I. The Spanish were suspected for blowing up the USS Maine battleship, therefore the U.S. retaliated,
went to Cuba, and waged a war on the Spanish.
A. They most likely accomplished destroying the ship with an mine or a sunken torpedo.
B. Some people thought that the ship was destroyed by the Spanish enemy, but others believed the destruction of the ship was due to some sort of accident.
1. The chance of an accident occurring causing the Maine battleship to be completely destroyed are slim.
2. The U.S. was looking for a reason to declare war on Spain, therefore the destruction of the battleship was most likely not an accident.
C. "Spaniards, it is believed, arranged to have the Maine anchored over one of the harbor mines"(Document A: New York Journal).
1. The Spanish had wires connected to a magazine and they sent an electric current sent thought the wire, blowing up the Maine battleship.
2. U.S. Newspapers used yellow journalism to inform Ameridians about events leading up to the Spanish American war.
II. The United States invaded Cuba in order to stop the Spanish from forcing Cubans into reconcentration camps.
A. Americans were trying to help the Cubans gain independence from Spain, so Cuba could have their own government.
B. The United States was on a mission to help improve the safety of the country Cuba.
1. Clearly the Cubans needed help to sustain a peaceful country, because they were incapable of making sure that a U.S. ship, sent on a peace mission, could not be kept safe.
C. "Four hundred and sixty women and children thrown on the ground, heaped pell-mell as animals, some in a dying condition, others sick and others dead, without the slightest cleanliness, nor the least help" (Document E: Reconcentration Camps).
1. This description is of the conditions of the concentration camps in Cuba, which the Spanish claimed by keeping Cubans in camps they were protecting them.
III. The U.S. invaded Cuba in hope of obtaining the the area so that the America would have access to more resources and crops.
A. Cuba grew and abundance of sugar cane and had many tobacco farms, which the U.S. uses a large quantity of both products.
B. The U.S. also wanted to improve their trading with other countries, which included Cuba.
C. By trying to improve the trading and port access and sending the navy to Cuba, the U.S. was being geopolitical.
1. The method they were using was Mahan, where a country has a strong navy, controls and defends ports, and trades peacefully with other countries.
2. "Following the successful conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States gained control of territories that could serve as the coaling stations and naval bases that Mahan had discussed, such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines"
Conclusion: While the U.S. was concerned about keeping the Cubans safe, they love to be the "underdog." By being the underdog, the U.S. benefits by increasing their relations with other countries, which is what they accomplished with Cuba.
