Spanish American War Pros And Cons

In 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was published by president James Monroe that stated that any effort of European nations to try to colonialize any parts of North America or South America would be seen as unfriendly by the United States. The expansion of the Monroe Doctrine to include Olney Corollary which said that it gave the U.S authority to mediate conflicts in its own hemisphere This corollary foreshadowed the the events of the Spanish-American War because which ended in 1898 with the Spanish ceding the Philippines and Cuba. The need for the United States to gain territory and intervene led to the war with the Philippines because after the Philippines was ceded to the United States, the Philippines didn’t want another colonial ruler so they sought independence by a war with the United States (Engel, Lawrence and Preston, 47). Imperialism caused the U.S to intervene with the Spanish which then angered the Filipino because they didn’t want a new colonial ruler. The Philippines created an opportunity to project American power into the pacific. With the Filipino leader, Aguinaldo, as president demanded independence but Washington refused so Aguinaldo declared war. The U.S didn’t want to give land away that they just received as well as the Philippines was considered a hotspot because it would allow the U.S to refuel on their long journeys back from Asia

The Mexican American war was greatly beneficial to the U.S., but was it worth the cost of nearly 38,000 lives? The war lasted two years, with America emerging victorious and taking more than half of Mexico’s land. Although the conflict resulted in the U.S. gaining her most valuable land, nevertheless the war itself was unjust due to a multitude of reasons, such as the unwarranted Texas revolution, the selfish belief of Manifest Destiny, and the illegitimate intentions of President Polk.

The Spanish-American War was known as the beginning process to the United States establishing itself as a world super power. This would be the beginning to becoming a strong and powerful Empire. This process to building a powerful Empire is something that America has built up for hundreds of years.

The Spanish-American War of 1898 could be seen as the pivotal point in foreign policy as it marks America’s first engagement with a foreign enemy in the dawning age of modern warfare however, one could also argue that the idea had always existed in American politics.

The Mexican-American War was a conflict between the United States and Mexico. It took place  on 25 April, 1846 and ended on 2 February, 1848. President Polk played a huge part in the United States government's involvement with the Mexican-American War. Not all of the American citizens supported the war. There were many individuals who were against it they just was not for it. Henry David Thoreau, an American writer and philosopher, strongly opposed the war by declaring the United States actions as unethical.

Assess the importance of TWO of the following in the US decision to declare war against Spain in 1898: yellow journalism, sinking of the Maine, US business interests, Cuban revolution

The immediate causes for the declaration of the Spanish-American War are much more important than the underlying causes of the War. The immediate cause of the Spanish-American war was the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor. The long-term cause of the Spanish American War is the Yellow Journalism, Cuban economics, and the political roles made by President William Mckinley. All of the roles made by him went back to the reason the war started. The Yellow Journalism helped to create a conducive outbreak of conflict and expansion of U.S. influence overseas, but it did not cause the war. The main immediate cause of the Spanish American War was On February 15, 1898 the U.S S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor which left many dead. The U.S. S. Maine was not a monumental war, but President McKinley wanted to declare war against spain. Therefore, they invaded Cuba. The Americans, Cubans, and Spaniards were all involved. The Americans wanted to help take the Cubans out of Concentration Camps.

Americans were caught up in ideas to develop global dominance and when they heard about the tribulations that Spain was causing they used it to take action and start a war that they could easily win and gain veneration and intimidation from.

The answer of whether or not the Spanish-American and Philipine-American wars were created to build an American empire should be predictable, considering America’s history of beginning wars for their own benefit. Therefore, it is not that much of a shock that these two wars were commenced to benefit the United States in expanding their country and growing more powerful. Initially, President McKinley “did not want war; he had been sincere and tireless in his efforts to maintain the peace” (Zinn 293) against Spain. However, the mostly upper-class and businessmen of the country, who saw it as an opportunity to boost America’s economy, did. Eventually, so did the government, resulting in them giving into their citizens’ wants. They had “power and profit in mind as it observed the events in Cuba” (Zinn 289), and President

It was not until after the Civil War that these ideas started to change in America. “Dozens of women’s colleges were founded after the Civil War, and many formerly all-male colleges began admitting women.” (Shi and Tindall, pg. 569) By 1900 nearly one-third of college students were women (pg.569) In the early 1900’s women began to liberate themselves from the home, their social roles, and even some of their character traits. New public venues for female interaction were created, from charitable associations to women’s clubs. The increase of female interaction brought a means to change the lack of female influence in government. In 1869 the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, which not only campaigned for woman suffrage, but also for new laws to make an abused wife get a divorce easier and for female workers to get higher pay (pg. 712-714) It was not until the spring of 1919 after WWI that the Nineteenth Amendment was passed giving women a Constitutional guarantee of their right to vote (pg. 775). Women gaining the right to vote was one of the greatest social developments that happened in America because since women made up forty percent of the electorate they had the capability to change the course of politics (pg.

At 9:40 pm on February 15 1898 a massive explosion rocked the Maine, soon after there was a second one. The Maine sunk almost immediately. Unfortunately the explosions happened in the front of the ship close to the living quarters of the men. Out of the 354 men on board 266 died from the blasts. Many others were injured terribly.

Women’s rights activists in the late 19th century objected an amendment proposing a “man’s government” in America. The amendment faced strong opposition because suffragists believed there was already excessive executive power given to men. So, these women demanded equal representation and access to the same civil liberties as men had by exposing the gender inequality they met through a series of persuasive tactics demonstrated in the article: “Manhood Suffrage.”

We can’t really prevent war all we can do is prepare for it. For example, The Mexican-American War was brought on by America because of the annexation of Texas(1845). The war started with a Mexican attack on American troops along the southern border of Texas on Apr.25, 1846. This war could not have happened if America didn’t do something they shouldn’t have done. Every war begins with a problem or a conflict between many countries. The only time its is just to go to war is if the enemies attack first or doesn’t show that they want to fix the solution but actually have a fight.

Cultural changes were occurring in the United States in the early 1800s that would eventually contribute to the women’s movement. The Second Great Awakening emphasized individualism, this idea expanded to people like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and, Lucretia Mott who fought for women’s right to vote.  Stanton, Mott, and a few other met in the Seneca Falls, New York; they drew up the first public protest in America against women’s political, economic, and social inferiority (Kraditor 1). Women’s roles were viewed as homemakers, being part of their family and not individuals with their own rights. Women faced many challenges throughout history with not being able to participate in politics nor receiving equality especially their voting rights. Although there wasn’t a federal amendment for women’s voting, many states did implement the rights to vote for women.

The Spanish-American War was truly a defining moment in U.S. History. After the U.S. defeated the Spanish, it gained control over Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Also by defeating them, they proved to the rest of the world that they were a nation who could hold their own. It had finally seemed that the U.S was a dominant world power.