BTHS Rickey Mei

American Studies 10/17/05

Homework # 6

1a) Zinn argues that the U.S. is producing more goods than it could consume therefore it
needs to find a foreign market to buy their goods. This can be done if they had colonies
and they traded their goods to them.

b) By 1898, the Cuban rebels had been fighting the Spanish for 3 years and the
Americans were afraid that they would actually kick the Spanish out before they could
intervene. The U.S. wanted to intervene so that they would have an “open door” policy of
trade with Cuba.

c) There was $100,000,000 worth of American business enterprises in Cuba that is why
they wanted to get the island of Cuba and continue its business growth.

d) The U.S. didn’t want another black republic in the western hemisphere, the first being
Haiti. The rebels were doing a good job of fighting back against Spain and the U.S. was
afraid they might soon win their independence.

e) The Journal of Commerce said: “The Teller amendment… must be interpreted in a

sense somewhat different from that which its author intended it to bear.”

2) Zinn knows that there were “influential newspapers” out there also known as Yellow
Journalism, but he doesn’t think that the president of the U.S. would go to war because
the people want to.