Spanish American War and Panama Crisis

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Spanish-American war * In Cuba, then a Spanish colony, angry nationalists known as the insurrectos began a revolt against the ruling Spanish colonial regime. When Spain sent in General "Butcher" Weyler to stabilize the situation in Cuba, he put much of the population in concentration camps. The US, which had many businessmen with investment interests in Cuba, became concerned. * In 1898, the US dispatched the USS Maine on a "friendly" mission to Cuba. The ship was to wait, ready to rescue US citizens who might be endangered by the conflict in Cuba. On February 15, 1898 the Maine mysteriously blew up. Following day, the US declared war. * The US defeated the Spanish with relatively little difficulty. On December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the war. The US liberated Cuba, and got Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines as colonies for itself. * In 1901, before leaving, the US forced the Cubans to insert the Platt Amendment into their constitution, which gave the US a military base on the island (Guantanamo). Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines all became American protectorates. Panama Crisis * Theodore Roosevelt, who became president of the United States in 1901, believed that a U.S.-controlled canal across Central America was a vital strategic interest to the U.S. * The Panama Canal would shorten the distance that ships had to travel to pass between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The canal would permit shippers of commercial goods, ranging from automobiles to grain, to save time and money by transporting cargo more quickly. * Failed negotiations with Colombia, which owned Panama, led to the U.S. providing funds and a naval blockade in support of Panama's revolution. In a controversial move, Roosevelt implied to Panamanian rebels that if they revolted, the U.S. Navy would assist their cause for independence.
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