US role

Early Action

In fact, ever since 1776, groups within the US had begun to consider what actions the US should take in relation to Cuba.

1846 US invasion of Mexico

US tried to purchase Cuba from Spain: - In 1848, US president James Polk offered Spain $100 million for Cuba; - in 1854, US president Franklin Pierce increased this to $130 million. - Both offers were rejected by Spain; - US ambassadors advised that, should Spain continue to refuse, the US would take the island from Spain. Initially, the US government did not think a possible war against Spain was viable.

US and the second war of independence

Change in Stance

Initial stance: Running business is great in Cuba under Spain, as it gives compensation to damaged US property during the war

stance change: Call for annexation - Spannish brutal counterinsurgency methods were reported by journalists and exiled Cubans - US Business owners came to think Spain was no longer able to protect their property

The stance change is reflected by the president election, where ==Cleverland== was accused of doing nothing on Cuba, so ==William McKinley== won the election, who was more in favor of intervention.

Trigger: ==Maine incident==

The incident happened on 15 Feb 1898. US battleship Maine was blown up in Havana harbour, killing 258 US sailors.

Two possibilities of cause:

  • internal explosion of coal (Spain supported)
  • external mine explosion (US supported)

The debate goes on, while the US press at the time was stirred up, calling for “Remember the Maine!”, leading rush to join volunteer forces and regular US army.

With the strong force of media coverage on Maine Incident, the US was forced to take action and portray itself as ‘humanitarian intervention’. It intensified the public opinion on the intervention issue of US, as the casualty of the Maine incident was huge and the influence was seemed profound. US government was urged to take ‘humanitarian’ (not really) action by the power of media.

The ==Teller Amendment== stated that the US occupation of Cuba should not be ‘permanent’. - pushed for by Cuban exiles, and was seen as a clear rejection by the US of anyin 1898. He was in charge imperialist intentions as regards Cuba

Spanish-America War 1898

first fought in philipines 1898 May, and the focus shifted to Cuba

  1. US Military Operations:

    • May 1898:
      • The US destroyed Spain’s Pacific fleet in Manila Bay.
      • Spain sent troops to Cuba; however, they were contained by a large US force.
    • June 1898:
      • On 22 June, a small group of US troops landed near Santiago and linked up with Cuban rebels.
    • July 1898:
      • On 1 July, the ==Battle of Luma San Juan== took place, marking the beginning of full US intervention in Cuba.
      • Although a few clashes continued after 1 July, the land war in Cuba had effectively ended.
      • As Spanish forces attempted to retreat from the port of Santiago, they encountered the US fleet, which inflicted heavy losses on their ships.
      • ==By 17 July, Spain agreed to surrender terms.==
    • December 1898:
      • On 10 December, the Spanish-American War concluded with the Treaty of Paris, notably without the presence of Cuban representatives.

  2. Relations Between US Troops and Cuban Rebels:

    • The relationship was strained, partly because many US white soldiers were disconcerted by the fact that most of the rebels were black.
    • Strategic Unity and Operational Decisions:
      • In the Battle of Luma San Juan, although Calixto Garcia led 3,000 soldiers in diversionary tactics, the US forbade the rebels from entering the captured city.
      • After Santiago was captured, the flag raised at the governor’s palace was the US flag—not the rebel flag.
      • US General Wood, who was not among the rebel leaders, took over as the new governor of the city.

Consequence: This Spanish–American War was ended by the ==Treaty of Paris==, signed on 10 December 1898 — significantly, as far as Cuba was concerned, there were no Cuban representatives present. -> The terms of the treaty saw the US take possession of several Spanish colonies: - Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Americas - the Philippines and Guam in the Pacific. In return, the US paid Spain compensation of $20 million for the loss of its former colonies.