Summary
Highlights
The first cause was the US desire to control Cuba due to the Monroe Doctrine, the US's ambition for a stronger naval presence in the Caribbean as advocated by Alfred T. Mahan, and significant American business investments in Cuban fruit and sugar. Cuban nationalists reignited a war of independence against Spain in 1895, using guerrilla tactics, which drew President McKinley's attention towards intervention.
The second cause was yellow journalism. Influential journalists like Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst sensationalized and exaggerated Spanish atrocities against Cubans to boost newspaper sales and change public opinion, leading to fervent jingoism—an extreme nationalism calling for aggressive foreign policy.
The third major cause was the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in February 1898, killing 266 US sailors. Yellow journalists immediately blamed Spain without investigation, intensifying jingoistic fervor and leading to McKinley's declaration of war in April 1898. The Teller Amendment was included in the war declaration, stating that Cuba would be free and independent postwar, but allowing for continued US involvement in its pacification.
The Spanish-American War, a 'splendid little war' due to its quick victory, had massive effects, marking the beginning of an overseas American empire. The peace treaty gave the US control over Spanish territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.
In the Caribbean, the US gained control of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Post-war, the US occupied Cuba, deeming it unfit for immediate self-rule. Cuba gained nominal independence in 1902 but was heavily influenced by the Platt Amendment, which limited its sovereignty by requiring US permission for treaties and allowing US intervention.
The war also increased America's involvement in Asia. The US acquired Guam and the Philippines, which provided strategic access to Asian markets, particularly China. With the annexation of Hawaii, the US established a territorial path to Asian markets. Secretary of State John Hay issued the Open Door Note to European powers, asking for open trading privileges for the US in China, securing some trading rights in the desired Asian market.
The third effect was the need to suppress a nationalist movement in the Philippines. Filipino forces, who had fought alongside Americans against Spain, expected independence. However, President McKinley decided to annex the Philippines due to its strategic value for naval bases and access to Asian markets, and his belief that Filipinos were incapable of self-governance. Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, launched an insurgency against US rule, using guerrilla tactics. The US responded with brutal violence, leading to over 200,000 Filipino deaths. Aguinaldo's capture in 1901 ended the rebellion, placing the Philippines under direct US control with William Howard Taft as governor.
The video introduces the Spanish-American War as a key event in the American Empire test. It highlights that the war arose from debates about American expansionism and its role on the international stage, ultimately leading to war with Spain in 1898. Three main causes of the war are outlined.