The Story of the Spanish American War

The Story of
the Spanish American War
a.k.a
The SP-AM
Once Upon a Time in a land
not so far away…
• There was a country
called Spain which
had expanded and
owned many
colonies.
• Two of those
colonies were Cuba
and Puerto Rico
• United States invested $50
million in Cuba in sugar and
mining….
Puerto
Rico
Cuba
Secretary record answers:
1. What two colonies did Spain own that
were close to the U.S.?
2. Why might this be a problem for the US?
In Cuba…
• There was a violent
uprising by the
Cubans.
• Because the Cubans
wanted their own
land and own
leaders.
• Jose Marti led the
Cuban rebels in a
revolt against
Spain.
So…
• Spain sent General
Valeriano Weyler aka
“The Butcher”
• To control the Cubans…
• He set into place the
system of
“re-concentration,”
in which various
fortified areas were
designated, and all
inhabitants were given
eight days to move in,
including cattle and
other animals. Anyone
caught outside was
considered the enemy
and killed.
Life the camps was a death
sentence…
Secretary record answers:
3. Who led the Cuban revolt
against Spain?
4. What did Butcher Weyler do to
the Cubans?
5. What was life like in the
camps?
When the Americans heard about
the death camps they felt:
1. Sympathetic towards the
Cubans.
This sympathy lead to …….
2. American support of the
Cuban revolt.
Secretary record answers:
6. Why did the Americans feel
bad for the Cubans?
give three examples….
7. What type of fervor did this
sympathy create for
Americans?
Meanwhile back in
the United States…
Joseph Pulitzer
William
Randolph
Hearst
• Two newspapers
were reporting on
the Spanish and
Cuban uprisings.
• Joseph Pulitzer and
William Randolph
Hearst were two
newspaper owners
writing stories about
the revolt.
They used a
tactic called…
• Yellow
Journalism
• When a newspaper
sensationalizes a
story..
Secretary record answers:
6. What are two reasons why Americans
went to war in the SP-AM?
The de Lome letter…dundundun
• The letter written by
the Spanish minister
to American stated
that President
McKinley was
“weak”
• This outraged
Americans and
embarrassed Spain
The USS Maine
• The US battleship
Maine arrived in
Havana harbor on
January 25th
• On February 15th
the Maine exploded
and took 260 men
with her.
With this explosion…
• The United States prepared for war.
• On April 20, 1898 Congress issued a resolution
that declared Cuba independent.
Attached to the resolution was the..
• Teller Amendment
• Declaring that the
United States had no
intention of taking over
Cuba.
• Spain declares war on
the US April 24.
• President McKinley
signs US declaration on
April 23rd.
Secretary record answers:
7. What are three more reasons to fight in
the SP-AM?