Cause of the Spanish American War
The Spanish-American War was a short conflict that only spanned over a 4 month time period. The war accomplished its goal of helping the Cuban people break away from Spain's ruling fist, but more importantly gaining new territories to fulfill America's business interests. Speculations from political figures promised this war would bring a boost in the economy and rise in American industry. The war also established the United States as world power with its swift victory over Spain showing it's a force to be reckoned with. The United States started out as a string of British colonies. The growing resentment towards the mercantilism system is what caused America to break away form its British origin. However, the growing need for industrial raw materials and new markets to sell it in demanded America to acquire her own colonies. The problem was that all the colonies that were worth claiming had already been taken by European powers, so America had to wrestle a existing colony from an empire. Cuba was a perfect canidate because rebels of Cuba had been revolting against Spain for their independence for years. America simply had to liberate Cuba and claim new territories. In America, due to journalists stories
In December of 1898, after months of negotiations that failed to include the Cubans or Filipinos, Spain and the US signed the Treaty of Paris. The treaty freed Cuba, gave Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States and sold the Philippines for $20 million. Unlike previous treaties, the newly acquired territories were given no promise of future statehood or the rights of citizens. The inhabitants were considered inferior people incapable of self-governance. America became a colonial empire, the exact thing it had once despised and fought against. Furious at the Spanish Empire, Americans eagerly awaited further news. Then, on February 15, 1898, the USS Maine, anchored in Havana harbor, exploded. Fueled by a steady stream of ill-informed reports from journalists, the bloodthirsty public immediately blamed Spain as a saboteur. America demanded to end the fighting and reconcentration camps. , the sympathy for Cubans grew. Cuban rebels blended in with the civilian populace and fought the stronger Spanish forces using guerrilla tactics. The Spaniards could not possibly kill everyone while maintaining Perhaps the greatest outcome of the war was that it marked the rise of the United States as a global military power. The war gave the United States a chance to show and prove its naval powers. It did this by defeating the Spanish fleet in the Philipp
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 913
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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