Oshana 1 Zaya Oshana Mr.

Leggett CCP US History 1 October 2013 Spanish-American War The Spanish-American War was a war for the United States that was fought on two major fronts: Cuba and the Philippines. The Spanish American War was a big risk due to the twofronted battle, but led to a large reward in imperializing and expansion. Cuba was a hotspot destined for revolt. First off, there was a revolutionary leader from Cuba was Jose Marti. Marti was exiled from Cuba in 1878 due to his beliefs on becoming independent from Spain. Marti then moved to New York City, where he continued to push for Cubas independence. Cubans eventually rose to revolt with Marti, who decided to join the forces in the battles. Unfortunately, Marti was killed in battle, but eventually was regarded as one of Cubas greatest heroes. Two more people that may have contributed to the wars beginning were William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. These two people owned major newspaper companies, and just like any businessman, their goal was to maximize profit. This lead to the concept of yellow journalism: the revealing of shocking stories about specific topics. In their instance, the topic was Cuba. These stories spread the word on what was going on in Cuba, most of which were biased. One of the most popular publications was of the de Lme letter. This letter was written by Enrique Dupey, the Spanish minister to the United States. The letter was received by a Cuban spy, who ended up selling it to Hearst. Hearst did not hesitate to publish this letter. The letter called President McKinley weak and catering to the rabble which outraged

Oshana 2 Americans. All in all, the two journalists ended up profiting from the idea of yellow journalism, as well as possibly fueling the Spanish-American War. The United States strategy of taking over Cuba was to capture the port of Santiago. The Rough Riders, a group organized by Theodore Roosevelt, were adventurous individuals who fought the battles in the Spanish-American War in Cuba. The Battle of San Juan Hill was the major turning point in the American victory in Cuba. Shortly after the battle, Spain surrendered Cuba to the United States. The United States ended up victorious on the Cuban front. War did not only break out in Cuba, but also in the Philippines Commodore George Dewey was assigned the task from Theodore Roosevelt to attack the Spanish fleet in the Philippines if war broke out between Spain and the United States. Soon after war was declared, Dewey sailed into the Philippines and battled the Spanish forces. After a few hours, the United States had won a decisive battle. Soon after defeating the naval forces of Spain, Dewey devised a plan to attack the capital of Manila. Dewey also met Emilio Aguinaldo, a rebel army leader of Filipino patriots. The two teamed up to capture Manila and force a Spanish surrender in the Philippines. The American forces ended up victorious in the Philippines as well. In conclusion, the American forces were victorious in their two-front war in Cuba and the Philippines. The war was devastating on the Spanish side, but was a very large win on the American side. This victory allowed for the United States to expand and imperialize, turning the United States into a world power.