The Spanish American War

 The Cuban Rebellion against Spain.

 Desire to control the Caribbean

◦ Future canal project across Central America

 American desire to protect their

investments in Cuba.

 Yellow Journalism intensified public anger

at Spain.

 The explosion of the USS Maine

Most
Likely
An
Accident

=

 Sensational reporting in which writers

often exaggerated and even made up
stories to attract readers.

 A result of a newspaper war between

Wm Randolph Hearst’s NY Journal and
Joseph Pulitzer’s NY World

 What do we call this today?

 Spain old colony in the Pacific

 We annex them…there is not really a

reason to do it except that the US could.
So they did.

 They were considered the gateway to

China and their markets.

 There is no provision for an EMPIRE in the Constitution.

 Article IV.3 Clause 1 Admissions

 New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but

no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of
any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or
more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the
Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

 Clause 2 Territory and Other Property

 The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful

Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property
belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution
shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United
States, or of any particular State.

 Become territories.

◦ No real intention to make them States
◦ Philippines Fought the U.S. for independence.

 Occupied until after WWII

◦ Puerto Rico is considered a Commonwealth

of the USA
 They are citizens
 Cannot vote or have full membership in Congress

 Spain ceded its longstanding colony of the

Philippines to the United States in the
Treaty of Paris.
◦ On February 4, 1899, just two days before the

U.S. Senate ratified the treaty, fighting broke
out between American forces and Filipino
nationalists

◦ Led by Emilio Aguinaldo
◦ Fought for independence rather than a change

in colonial rulers.

 The ensuing Philippine-American War

three years

 Results

◦ 4,200 Americans died
◦ over 20,000 Filipino combatants.

 As many as 200,000 Filipino civilians died

from violence, famine, and disease.

 Phase 1: Conventional Warfare

 Phase II: Guerilla-the only way a smaller

force can win. (Outlast the other side)

 Reasons varied

◦ Morally wrong

 Self-Government and determination

◦ Feared Philippines would have too much

influence.

◦ Opposed McKinley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Anti-
Imperialist_League

-

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

 Theodore Roosevelt emerges as a hero

and will become a New York’s governor.