Spanish American war Research

S. S. Maine blew up on February 15th, 1898, no one knew the true cause of the explosion that cost two hundred and fifty-three sailors their lives (Leeke, 2013). Over the course of two to three days though, the work of the newspapers covering the tragedy turned the accident into sabotage and a reason to go to war. Without the war-mongering yellow journalism of this time period, it is reasonable to believe that the U. S. Background During the late 15th century, Spain embarked on an exploration mission, thus becoming the first nation in Europe to sail across the Atlantic Ocean towards westward. This led them to encounter the Amerindian countries located in the Western Hemisphere, they later colonized them. They were able to take control of the western hemisphere from Virginia located at the eastern coast of the United States’ south extending towards Tierra del Fuego that is located at the tip of South America, thus forming an expansive empire.

Their influence however, was limited to Alaska, Brazil and westward to California. and Cuban ports that was valued at $100 million annually to an end. The insurgents waged a war on Spaniards with the intentions of reclaiming their properties from Spaniards. The war thus, led to the destruction of sugarcane plantations and sugar mills that belonged to the U. S. The American humanitarian sentiment was angered by the conflict that led to Cubans being herded into the “reconcentration areas” in the country’s big cities, whereas those that vowed to remain were treated as enemies besides the destruction of their property including the U. The insurgent leaders of Cuba dismissed the Spanish government strategy that recalled the reconcentration policy, which limited powers of self-governance even though it allowed Cubans to elect cortes.

The insurgents demanded complete independence of Cuba and they therefore, vowed to continue fighting until they obtain their objectives. The continuous war in Cuba led to a series of incidents that prompted U. S. interventions. S. president to demand for independence for the Cuban citizens for the sake of humanity. The demand infuriated the Spanish government that once sought help from the European countries and declared war upon the U. S. on April 24th. Dewey squadron was reinforced by a U. S. military force in order to take possession of the city of Manila. The full military reinforcement that consisted of about eleven thousand U. S. S. Marines before seventeen thousand military troops landed at Daiquiri and Siboney, located east of Santiago de Cuba (Goldstein, 2014).

The first U. S. military advancement in Cuba included 26,000 officers against the 150,000 Spanish regulars and 40,000 volunteers and irregulars besides the 50,000 rebels inside Cuba. troops divided into several sections, where one section that was commanded by Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt. This section included the Rough Riders together with the African-American Ninth and Tenth cavalries who went up against Kettle Hill. The other section of the forces commanded by Brigadier General Jacob Kent headed to San Juan Hill from where they charged up. made a pack and signed a peace treaty in Paris. The aim of the treaty was to establish the independence of Cuba besides ceding Guam and Puerto Rico to the U. S. The treaty signed also allowed the U. S.