Question

The Spanish American changed not only the United States, but the world as well. Discuss two of the causes of the Spanish American War, make sure to explain how why they were considered causes of the war-American sympathy to harsh treatments, the media, and the countries desire to expand global reach , power

Answer 1

The reasons for war were many, but there were two immediate ones: America's support the ongoing struggle by Cubans and Filipinos against Spanish rule, and the mysterious explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor.

Half a world away and only 11 days after the war began, the Spanish Pacific fleet in Manila Bay was defeated by the U.S. Navy in swift strike made by Commodore George Dewey. Unaware of Dewey’s quick success, President McKinley ordered troops to mount a campaign against the capital of Manila.

The military base best suited to stage this campaign was the Presidio of San Francisco. Volunteer soldiers from all over the United States gathered and trained at the Presidio before the long sea voyage

The Presidio’s Role

The Presidio was a natural choice because it is next to the finest harbor on the West Coast. The post also had enough land to house and train large numbers of troops.

The first overseas units left the Presidio in May 1898. They were the 1st California Infantry and the 2nd Oregon Infantry Regiments. Soon volunteer units from Washington State, Montana, Iowa, Wyoming, Kansas, Tennessee and Utah would be stationed at the Presidio. From the beginning of the war to 1900, some 80,000 men passed through the post on their way to and from the Philippines.

At the turn of the century, San Francisco offered many attractions, but army life at the Presidio was cramped, and sickness often flared up in the temporary tent camps. This situation prompted the military to improve troop facilities and helped change the face of the Presidio over the ensuing years.

Fighting Continues in the Philippines

Philippine rebels had been waging guerrilla warfare against Spanish colonialism long before the U.S. became involved. Their exiled leader, Emilio Aquinaldo, communicated with the U.S. Army already on its way to the Philippines. He believed the United States would help the "Insurrectos" gain independence from Spain.

But the U-S government had another idea. After the signing the peace treaty with Spain in late 1898, the U.S. gave Cuba its independence but kept the Philippines. The Philippine nationalists were outraged and it sparked a bitter and controversial conflict called the Philippine War.

Impact of the Spanish American War on the Presidio

The mark of the brief war with Spain and the longer conflict with the Philippines is evident throughout the Presidio. The arrival of large numbers of troops spurred its transition from a frontier military outpost to a modern army base. Buildings like the Montgomery St. Barracks and the Letterman Hospital complex are now an important part of the historic scene.

The Spanish-American War had many different causes.

The immediate cause of the war was the explosion of the battleship USS Maine in Havana, Cuba. This, coupled with what the US saw as an unsatisfactory response by the Spaniards, led to the war. However, there were deeper causes to this war.

One major cause of the war was American sympathy for the cause of the Cuban rebels. Americans were naturally disposed to support rebellions against what they saw as tyrannical European rule.   They were particularly unhappy with Spain because they felt the Spanish were treating their Cuban subjects quite brutally. This feeling was whipped up by the “yellow journalism” of the time.

Another major cause of the war was the desire on the part of many Americans for a war. There were two main reasons for this. First, some Americans, like Theodore Roosevelt, felt that Americans needed to fight a war to improve their toughness as a nation. They felt the country was becoming too soft and needed to challenge itself. Second, there was also the feeling that the US should gain itself an empire. Some Americans, like Alfred Thayer Mahan, wanted the US to take an empire so that it would be militarily stronger than it had been.

These were the major causes of the Spanish-American War.

The Spanish-American war, the first major overseas conflict for the United States, began in 1898. Though there were a great number of causes that built up to this conflict, there were two that were the most immediate and obvious.

The first was the fact that the United States were continually supporting the struggle of Cuba. Three years earlier, a revolt had broken out in Cuba, and guerrilla forces were fighting to take their independence from Spain. Through reporting about Spanish cruelty towards the Cubans, public opinion was directed in support of war with Spain.

The second cause was the explosion and sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor. Though the precise nature of the accident had not been determined, it caused a major political uproar in the US due to the suspicion that Spain was responsible.