Question

Write an essay on the Spanish America War. What was the cause of the war? What were the key moments in the conflict? What impact did the war have on the United States?

Answer 1

Here is each description separated:

What event began the Spanish American War?

The Spanish-American War is the struggle that transformed the United States from an internally focused, average nation to a major force on the world stage. The Spanish-American Conflict's causes cannot explain the war on their own, but their combination may. I'll list each one.

1. Spain was long hated by the United States. The third US President, Thomas Jefferson, described the relationship with Spain as having a "history of dignity and patience rewarded by insult" in 1807.
2. Cubans were treated brutally and cruelly by the Spanish. Cubans were forced into concentration camps where they were given scant food, subjected to sickness, and, if they attempted to flee, would be put to death as sympathizers with the rebels.
3. The United States, on the other hand, believed that it had a divinely mandated duty to defend liberty and advance democracy across the world. It had a close relationship with the value of liberty since it was the first liberal democracy in the world, and this relationship influenced all of the nation's initiatives in some manner. God was said to have picked the United States as his chosen people. Because of the Lord's favoritism of the Americans against the British, America currently enjoys a flawless republican government and a successful democratization campaign.
4. As a result, the Spanish were viewed as a monarchical, harsh, primitive, and barbaric nation, whereas the United States regarded itself as a nation that championed the causes of freedom, democracy, and justice. "Spanish Domination has unquestionably been one continuous succession of crimes and abuses of natural law," even the anti-Imperialist Charles Adams Jr.
5. The US grew significantly in terms of both political and economic strength. The American government gained strength as a result of the civil war and disputes with Native Americans, which had previously made the country's power extremely weak. In addition to a powerful fleet and a professional bureaucratized civil service, the government now possessed a strong president who operated independently of Congress. Economically, America generated a third of the world's manufactured products between 1870 and 1900, along with a lot of raw resources, farmland, railroads to open up new markets, and a sizable work force that was constantly being refilled by immigrants. 74 million individuals called America home during this period.
6. Spanish military and navy were toothless, ignorant, bankrupt, and backward. Around 17 million individuals lived in Spain.
7. The United States regarded Cuba to be within their sphere of influence since it was a part of the Americas. Latin America was viewed by the US as a market for American goods and a source of security for the country. There may be republics that are allies of the United States if Americans could introduce liberal democratic concepts. Spanish presence in the Americas was unwanted in the eyes of the Americans. The Pan-American League was founded by the US in the 1880s to purge Latin America of European influence.
8. The $50–$100 million in trade investments the businesspeople had made in Cuba would be safeguarded by an invasion.

So, to sum up. The Spanish, who were already unwelcome in Cuba, had treated the Cubans terribly, which infuriated ordinary Americans who felt that the US could provide them with freedom and justice. With the idea of profit in mind, the Americans not only had the moral right to steal Spanish sovereignty, but also the resources to do so because they were the colossus of the New World and the Spanish were the fleas of the Old.

Key Moments

The Battle of San Juan Hill (July 1, 1898), also known as the battle for the San Juan Heights, was a decisive battle of the Spanish-American War. The San Juan heights was a north-south running elevation about two kilometers east of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. The Americans surged up the hill and scattered the Spanish, incurring even more fatalities in the process after being subjected to artillery bombardment that caused significant casualties. The struggle for the heights ended up being the most brutal and well-known engagement of the conflict.

The Spanish Fleet is destroyed by American soldiers off of Santiago Bay, Cuba. On July 3, 1898, the Battle of Santiago Bay took place. Spanish power in the western hemisphere came to an end after the American navy defeated the Spanish war fleet. In contrast to one American fatality and one American sailor injured, 1,800 Spaniards perished in the conflict.

Spanish Surrender At Santiago. After winning the Battle of San Juan Hill on July 1, the Americans started a siege on Santiago the next day.

Impact:

The United States emerged as a world power; Cuba gained independence from Spain; the United States gained possession of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

- ROR