Notes February 1st; 5th Period

In 1895 Cubans revolted against Spain and destroyed much of the island
-spanish response was brutal
-The American press inflamed US public opinion against the Spanish Military leader in Cuba calling him "Butcher" Weyler
-William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer's New York World kept Americans aware of Spanish atrocities
-when riots broke out in Havana in late 1897, McKinley ordered the USS Maine
-On April 9, 1898, Spain accepted all but the last term and on April 11th McKinley asked Congress for a Declaration of War. Congress declared War April 14th and April 24th Spain declared War on the US
-known as the splendid little war, the Spanish American War began in April and ended in August
-fewer than 500 were killed or wounded
-naval superioroity was main reason for victory
-a US Naval Fleet under George Dewey routed a Spanish fleet in the Philippines
-on land the US was less prepared
-poorly equipped, trained and fed
-America did not work well with the Cubans who to the America's were predominantly black
-Even so, Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders earned their reputations in this War
-the key role of US negro calvaries in clearing the way for the Rough Riders was long overlooked
-NAVY->on July 3rd the Spanish Fleet tried to run from Cuba and was destroyed by Navy
-Spains army in Cuba surrendered on July 16th and on July 18th Spain asked for peace
-before an aristice was reached the US had occupied Puerto Rico in the Caribbean and captured Manila in the Phillipines
-Armistice required Spain to:
-give up its claims to Cuba
-give Puerto Rico and Guam (in the Pacific) to the US
-tolerate US occupation of Manila until a peace treay was worked out
-at the peace conference, the US demanded that Spain give the Philippines to the US
-Spain reluctantly agreed to do so for $20 Million
-the Treaty of Paris formally ended the war on December 10, 1898
-the US becomes a world power
-imperialists made many arguments in support of the US as a world power
-patriotism and glory of anexation
-profits from trade
-access to natural resources and raw materials
-new converts to protestant christianity
-the Philippines were not ready to govern themselves and Germany might have taken over
-from war US acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines
-After the war, Hawaii was annexed and in 1900 US citizenship was granted to Hawaiians
-couldn't decide what to do with the Philippines anti-imperialists argued
-taking over would violate America's belief in the "consent of the governed," right to independence and self government
-annexation would get US too deeply into Asian affairs
-the Philippines would compete with other US sugar growers
-Philippines would flock to US as immigrants
-economic costs would out-weigh the benefits
-the US Senate narrowly approved the Treay of Paris
-US ignored leaders of anti-colonial movement in Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo for independence
-a long brutal, dirty war broke out between the US and the Philippines
-eventually the resistance was broken and the Philippines were placed under an American Governor and administered like a colony
-William Howard Taft was the first American Governor
-Taft sponsored a program of public works->roads, bridges, schools
-he transferred some government functions to Philippine control
-we claim to be getting the Philippines ready for independence but independence isn't granted until 1946
-controlling Cuba and Puerto Rico
-in 1900 Cuba convened a constitutional convention
-in 1901, Congress passed what is known as the Platt Amendment setting 3 conditions for Cuban independence
-Cuba would make no treates with foreign powers
-the US would have broad authority to intervene in Cuban political and economic affairs
-Cuba would sell or lease land to the US for naval stations (Guantanamo Bay)
-Cuba reluctantly wrote these Platt conditions into its constitution
-Puerto Rico was annexed outright in the Foraker Act of 1900
-Puerto Ricans were not made US citizens
-it was an "unincorporated territor" with Congress empowered to dictate its government and citizen's rights
-Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship in 1917 and won the right to elect governor in 1947
-open door policy was a diplomatic strategy to open up China's markets to US products at a time when the US feared that other countries-> Britain, Germany, Japan, Russia, and France-> would block our access to China's markets
-Secretary of State, John Hay, sent "open door" notes to the major world powers as King each to open their spheres of influence in China to merchants of the other nations
-the notes also asked each to grant reasonable harbor fees and Railroad rates
-the open door notes asked each power to respect China's sovereignty by enforcing Chinese Tariff duties
-the response was underwhelming, sort of an "I will if you will"
-a second round of open door was sent after the US led the way in crushing China's Boxer Rebellion which had tried to rid China of foreigners and foreign influences
-the 2nd round asked each power to respect China's political independence and territorial integrity