PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Before the U.S imperialism in Cuba the US had a strong relationship with Cuba. 50 million dollars worth of Cuban sugar, tobacco, and iron industries were owned by the United States.
The Spanish ruled Cuba and this led to a revolution in 1895. President William McKinley was under an enormous amount of pressure to defend the island. The Spanish Governor-General Valeriano Weyler ordered Cuban men, women, and children into concentration camps. In the camp were 200,000 Cubans, 1/8th of the population died from starvation. In the concentration camp you could not tell civilians from rebels.
- leaders of the Cuban independence movement were American citizens who took no side. They were working in Cuba and were captured by the Spanish.
- Americans began to demand protection from the United States. President Cleveland wanted to stay out of Spanish affairs as did President McKinley. They thought the issue was a “useless sacrifice of human life.”
- President McKinley offered to buy Cuba but his offer was rejected.
- The Spanish Minister Señor Dupuy de Lome,took shots at President McKinley.
- He wrote a letter about McKinley
- Later, Maine, was blown up outside of Cuban capital Havana.
- Congress was demanding that Spain leave Cuba but they did not. War was declared on April 25th, 1898
- Not long after, the Teller Amendment was passed.
- Amendment stated that the United States would leave control of the government to the people of Cuba.
image of The Rough Riders which were composed of 1,250 men, including cowboys, Native Americans and eastern college athletes. The Rough Riders could relate to the Cubans as they had been through the American struggle for freedom.
There was a Platt Amendment created later on, that allowed the United States to intervene in Cuban affairs in order to protect the government.
- Plans were made to improve sanitary conditions and agree to lease territory to the United States.
- Cuba was pressured to add the Platt Amendmant into their constitution.
The United States promised them a treay that granted Cuban sugar aexports access to the United States market.
- The Platt Amendment was ratified on June 12th, 1901.
- This amendment gave the United States the power to intervene in Cuba’s internal affairs and rights to Guantanamo Bay.
U.S imperialism and the U.S stretching from the philippines to cuba
CUBA IS A COUNTRY WHICH HAS BEEN IN DEEP CRISIS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.
