Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs - The Spanish-American War

Cuban Revolution

Began in 1895 against Spanish rule; the brutal "reconcentration camps" caused humanitarian outcry in the US, providing a political and ideological justification for intervention.

José Martí

Cuban nationalist poet and leader whose 1895 insurrection challenged Spanish authority, creating the geopolitical instability that allowed for US intervention.

US business interests in Cuba

By 1895, the US had invested roughly $50 million in Cuban sugar and tobacco; the revolution threatened these assets, creating economic pressure for US intervention.

Yellow Press / Yellow Journalism

Led by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, these newspapers used sensationalized reports of 1895–1898 Spanish atrocities to build political outrage and support for war.

Letter from Dupuy de Lôme

The 1898 leaked letter from the Spanish ambassador criticizing President William McKinley; it was perceived as a national insult, increasing political pressure for a war stance.

USS Maine

The American battleship that exploded in Havana harbor in February 1898; its destruction served as the catalyst for the US to mobilize popular support for war against Spain.

Battle of Manila Bay

The 1898 naval battle in the Philippines; this victory transformed the US from a hemispheric power into an emerging global imperial power.

China trade

Economic motivation; after seizing the Philippines in 1898, the US used the islands as a strategic coaling station to secure access to Asian markets, fulfilling Mahan’s naval strategy.

American Anti-Imperialist League

Founded in 1898; notable figures like Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie argued that empire-building contradicted American democratic values and was economically costly.

Platt Amendment

Added to the Cuban constitution in 1901; this granted the US the legal right to intervene in Cuban affairs and maintain naval bases, ensuring long-term control.

Emilio Aguinaldo

The Filipino leader who fought a brutal guerrilla war against US occupation (1899–1902); his resistance highlighted the high political and human costs of imperialism.

US occupation of the Philippines

Administered by leaders like William Howard Taft; the US implemented paternalistic reforms to "civilize" the population, maintaining imperial rule until after WWII.