Spanish-American War (1898)

Causes: How did each of the following help to cause the outbreak of the Spanish-American War?

1. American business owners- they had been sympathetic towards Cuba due to their ideas of rebellion, which caused Spain to become angry with America

2. José Martí- helped to cause the outbreak of the Spanish-American War by organizing Cuban resistance against Spain, and by deliberately destroying American property (mostly sugar mills and plantations)

3. Valeriano Weyler- went to Cuba to restore order, and had set up concentration camps where about 300,000 Cubans were held so they could no longer aid rebels, and many ended up dying from hunger and disease

4. Yellow journalism- by exaggerating the news in newpapers, yellow journalism had lured and enraged readers, had tightened hostility between the countries

5. De Lôme letter- a private letter which a Cuban rebel had leaked to the newspapers. This letter had criticized President McKinley, calling him weak and "a bidder for the admiration of the crowd". Although the Spanish government had apologized, Americans were still angry over the insult to their president

6. U.S.S. Maine- the USS Maine was a boat that was sent to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger from the fighting and to protect American property. On Feb 15, 1898 the ship blew up in the harbor of Havana, and no one had know why it blew up, so they blamed it on the Spaniards, giving the US government a reason to declare war against the unprepared Spanish army.

Effects: What happened to each of the following territories as a result of the Spanish-American War?

7. Cuba- Cuba was freed by Spain in the Treaty of Paris (1898)

8. Puerto Rico- Puerto Rico was turned over to the Americans in the Treaty of Paris (1898)

9. Guam- Guam, too had been turned over to the Americans as a result of the Spanish-American War

10. Philippine Islands- The Philippine Islands had been sold by Spain to the United States for $20 million