The Spanish American War
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: The Spanish American War
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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The Spanish American War, also known as “The Splendid Little War,” was a short-lived conflict between the United
States and Spain in 1898. This war was a pretext for the Philippines War. During this time period Spain had control
over several territories within the Caribbean because they were still a colonial power. Although Spain had control
of the territories of Cuba and the Philippines, the inhabitants began to grow more and more rebellious as time
passed. With the tension building between Spain and its territories, the United States was in a position to become
their ally and help them fight to win their independence and gain territory within the Caribbean and Pacific at the
same time. United States involvement is said to have risen from the Spanish policies in Cuba, but to an even
greater extent, the efforts of U.S. expansionists brought the United States involvement about.
When researching the cause of the Spanish American War, there is much speculation that the sinking of the U.S.S.
Maine was the lone reason for this conflict. In actuality, there is a sequence of incidents that gradually intensified
U.S. sentiments about going to war with Spain. According to Wetzel (2012), the U.S.S. Maine exploding in Cuba’s
Havana harbor was an event that helped to only precipitate the Spanish-American War. (p. 407) Prior to the
sinking of the U.S.S. Maine, the demands of Cubans for their independence from Spanish rule made U.S.
intervention more of a necessity. With the high tension because of possible war with Spain, a majority of
Americans desired to avoid war and settle peacefully. When Spanish military commander, Valeriano Weyler y
Nicolau, instituted a concentration camp style system which forcibly confined Cubans in garrison...