What Are The Causes Of The Spanish American War

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Over 100 years ago, was the conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. It is known as the Spanish American War. The war originated in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, which began in February 1895. President McKinley, who was vexed by the turmoil in Cuba, believed that Cuba should give up its colony. When pro-Spanish loyalists and army personal rioted in Havana, Washington ordered the battleship the USS Maine to Havana harbor to demonstrate US concern and to protect American citizens. Americans were outraged by the brutal Spanish tactics, which created much sympathy for the Cuban revolutionaries, causing tension to grow between the US and Spain. On February 15, 1898, out of nowhere the Maine blew up, killing 266 American officers and crew. Only a week before that, The New York Journal had published a stolen private letter written by the Spanish prime minister in Washington, Enrique Dupuy de Lome, who belittled McKinley “as weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd.” After the Maine …show more content…

A U.S. naval force soon after blockaded the harbor entrance. In June, the U.S. Army Fifth Corps landed on Cuba to launch a coordinated land and sea assault on the Spanish stronghold. Among the U.S. ground troops were the Theodore Roosevelt-led “Rough Riders,” a collection of Western cowboys and Eastern blue bloods officially known as the First U.S. Voluntary Cavalry. On July 1st, U.S. General William Shafter ordered an attack on the village of El Caney and San Juan Hill. He hoped to capture El Caney, but 500 Spanish defenders for the village put up a resistance and held off 10 times their number for most of the day. Although El Caney was not secure, 8,000 Americans pressed forward toward San Juan

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