europe to obtain more land or interfere in the western world.

In late May the Rough Riders set out by train for Tampa, Florida, where they joined 30,000 other soldiers preparing for the invasion of Cuba. They remained in Tampa for a few weeks, receiving orders to sail for Cuba on June 7. Unfortunately, these orders also indicated that at least one New Mexico company and all horses be left behind because there was a shortage of room on the transport ships.

Thanks to all the attention he received from his exploits with the Rough Riders, Theodore Roosevelt became a national hero. This catapulted his social standing and allowed him to become a senator and eventually the twenty-sixth president of the US.

The largest single source of the Rough Riders was from the New Mexico Territory, 358 men, including 168 from Santa Fe. When the call went out across the New Mexico Territory for volunteers to form the first Regiment Volunteer Cavalry the response was overwhelming. In a matter of days, all the men needed had enlisted. New Mexicans were eager to serve for a variety of reasons. Some eastern newspapers suggested that New Mexico might side with Spain because of its high proportion of Spanish-speaking citizens and its first Hispanic-surnamed governor under American rule, Miguel Otero. New Mexicans wanted to demonstrate to the rest of the country that the territory was doing its part on the national level and thus was ready for statehood. Some ambitious men saw participation in the conflict as a vehicle for political advancement because these people believed that New Mexican open range had been tamed and many felt the frontier had vanished and volunteered for the sake of adventure.

Kettle Hill was one of a series of hills or ridges called the "San Juan Hills" that surrounded Santiago. The plan was to take these ridges enabling the artillery to bomb the city and the Spanish navy. "The Battle of Kettle Hill" was the greatest accomplishment of the Rough Riders. There were twenty American casualties. It is frequently referred to as the "Battle of San Juan Hill." However, it was regular troops, including African-American Buffalo Soldiers, who actually took San Juan Hill at the same time as Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were ordered to take Kettle Hill.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Rough Riders, President McKinley, Spanish Spanish, American War, USS Maine, Guam Philippines, Montauk Island, Otero Mexicans, Theodore Roosevelt, Lieutenant Blue, rough riders, spanish american war, san juan, spanish american, uss maine, american war, volunteer cavalry, santa fe, kettle hill, spanish fleet, regiment volunteer, regiment volunteer cavalry, san juan hills, battleship uss maine, command 1st regiment,
Approximate Word count = 2791
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)