The Spanish-American War is a controversial topic in American History, then and now. At the time it was seen by many as the result of the ambitions of a handful of men (Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, John Hay, Elihu Root, and Alfred T. Mahan) and their shared vision of America as a world power to be reckoned with, while it was seen by others as the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny and the natural or divine role of the United States of America in the world at large. Both camps could and did subscribe to the observation of the historian Frederick Jackson Turner that America's rise to power and influence was due to the frontier that had always attracted explorers and pioneers, settlers and entrepreneurs. The question was, however, with the frontier gone, what would happen to the United States of America? Would it enter into the world through the efforts of a few or would it emerge as a major power as a matter of course? Was America to be the consequence of ambition or of destiny?
Discuss the circumstances, persons, and consequences of the Spanish-America War with regard to the concepts of ambition and destiny. To what extent was America's future determined by the desires of a few men or the natural course of its own sense of destiny?
Make use of the links I have provided on Edmodo regarding the Spanish-American War (uploaded Jan. 30, 2013 to APUSH), especially the PBS video Crucible of Empire and its accompanying webiste, to formulate your response.
DUE DATE: Monday, February 4, 2013 by midnight
WORD COUNT: 500 words minimum
RHETORICAL DEVICES: make sure you identify at least five rhetorical devices that you use in your own writing by identifying them by name in parentheses after each example.
56 comments:
As America neared the late 1800s, its increasing success and prosperity in industry, economics, and technology resulted in a dramatic rise of national energy. Soon, this build-up revived the necessity of expansion to a “new frontier,” as explained by Frederick Jackson Turner. First, the war between Spain and America during this age generated unique situations overall characterized by determined motives; second, perspectives and actions on events that surfaced during the war molded the images of particular people; third, the aftermath of the war led to the implications of important measures in order to secure the nation’s many interests and views. Therefore, because of circumstances, persons, and consequences, the future of the United States was, to a large extent, determined by ambitious desires, while on the other hand, the proposition that the country’s fate was simply following history’s natural course is simultaneously true to a limited extent.
What occurred during the Spanish-American War from June to July of 1898 exposed the new natures of many. In this point in history, the nations of the world were involved in a fierce imperial race, each country trying to outdo the other in colonizing lands to add to their growing empires. The annexation of Hawaii near the close of the Spanish-American War is a good example of the new behavior of the American federal government. Not wanting the desirable Hawaiian Islands to be claimed by another nation while they finished up with the Philippines (America could utilize the Pacific group of islands as a valuable refueling station for when they voyaged further westward) [parenthesis], President McKinley pushed for annexation, to which both the Senate and the House agreed. As if this desire to keep Hawaii’s resources for themselves didn’t justify the new ambitious character of the government, the conditions under which it was annexed did. Unlike the annexation of other areas like Texas and California, Hawaii had to give up all rights of sovereignty and turn over everything they owned to the U.S. Furthermore, having relinquished all their dominion, Hawaii was made into a territory, not a state, as if it was “uncivilized and unsettled” and only to be colonized [polysyndeton], which demonstrated the tremendous shift of the government’s behavior when it came to acquiring new lands. On the other hand, an example of “destiny” can be seen in the Cuban revolt of 1895. When high taxes were forced upon Cuba’s cash crop of sugar, rebels among the island’s population rose up in protest, an occurrence that was essentially inevitable. With tough circumstances threatening their very lifestyles, the Cubans’ rebellion was going to happen, and was only the natural course of history, as reinforced by the closely similar situation of the American colonists who rose up for change against British taxes.
Certain people displayed much ambition during the Spanish-American War, three of whom were William Randolph Hearst, President William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt. For William Randolph Hearst, ambitious desire came in the form of journal circulation. Engaged in tight competition with other journalist Joseph Pulitzer, Hearst exaggerated and twisted and formulated [polysyndeton] injustices that allegedly went on in Spanish-controlled Cuba in order to sell more of his “yellow journalism” papers. Not only that, but Hearst also published an intercepted, private letter from a Spanish ambassador that insulted the American president McKinley. With such “sensational” stories to promote the circulation of his journal against Pulitzer’s, Hearst, in a sense, ultimately conjured up the Spanish-American War through his narrow outlooks that displayed Spain as the cruel perpetrator of unmerited crimes. As for McKinley, his actions were characterized mainly by ambition but were also shaped by the natural course of America’s destiny. McKinley, while not favoring war with Spain, “wanted things only war would give him,” which was a Cuba that was not managed by Spain, a Cuba that was not completely independent, and a Cuba that was not without some U.S. control [anaphora]. He also didn’t want to jeopardize his chances for the 1900 presidential election by seeming irresolute, and later after the war, his push for the annexation of Hawaii was also tainted by the ambition of keeping the islands from a possibly interested Japan. On the other hand, destiny’s role in this can be pulled from McKinley’s decision to officially war with Spain, to which the prospect of war became inescapable due to the tense circumstances that had taken place up to that point as well as Spain’s untrustworthy reputation that also drove McKinley to the measure. Lastly, Theodore Roosevelt’s strong perspective was composed of both ambitious and “destined” factors. Believing that the U.S. had to war with Spain in order to become a world power, he held on to the idea that the Spanish-American War was meant to be because it was what the American nation needed.
Finally, the consequences of the Spanish-American War were steered by national reactions. In 1899 when the Filipinos rebelled after not being granted their freedom (as they had expected), the United States used aggressive military force against the rebels to put them back into their place, shedding light on the harsh, ironic reality that although the United States had “liberated” the Philippines from Spanish rule, their reign over the group of islands was “no less oppressive” than that of Spain. Another consequence of the war was the Open Door policy pertaining to China, created in 1899 by Secretary of State John Hay in an attempt to help protect American interests in China when Germany and Russia began to take valuable footholds there for themselves. The Open Door note stated that all the powers of the world would respect fair competition and certain Chinese rights when it came to their own “spheres of influence” in China, and thus American monopolies and investments were secured. Post-Spanish-American War annexations especially set forth a theme of ambition that came not from a few men, but from the nation. In the annexation of the Philippines, American missionaries and merchants wanted the personal gains that came from taking the entire group of islands. Puerto Rico and Guam were also acquired by America, and were added to what looked a lot like a new American empire. With the sudden shift of the nation’s direction, how far would America continue to go in order to achieve the “new frontiers” they so desperately needed? [rhetorical question]
Olivia Brophy
Per. 3 & 4
Pt. 1
As the United States neared the opening of the twentieth century, the nation underwent dramatic changes, such as urbanization, huge numbers of immigration and industrialization. These elements, coupled with the official closing of the Western frontier, inspired Frederick Jackson Turner’s assertion that the country should look for a new frontier. First, the Spanish American War in 1898 was a war which allowed the United States to begin its search for a new frontier, largely through actions which appeared to be predetermined; Second, specific people played a large part in both encouraging and fixing the outcome of the war, both knowingly and unknowingly; Third, the outcome of this war for the United States solidifies the claim that the conflict was based more on American ambition than on destiny. Thus, the events leading up to the war, the people who played integral parts in it’s outbreak or outcome and the consequences of the conflict all point towards American ambition rather than American destiny in regards to the United States after the Spanish American War.
Olivia Brophy
Pt. 2
When Cuban rebels began their conquest for freedom from Spanish rule in 1895, American businessmen and traders began to worry about the security of their investments on the island. Millions upon millions of dollars went into and out of Cuba every year, and an uprising could upset the cash flow for American looking for profit. The majority of this business and trade was centered in sugar, as some of Cuba’s sugar plantations and mills were owned by Americans. A revolution, whether it was successful or not, could upset the trade environment by temporarily halting trade, substantially reducing trade or permanently ending trade [parallel structure], with or without prior warning. If any of these possibilities occurred, businesses could suffer huge losses. It is doubtful that these businessmen would have taken a cut to their profit lying down. Had Cuba not been a possession of Spain at the time of it’s rebellion, the United States, wanting to protect the business interests on the island, probably would have accepted it’s voluntary annexation, and would have treated it much the same as they later treated Hawaii, annexing the island purely for profit. Hand in hand with the desire to preserve American profits coming from Cuba was the yellow journalism of the time that focused on Cuba. Spanish tactics to try and keep rebels under control were exaggerated through “yellow journalism” in order to sell more newspapers. While some tactics, such as “Butcher” Weyler’s reconcentration (also known as relocation or concentration) [parenthesis] camps were, in fact, as brutal as reported, other hard hitting stories lacked crucial information or were manufactured based on hearsay or conjured up completely by journalists and/or newspaper owners. One example of the omission of crucial details was a story about male (in actuality, female) [parenthesis] Spanish customs officials essentially manhandling American women before they were allowed to enter the island. Although most of these stories were only made up as part of a newspaper war between William Randolph Hearst of the New York Journal and Joseph Pullitzer of the New York World, they also, probably unintentionally, helped to garner massive amounts of of public support for a war with Spain. This support rose to new levels in 1898, when newspaper headlines screamed foul play in regards to the sinking of the battleship Maine in the harbor in Havana. Before the hubbub of activity over protecting businesses based in Cuba and the controversy started by yellow journalism, the American public had been touched by the effort of the Cuban rebels to stave off their Spanish oppressors, most likely because of the struggle for independence that colonial Americans had faced with the British. It seems that in the events leading up to the war are closely related to the belief that the Spanish American War were caused by ambition. This is because of the early concern over American business in Cuba and the yellow journalism that helped to promote the war to the American public. Businesses would undoubtedly go to war to protect the flow of income from Cuba. Likewise, the yellow journalism used by Pullitzer and Hearst to produce sensationalist headlines about the Cuban conflict proved to be enormously profitable for them.
Olivia Brophy
Pt. 3
The beliefs and actions of individuals in regards to the Spanish American War were usually, though not always, steeped in ambition. Frederick Jackson Turner’s “The Significance of the Frontier in American History, although not intended to bring about a war, or the birth of American Imperialism, played an important part in doing both [personification]. By making a point to indicate that the frontier need not be considered closed if the United States would expand upon its beliefs about Manifest Destiny and push the frontier off of the North American continent, Turner opened up the American mind to a previously unheard and unthought of idea which would come to be a central American value for many years to come. This idea, which basically called the entire world America’s frontier, would cultivate the newfound imperialistic nature of the United States. Also, naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, after studying and writing two books on naval history by 1892, came to the conclusion that a large, powerful navy was the key to controlling the world. Mahan’s books were popular among intellectuals, and more importantly, politicians, who saw Mahan’s discovery as an important step towards possibly alleviating, if not curing, both America’s economic hardship and its struggle to deal with historian Frederick Jackson Turner’s assertion that the American frontier’s closure have drastic effects on the United States. Additionally, Theodore Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1898 (he resigned to fight in Cuba) [parenthesis], had a huge part to play in expanding the Spanish American war past the limits of the Caribbean, and but extension expanding American power far past the limits of the North American continent. Seeing as he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, it is conceivable that Theodore Roosevelt strongly agreed with Alfred T. Mahan’s belief that the right type of navy could lead to world domination, and took it upon himself to make that assertion a reality. When war seemed imminent, Roosevelt sent a message to the naval force stationed in Hong Kong instructing them to take down the Spanish fleet in the Philippine Islands, should war be declared. It was said that the devil seemed to possess Roosevelt when he was dealing with this matter, suggesting that he did not necessarily have the country’s best interest at heart, and instead was on an extravagant expedition to elevate [alliteration] the United States in the eyes of the world. In regards to the debate over ambition versus destiny, it appears as though ambitious individuals, especially those, like Teddy Roosevelt who were involved in politics, and justified their actions upon the teachings, writings and musings of those who believed that with enough encouragement, the United States was destined for greatness. Thus, the ambitious actions of people and the beliefs of others that the country was going to simply become great were fairly balanced.
Olivia Brophy
Pt. 4
Consequences of the Spanish American War which had a significant impact on the United States include Cuba’s pseudo-freedom, the annexation of the Philippines and Puerto Rico to the United States and America’s general new imperialistic nature. In order to give Cuba a minimal guarantee of freedom, the United States was, it seems, forced to exercise control over the island. Otherwise, it feared that a country like Germany, thirsting to prove itself [personification], might destroy all the work that the Americans and Cubans had done to liberate Cuba. However, the Cubans did not see eye to eye with the U.S. government on this issue, and resented America for intervening more than they believed was necessary. This resentment was especially prevalent towards the Platt Amendment to Cuba’s constitution, which gave the United States and unprecedented amount of influence over the Cuban government. The annexation of the Philippines and Puerto Rico, as well as Hawaii, after the end of the Spanish American war opened a new chapter of American history. Unlike previous annexations, such as those of Texas and California, the annexation of these three island nations was not one of leniency and understanding. Previous forms of government were scrapped in favor of the American way, and the United States government provided services which both benefited the inhabitants of the different islands by improving their way of life, but also worked to try and get rid of old ways in favor of being “Americanized”. These examples of consequences of the Spanish American War are all solid indicators that the war was one that was based on and that resulted in American ambition and it’s explosive growth in the world. Is it really possible that the events surrounding and resulting from and the involvement of certain people in the Spanish American War were all based on destiny and fate, or does the above evidence and analysis provide sufficient support for the assertion that the conflict was steeped in ambition? [rhetorical question]
Epitomized by historian Frederick Jackson Turner’s The Significance of the Frontier in American History, the official closing of the western frontier in 1890 marked a turning point in American history. The pioneering nation now had a choice to make (personification) it could either find a new outlet for its energy or allow that energy to consume it. Provoked by pure ambition, the Spanish-American War of 1898 answered that enigma with a resounding cry of American imperialism that would send shockwaves throughout the world as the twentieth century dawned.
In a tradition begun by the Founding Fathers, the definitive moments in American history have been brought about by unadulterated ambition and determination. With the west no longer an option for this combined initiative, the actions of a chosen few precipitated the war that would establish the United States as the world power it is today. With millions of dollars invested in resource rich Cuba, the heavy hitters of American politics and business were not about to stand by as this underdog island mounted a revolt against their Spanish colonizers. America stood to gain a lot in more ways than one should Cuba become an independent entity. The dreamed of passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific was becoming more of a reality every day and it was often said that whoever controlled Cuba also controlled the Gulf of Mexico. Many were eager to rush into war with Spain, but many were eager to avoid such controversial conflict (anaphora, alliteration).
A noteworthy impetus of the Spanish-American War was the emergence of “yellow journalism” exemplified in the competition between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. In their ambition to sell, these newspaper tycoons created sensationalized and sometimes even fictionalized new stories that often served as political propaganda. By fomenting the nation into a state of mass hysteria and indignation Hearst and Pulitzer made the issue of Cuba one that couldn’t be ignored. The straw that broke the camel’s back (allusion) came in 1898 when the US battleship Maine exploded in Havana harbor. The punchy rumor spread through Hearst’s thrilling headlines that the Spanish were responsible- in 1976 the navy finally admitted that the explosion was accidental- and America went willingly into war (parenthesis).
Three months later, the United States emerged victorious having secured strong ties with a semi-independent Cuba and procuring colonial authority over Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. An icon of this time, Theodore Roosevelt’s singular ambition shaped the course of history for the United States by making the country decidedly imperialistic. With nearly no thought towards the carefully implemented checks and balances of the federal government, Roosevelt truly lived by his motto “speak softly and carry a big stick.” His irreverent drive saw the construction of the Panama Canal with almost no thought towards the Monroe Doctrine or the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty. A sudden flare-up of conflict between Russia and Japan in 1904 prompted Roosevelt to become a Henry Clay for the world, a brash move that typifies the newly emerging American sentiment of superiority.
With no more western land available, America began to view the entire world as its new frontier. The uncompromising visions of men like William Randolph Hearst and Theodore Roosevelt, coupled with the US victory in the three month conflict that has come to be called a war, set the nation on an entirely new and imperialistic course that would change the world forever.
Beckett Lee
Periods 3 & 4
America in the time of the Spanish-American War was finalizing the identity that would determine its destiny throughout the course of the 20th century. How America would deal with foreign threats to its shores and its people would be determined by the actions of the men and women that shaped America’s destiny in these crucial years. First, the state of affairs in which America existed at this time was shaped by its quest for destiny throughout the century; second, the ambition of the people who lived during this time would be a catalyst for the formation of America’s self-ordained crusade for global justice; third, the outcome of the Spanish-American War would be a mandate to the people of America that they had a date with fate to bring the American way to the world. All of these aspects synthesized the will of the few with the dreams of the many and made America a growing power on the world stage.
America in the 19th century was in a constant search for a purpose. The formulation of its standing principles would be defined with its territorial growth, and political expansion, and military actions, and self-destruction, and reunification, and its pure Americanization as we know it today (Polysyndeton). As America faced each of these trials it developed its sense of identity. Manifest Destiny showed Americans that they must expand, the Civil War defined their sense of liberty, the political corruption of the Gilded Age demonstrated what corruption must be eradicated and what progress must be preserved (Asyndeton). By the turn of the century, America had faced so many trials that it finally combined them all into America’s final purpose: To spread the American ideals of progress, freedom, and democracy around the world while rooting out any corruption that might threaten liberty and justice.
The destiny of America, as defined by the struggles it had faced in the 19th century, was passed down to certain powerful individuals who took America’s destiny as a personal mission to the will of the nation as each person saw it. This personal ambition was a prevailing catalyst that allowed these influential men to synthesize the will of the people toward fulfilling America’s destiny. Theodore Roosevelt was one of these men. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he conceived of ways to use the U.S. Navy to demonstrate that America was a global power. He knew that if America could show dominance of the seas, it could replicate Great Britain’s influence throughout the world. This would allow America to spread its message of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. During his presidency, Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet around the world to show that the enormous planet was rather small (Antiphrasis). Alfred T. Mahan had a similar worldview. He also believed that a powerful navy was the way to demonstrate America’s might. He studied the history of the British Navy, the Spanish Navy, and the Greek and Roman navies, and saw that whoever takes the seas takes the world. Knowing that America must one day fulfill its destiny, he wrote several books demonstrating why sea power would lead to American global power.
The Spanish-American War and its incredibly successful execution and outcome resulted in the knowledge that American dominance was the future. It became clear that American ideals and complete control and command of the seas would coalesce into a unified strike that would win the hearts and minds of the world (Alliteration). With such a quick and utter victory over a European nation that had once controlled most of the New World, American competition with the European nations for idealistic dominance became the goal of the century and Americans became a people proud (Hyperbaton). America now had the power of both ambition and destiny to fuel its ascent to the position of Global Superpower which it has attained today.
The Spanish American War lasted 5 months, from April to August. A couple of questions that people may be asking are: what was the cause of the Spanish American war, who were some key players and their opinions on the war, how does the war relate to the destiny of the U.S.
There were a number of events that caused the war, first, was the horrible treatment of the Cubans by the Spaniards, second, was the destruction of the USS navy ship Maine, third, was the southerners wanting Cuba in order to increase farming and production. The fact that the Cubans were being treated so poorly by the Spaniards made the Cubans decide to revolt and hope that the outcome would allow them freedom from Spain. The revolts had nothing to do with the U.S but the sinking of an American Navy ship, the USS Maine, did. Believing that Spain was the one who sank the ship was what sparked America’s choice to get involved in fighting Spain. With the Southerners wanting to take over Cuba, in part to get access to the Panama Canal, the U.S had even more of a reason to go to war.
Some of the major figures during this time were: Joseph Pulitzer, Randolph Hearst, Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley. Joseph Pulitzer was a Yellow Journalism writer along with Randolph Hearst. A yellow journalism writer was someone who wrote things that were not necessarily the truth and yet not necessarily a lie. Pulitzer and Hearst were the owners of two major newspapers. They frequently wrote on topics to compete with each other to see who had the better ideas and got the most readers which in turn meant the most money in sales. They both ended up creating a Frenzy in the people of the U.S by telling everyone that supposedly Spain was mistreating the women of Cuba and everyone else there. Theodore Roosevelt was the assistant secretary of the Navy at this time and was unhappy about hearing these things as well. In one of his statements he said “The white livered occupant of the white house does not have the backbone of a chocolate éclair.” William McKinley was the president during this time and was opposed to the idea of going to war with Spain. Though having everyone in a riot and getting challenged by the U.S Navy he didn’t have much of a choice and was almost forced to go into war.
How does this war relate to the destiny of the U.S? This war was just one of the many battles that furthered the U.S in its great strive for power. The U.S was destined to become a great world power, but only through the ambitions of our government and military. Throughout all of American history we have fought battles that were meant to aide others and ourselves. By helping others we made deals with, we were not only allowing our military to become more advanced, but we were becoming a bigger country and greater world power. We were able to grow and become more advance through the help of our allies, our confidence and our ambitions to become that greater power.
This war was about the U.S wanting to avenge the destruction of their military ship the USS Maine, to help the Cubans who were being mistreated by the Spaniards, the push that the American people put on the president, as well as our governments ambition to grow stronger and bigger. The United States involvement in the Spanish-American war, helped make our country the great nation it is today.
By the late 19th century, Americans had moved west, and civilized what was left of the frontier. Many Americans believed the only way to grow was to expand into the world and become a greater nation. There were several key factors influencing the path the United States was following; first, Americans were pushing for war; second, tension was building between the US and Spain; finally, the US’s economy was growing too large. Therefore, to a large extent, for social, political, and economic reasons the future of America was being determined by a few men, but to an equal (IF NOT GREATER) extent the country was being forced by its own destiny.
During the Spanish-American War of 1898, a variety of influential factors initiated the war’s arrival, from key characters such as Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph Pulitzer, to the masses of the American people. Through these factors was the Spanish-American War accepted by both the U.S. government and the people as media aroused the call. With the destruction of the battleship Maine the second commissioned battleship of the navy, (apposition) this war revolved around a mix of political and social issues supporting punishment, including: the pursuit to expand by many politicians (including Theodore Roosevelt), the power of the media and its influence on the American people, and the expansionist feeling of America since the West was opened up. With these factors brought the causes, and with America’s power, an end (antithesis).
Before the thought of war Spain was conceived, American boundaries were finding small progress in their never-ending attempts to expand since the mid 1840s. The Western territories were now within U.S. borders, but the feeling of” Manifest Destiny” still presided within many Americans (most of which had considered moving into the big cities instead of rural homes during the 1890s). With a war that could expand the nations reach over the world, a war with a militarily insignificant nation like Spain was an easy opportunity. Such feelings were within many politicians including Theodore Roosevelt, whose generation yearned to experience pride from experience of expansion. This urge to embrace Manifest Destiny was again taking hold of the people as it had for decades. The Democratic Party was all in on taking Cuba from Spain and having a war as they followed Roosevelt, including Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, but not without opposition from the Republican president William McKinley. Unlike Roosevelt and his allies, McKinley did not support war since he had experienced it fighting in the gore of the Civil War almost three decades ago. However, he did wish for U.S. expansion and control, and ultimately yielded to declaring war with Spain. Political differences can be seen as not a powerful divider between parties during this time period, and ultimately most agreed upon it. The constant drive to expand had not diminished from the citizens of America, just like it had brought mass movements decades ago.
The reason the Spanish-American War became reality is through the media as it rose like a powerful wave onto the people with the growth of newspaper publishers (simile). When Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst began to run their own newspaper publishers (Pulitzer and the New York World and Hearst with San Francisco Examiner, then later the New York Morning Journal) in the mid-1890s, a form of journalism arose called “yellow” journalism arose that portrayed stories in an amplified and scandalous way that attracted thousands of readers all over the U.S. thanks to railroads. Through “yellow” journalism was the destruction of the Maine battleship, and the concentration camps in Cuba exaggerated and seen as sabotage by Spain. This shows that through journalism, the heart of the people became concern for Cuba, and wished for military action. The media would become an important tool for influencing the people, even if false. The work of Pulitzer and Hearst literally caused a war and sparked a wave of people calling for change with the literal spark of a few powder kegs.
War with Spain was the result of many important events and people’s decisions, as a local newspaper created passion, passion that lifted Cuba from Spain’s grasp as it was read (anadiplosis and metaphor). For political and social reasons were many captivated to see innocent Spain destroyed as imperialistic and expansionist feelings flared. Through the end of the nineteenth-century was the rise of a new side of America and its stand as a world power to the rest of the world.
Part 1
During the late 1800's, the United States declared war on Spain and ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris during that same year. At that time, it was presented as either the result of the fusion of several men with similar viewpoints of American world power influences, such as Henry Cabot Lodge, Teddy Roosevelt, John Hay, Alfred T. Mahan, and Elihu Root. It was true that Frederick Jackson Turner's evaluation that America's true influential rise to power was that of the frontier attracting a variety of settlers looking for a fresh start, but the fate of America was more dependent on, not Manifest Destiny, but the collective efforts of multiple influential people and events. First, the Spanish-American War held circumstances that inspired a re-evaluation of the army due to the obstruction of the Western frontier; second, the new available territory was promising for markets, military infrastructure, and repercussions overseas, and only reached multiple regions of the world because diversified persons believed in the idea of Manifest Destiny; and third, as American leadership spread throughout those territories, the consequences of the Spanish American War led to the nation questioning its role as the dominant world power. Therefore, due to these circumstances, persons, and consequences of the Spanish-American War, the aftermath was a great cumulative production predicated upon ambition more so than any ideals of an unstoppable fortune. First, the Spanish-American War had many occurrences which inspired the re-evaluation of the military due to Western frontier impediments. For example, Alfred T. Mahan backed the revival of Manifest Destiny and significantly shaped the armies of America by using imperialism and firmly having faith that countries with greater naval power will have an even greater worldwide impact. Not only that, but the end of the frontier, there was much panic among everyone; hence it was essential for the appearance of the United States just before the 1898 War transpired. These events, these prolonged moments, these perpetual sequences of cause and effect (AMPLIFICATION). This war was considered one of the first “media wars”; this journalism of the 1890’s would also come to be known as “yellow journalism”. A man named William Randolph Hearst (in addition to Joseph Pulitzer) who was a new editor of The New York Journal at the time recognized that a war with Spain over Cuba could finally bring him the notoriety he felt was justified. As he made absolutely sure that Spain took the blame for the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine.
Part 2
Thus, as an intentional result of the war and the effect that both the media and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1898, establishing Cuban independence and purchase of the Philippines for 20 million dollars (the United States had then been enlisted into the ranks of the European imperial powers, urging the change in American policies-such as the reinterpretation of the Monroe Doctrine) (PARENTHESIS). Second, the new available territory was promising for markets, military organizations, and ramifications overseas. It only reached multiple regions of the world because diversified persons actually believed in the idea of Manifest Destiny. Americans saw the spread of territory with their own eyes (PLEONASM), and for something that was merely created through sheer determination for conquest. This was referred to as Manifest Destiny, which was the idea that America, being the “city upon a hill” as stated by the Puritans, had a divine right to stretch their noble presence across the Pacific. The new territory provided was entirely intentional, and President William McKinley played a part in the Cuban rebellion resolution by agreeing to the Treaty of Paris after Congress declared war on Spain. Theodore Roosevelt and John Jay were two other people that influenced the outcome of this new America. After serving in the United States Volunteer Cavalry known as the Rough Riders, Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York State, so in order for him to not be required there anymore, Thomas C. Platt put him as McKinley’s running mate. While John Hay was named Secretary of State in 1898, helping to exchange thoughts on the finalization of the Treaty of Paris, which included the implementation of the open door policy in China, and is known for his description of the Spanish American War as a “splendid little war” to Roosevelt. The concluding outcome according to Congress should be made larger territory, more territory, and militarily superior territory (EPISTROPHE). And third, as American administration spread throughout those territories, the penalties of the Spanish American War led to the nation questioning its role as the governing world authority. For instance, the music of the late 1890’s played a substantial role in the war, assembling many Americans for its cause. Songwriters had much the same effect that yellow journalism did at that time. Songs that explained battles won such as Brave Dewey (an admiral that aided other generals in the Spanish-American War) (PARENTHESIS) and The Charge of the Roosevelt Riders emphasized the proud sentiment that was already being conveyed by Americans themselves only increased positive hype.
Part 3
Also, as the United States emerged victorious from the war, we began to spread our economic dominance across the seas. We were constantly searching for new markets and materials, and the navy continued to go on explorations for coaling stations as industrialism spread further than it ever had before. Due to these conditions, individuals, and penalties of the Spanish-American War and the shared energies of all of these effects, America’s future was unequivocally determined by the desires of several men and the nation’s belief in a “destiny” that could not exist without their determination. Will America continue this sequence of destiny and resolve? (RHETORICAL QUESTION) It all depends on a combination of the two.
All blog entries after this point are quite late.
The late nineteenth century was a time of booming advance in American history, industrial, agricultural, technological, and social, but with the previously limitless frontier now only a memory, could the nation sustain itself? As explained by Fredrick Jackson Turner at the Chicago Exposition, Americans needed a frontier. Firstly the Spanish American war of 1898 was a period that was inspired and allowed Americans to expand their search into a proverbial manifest destiny; secondly certain specific individuals of the decade had a major influence on the lives of the Americans; thirdly the imperialist ambition of the American people shone through to define the real nature of the conflict. These aspects transpired to form the future of the United States through ambition, not through some predetermined destiny or coincidence. What other force could drive men to conqueror the world? (Rhetorical Question)
Although Cuba was owned by the Spanish at the time, millions of dollars worth of trade fluctuated on the existence of sugar production on the islands, as even American corporations owned plantations on the island. However in 1895 Cuban nationals began to spark a revolutionary fervor in the nation, the consequence of which could lead to a disaster for many well of Americans, the plantations and their trade could be halted, or their ties many be permanently disrupted. The island itself had wished to give itself up to American for annexation, but due to America’s ties with Spain, and its wishes against war at the time Congress did not accept their wish like they had with Hawaii. As such America would mostly likely never had interfered with the islands if it was not for the meddling and so called reporting of the yellow journalism that ran rampant through the continent. Stories were over dramatized, or in some cases fabricated in a ploy for newspaper sales between two rivaling New York newspapers. The work of Hearst and Pulitzer was born from a twisted, manipulated, and altered play on the truth. (Polysyndeton) Although there were many atrocities caused by the Spanish during the period of the revolution, such as the concentration camps or the harassment of American women by Spanish officials, the newspapers brought these actions into the mind sets of the American people. But when headlines screamed out of a Spanish attack on an American vessel, leading to the death of over 200 Americans, the people would scream out for retribution with American military involvement. The war and American involvement in this theater was not purely due to destiny or fate, but instead due to the ambition of the people, and their will to fight and redeem their country.
Many influential and rich Americans had valuable ties to the Cuban islands and their sugar plantations; as such they feared that without American involvement in the Cuban revolution they would lose the source of their income. In an effort to become a nationally acclaimed newspaper, two corporations lead a literary crusade that would push the population into a war. Fredrick Jackson Turners speech gave the idea that although the west could no longer be settled; the rest of the world was now open, planting the ideas of imperialism in the hearts and minds of the citizens. American admiral Alfred Mahan was affected by this speech, and through extensive study, he discovered that with a large, powerful navy the world would ripe for the conquering. Assistant secretary to the navy, Theodore Roosevelt, took and worked to expand the power of America far beyond just the continent. He went and took the ideas of Mahan and turned them into action. Therefore due to the ambition of several individuals, the imperialist ways of the nation became a reality.
Many nations were setting out to create an empire, but only a few had the means. (antithesis) At first the American people were seen as liberators, American marines landed in Cuba and the Philippines, but soon they were seen with dismay. The Americans had absorbed the islands under the guise of a liberating force, but they took these islands, at least temporarily, with imperialist goals. The cases of Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines were not similar to other land acquisitions like that in Texas or California; the United States only used the islands for what they could gain rather than ruling with the consent of the governed. Why would the native people distrust their invaders?(Apophasis) The American idea maintained the islands and they benefited from the American presence with a series of public works but the traditions and the methods of ruling were scrapped in favor of a system that relied on congress. The whole goal was to create influence on the rest of the world, to create an Americanized system, of which they would be under the influence of the Federal Government. The ambition of the American people and the ruling people’s was a major driving force in the actions of the time period, although fate may be powerful, she had no effect on the drive of the people.
Anthony Luna
Period 3 and 4
An explosion was set off in the battle ship Maine in 1898, February 15. Three weeks earlier this battle ship was stationed near Havana, Cuba to protect U.S. interests. The United States had been interested in Cuba long before the 1890's because of the sugar industry in Cuba. This explosion was set off by an accidental explosion. About five tons of explosives detonated killing about two hundred and seventy men who had been sleeping in the enlisted quarters. The forward part of the ship had been completely destroyed by the explosion. Following this event the United States would declare war on Spain. Before this the fever of war had been growing in the United States even though President Cleveland issued the Proclamation of Neutrality. After the declaration of war by the United States, it would issue the Teller Amendment. This amendment was an amendment to a joint resolution of the United States Congress, enacted on April 20, 1898. It placed a condition of the United States military in Cuba. According to the amendment, the U.S. could not annex Cuba but only leave "control of the island to its people." This short war would last only a few months, for a peace treaty was signed by representatives by Spain and the United States in Paris, on December 10, 1898. This would make Cuba independent, Puerto Rico and Guam would cede to the United States, and allowed the United States to purchase the Philippines Islands from Spain for $20 million. America would suffer 3,000 casualties (90% from diseases) [PARENTHESIS] and it would cost it $250 million.
The New York Journal and New York World gave the Maine intense press coverage, but employed tactics that would later be known as "yellow journalism." These papers exaggerated and distorted the information that they attained,and sometimes even fabricating "news" to sell more papers. The paper insisted continually that the Maine had been bombed or mined. It also claimed that the fault was in Spain for not ensuring the safety of the battle ship. Spain would be blamed by the American people and by some of the world for the explosion on the Maine. Because the American public was already agitated over reported Spanish atrocities in Cuba, the paper's claims just escalated the agitation. The Maine's destruction did not result in an immediate declaration of war with Spain. However, this event created an atmosphere that virtually precluded a peaceful solution.Advocates of the war used chanted, "Remember the Maine! To Hell with Spain!"
The consequences of this war would be the independence of Cuba, but would still be controlled by the United States through a carefully worded document known as the Platt Amendment. America appeared as an imperialistic power, whether by design or by chance after this amendment. This amendment would replace the Teller Amendment. After this war, Spain would suffer the loss of it's New World Empire and the United States would rise as a world power. America would rise into the world by it's own sense of destiny.
The Spanish-American war, started in 1898, was arguably the first conflict started that was a result of American expansionism. With the closing of the frontier in the 1890’s, summed up by Fredrick Jackson Turner’s essay (Parenthesis), the U.S. sought a “new frontier” to conquer, and this came in the form of the weak Spanish Empire. First, this war was a result of political ambition as the men in power sought to flex their military muscles (Personification); second, the war was a result of the excited public calling for blood as a direct result of the press and “yellow journalism;” and third, the war raised the nations confidence in its role as the “city on the hill”. Therefore, because of the political and social reasons the Spanish-American War was a, “continuation of politics by other means” (Carl Von Clausewitz), and was a direct result of the ambitions of a few and the drive of an outraged many.
Politically, the nation was pushed into the conflict by ambitious leaders, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge, who advocated expansionism. Theodore Roosevelt, the Secretary of the Navy at the time advocated the war, and spoke strongly that the U.S. grow its navy to control its borders and the seas. This shows the mood of the nation at the time, it believed that it had a destiny to expand and share the American ideals (parenthesis), and it would do this through, as Roosevelt would later say, “a big stick.” The ambition of Roosevelt and the other young political leaders was supplemented by the anger McKinley held for the Spanish who had written a letter that stated their disdain for the American President. The war, therefore, was personal, and was not just for Cuba’s freedom, or the “sinking” of an American ship; McKinley and Roosevelt were looking for war.
Socially, the nation was pushed towards war as newspapers where being purchased like they were “going out of style” (Simile) and they most dramatically overstated the events that led the nation to war. These newspapers released papers with what was called “yellow journalism,” this type of journalism embellished and expanded the facts to gain more money, and helped to precipitate the war. These overstated facts helped to enrage the public who gave McKinley and the ambitious few all they needed to start a war after the Maine was sunk in a Cuban port. Although this turned out to just be the powder magazine on the ship accidently exploded, however, this did not stop the decision of the zealous nation from immerging itself in war. This proves that the nation was ambitious and seeking a “new frontier” to expand to in order to fulfill manifest destiny. This war, once started was a cake walk (Metaphor), as it was over almost as soon as it started. The Spanish were obviously no match for the more technologically advanced U.S. This war, although in reality was a given that the U.S. would win, gave the people and politicians the confidence that they could compete on the world stage militaristically and economically. It also affirmed America’s role, which had been believed since the Puritans landed on the continent, as the “city on the hill.”
The Spanish-American War, although quickly over, was huge to the confidence of the U.S. and gave the country a “new frontier” to fill the void left by the total inhabitation from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The war was precipitated by the zealous public who were spurred on by “yellow journalism” and this was all the ambitious men in power needed to declare war.
-Christian Filbrun
Tristan Mauricio
Periods 1&6
Characterized by the closing of the Western Frontier at the end of the Nineteenth century, American society would regain a sense of expansionism but on a global scale. After undergoing a period of Industrialization the United States would enjoy decades of prosperity and peace after the destructive Civil War but it was not enough to satisfy their hunger of “the New Frontier”, and almost overnight we would look out East and set our sights on the Pacific and everything in between. First of all, the Spanish- American War would have an impact on how the world and us would see ourselves, as it was our “Coming out Party”[It was our first war with another country overseas][Parentheses] as a World Superpower; Secondly, individuals such as Frederick Jackson Turner would have a huge impact on our new found ambition to expand even further; and lastly after the outcome of the Wars and the Colonization of far away countries, we would implicate laws, treaties, and systems to protect our interests as a Superpower. Therefore thanks to the circumstances, persons, and consequences, there was no doubt that America would enter that world stage as a county to be reckoned with and expand.
During the late 1890’s many countries were in a race to establish colonies on whatever unclaimed land that had remained. The Spanish-American War would separate us from the rest of the group by definitely taking down the Spanish Empire in the Pacific and the Caribbean. It showed that we were bold enough to wage war against our competitors and prove to the world that what we said in the Monroe Doctrine was true and the annexation of Hawaii towards the end of the Spanish American War and the century revealed how much we had change in just a couple decades. The Native Hawaiian people did not want to become a territory to the United States but rather an independent country within its boundaries, it was the white settlers and farmers that pressured the Government to grant Hawaii territory status. After we had defeated the Spanish in the Philippines and in Cuba the government decided that it was no longer a choice to respect those kind of wishes, after all who could stop them? [Apophasis] In the end the Native’s request was denied and by “legal process” [Antithesis] Hawaii would give up all of its land and all of the legal rights that they possessed to the United States and become a territory.
CONTINUED:
Ever since the Louisiana Purchase of 1802 Americans had always had the option to head out West for a new life and throughout that century we had taken advantage of that by establishing new cities and constructing the Transcontinental Railroad, but all of that ended in 1895 when the Western Frontier had disappeared. In Frederick Jackson’s Turner’s “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” he argued that all of the aggressive, democratic, and innovative ideas that we possessed had come from the Frontier that would formulate “The Frontier Thesis” and he encouraged people to keep heading out West. The idea of Colonizing countries instead of settling territories became very important in the mindset of the United States as we colonized the Pacific. After we had defeated the Spanish in the Philippines, Cuba would ask for assistance to establish their Independence as we once had from Great Britain. The new kind of writing called “Yellow Journalism” would be created by two competing Newspapers in New York, a new style of writing created by Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst [Apostrophe], that was basically exaggerating the truth but it convinced the American Public that they would go to War once again. And after the article of the Spanish attack on the U.S.S. Maine, America would fight it first War overseas.
Entries are VERY VERY VERY LATE after this point!
Amanda Jerd
Periods 3 and 6
Starting unofficially in 1868, the Spanish American War in the United States was the embodiment of Manifest Destiny. Caused by a few but impacting continents, it was the catalyst for the new America in three major ways. First, it changed the scornful view of opposing countries to one of fearful awe; second, it gave the American people hope and national pride; and third, it gave the president and his successors a big stick to go along with their soft voice. Therefore, the Spanish-American War changed America in three key ways that altered history forever.
At the end of the 19th century America possessed a strong military, a strong economy, a strong sense of nationalism (anaphora, asyndeton). The confluence of all three of these factors prompted America’s most powerful figures to steer the nation towards war in order to solidify America’s newly discovered power. The Spanish-American War was the product of the American elite’s ambition to prove superiority on an international level and the war’s greatest influences were the leaders of the Yellow Journalist; the actions of Theodore Roosevelt; and the actions William McKinley (parallel structure). These people’s actions were responsible for entangling America in a war with Spain and for cultivating an Imperial power. In the Late 1800’s sensationalism dominated the print news world, the practice of publishing sensational stories that lack proper research was called Yellow Journalism (Meiosis). This practice was vigorously used by newspaper magnates Joseph Pulitzer and Randolph Hearst. It is commonly credited that these two men are responsible for starting the war because their stories swayed the American people’s perception to war with Spain by printing stories that detail the atrocities that might have occurred but on a much more toned down level. The Yellow Journalist twisted the stories to incite anger against Spain and empathy for the oppressed Cuban in order to fulfill their own financial desire and these twisted stories were meant to provoke war. When major world events occur newspapers will sell out because people desire to know how this event will affect them and this means the newspapers will have increased profits. With this knowledge Hearst and Pulitzer knew if they could alienate the nation against Spain the government would have no choice but to declare war because it would be political suicide to disregard the masses desires when holding a political office. Pulitzer and Hearst pushed for war with Spain for monetary reasons but they sold the idea of going to war to the American people by making the war an issue of morality. Theodore Roosevelt before he ascended to the office of President was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. While Roosevelt at his post he had almost complete control the department due to his superior’s inactivity.
His actions as the head of the Navy prepared America for war. Roosevelt asked Congress to recruit more sailors and he also made it clear to the World that America was ready to go to war with Spain. Roosevelt undertook preparations for war because of his personal convictions and his belief in American nationalism but he also felt pressured to give the people what they wanted which was a war. This pressure was created by Hearst and Pulitzer and it is proof that these men influenced the government’s actions. Theodore Roosevelt’ actions as Assistant Navy Secretary turned America into an imperial power. Roosevelt ordered that a fleet of ships be sent to destroy the Spanish fleet at Manila and this ultimate led to United States occupying the Philippines and suppressing Filipino revolts against the U.S. This action came solely from Roosevelt and it was a major power grab for United States but unnecessary to win the war because Spain’s occupation of the Philippines was not a threat to America’s superiority in Latin America. This action could be seen as Roosevelt flexing the power of American Navy because later on in his Presidency he will send the American Navy around the world to show off its power. Knowing that Roosevelt’s ego could have motivated him to annex the Philippine, Could it be possible that all of his actions preparing for war were driven by his ego and desire to make America a masculine nation?( Rhetorical Question) No one will ever know the answer to this question but it is very well possible that Roosevelt’s own personal desire could have pushed America to war and saddle it with imperial holdings afterwards. President McKinley was a man who proudly served in the Civil War but that war time experience taught him to be wary of war. McKinley had the intention of solving the Cuba conflict with diplomacy and after further dialogue Spain decided to grant concessions to the rebels. McKinley wanted to solve the Cuba issue with America’s growing soft power but after the controversy with U.S.S Maine McKinley had no other option but war because the American populous had been indoctrinated to go to war by Yellow Journalism and any action less than that would shatter McKinley’s chances of reelection. After a court of inquiry declared that the U.S.S Maine was blown up by a mine but McKinley still engaged in negations with Spain despite the nation infuriated by Spain’s attack on American troops and after the negations broke down and the nation fed up with inaction McKinley symbolically declares war by turning the matter over to Congress. McKinley wanted to be principled but ultimately he had to be expedient to protect his job. The Spanish American War was a commenced because McKinley had no other way to satisfy the people’s desires to not only exact vengeance but also to prove the validity of American nationalism. The alienation of any major voting block is political suicide and McKinley knew this and as Thomas Jefferson said “Democracy is nothing more than mob rule […]”. The Spanish American War was a war that was started by a few men with strong desires in powerful and influential positions and they harnessed the power of the masses to do their bidding.
Amanda Jerd
Periods 3 and 6
Starting unofficially in 1868, the Spanish American War in the United States was the embodiment of Manifest Destiny. It happened on just a few impacting continents but it was truly the individuals who were the catalysts for the new America in three major ways. First, they changed the scornful view of opposing countries to one of fearful awe; second, they gave the American people hope and national pride; and third, the president and his successors now had a big stick to go along with their soft voice. Therefore, the Spanish-American War artificially changed America in three key ways that altered history forever.
The Spanish American War was not actually a war of massive murder but rather it was small scale (anaphora x2). It started over the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894, which raised the tariff on foreign sugar, (parenthesis) thus harming the economy of Cuba. Cuba was a colony of the collapsing Spanish empire and revolts in Cuba against the Spanish government led to troops stifling the rebellion, led by General Weyler. American business interests were thus threatened and yellow journalism incensed the American public into a thirst for war. Certain individuals such as Hearst and Pulitzer and President McKinley were key to sparking the fire that was a war almost inevitable due to the economic growth of the past few decades. Because Spain was a cripple, for young America to cane an old man was a shock (personification.) Not only was America flexing its newly toned muscles but it was also done respecting its elders. This theme in American history was first exemplified while a colony under Great Britain but world powers did not take notice until the Spanish American War. This new attitude produced a mood of increasing respect and caution around the world. (alliteration: this, this.) The American frontier – the West – was officially closed, but American ideals could be impressed upon a new frontier called the world. The newly emerging Social Darwinism taught that the most fit nations would be the ones that would prevail. Similar to Hitler’s Aryan Race (where one race or people would be the best and thus the “rulers” of all mankind), this nationalism of the American people because of the Spanish American War sparked a sense of untouchability that was reflected in all aspects of American life. The following imperialism that ensued was because of Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt’s command to invade the Philippines. Every nuance of the Spanish American War was manipulated by powerful men with ambition (hyperbole.) All wars are fought for a political reason, not just for an emphatic or passionate cause. The future of the United States was defined not by this trivial war but by the people who caused it; the Yellow Journalists, General Weyler, President McKinley, Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, Darwin, and more. These men had prestige, and just like history displays repeatedly, those with the money and power are those who shape the world around them and create the future for the rest of the world.
Krizelle DeGuzman
Periods 1 and 4
As America experienced success technologically, economically, and industrially through the late 1800’s, Americans began to be filled with a sense of national pride and energy. When the western frontier was officially closed Fredrick Jackson Turner explained that there were two options left; either the United States could choose (personification) to transfer their energy into finding a new frontier, or allow it to destroy them. First, the Spanish American War was the dawn (metaphor) of finding the new frontier; Second, select people had a large influence on what the outcome of the war would be whether they realized it or not; third, the nation began to question its role as a dominant world power as American leadership spread throughout the territories; a consequence of the Spanish American War. Therefore, events building up to the war, people who had a large effect on the outcome of the first American war over seas, and consequences of the Spanish American War support that it is American ambition versus destiny that created the future of the United States.
In 1893 the Census Bureau was able to claim that the entire western frontier was occupied. The West already began to be filled with newcomers once valuable resources (such as gold and silver) (parenthesis) were discovered in California. By the time it was announced that the frontier was gone, Americans all had nationalism on their minds and needed to put all that energy into finding a new frontier. When Cuban rebels wanted freedom from the Spanish rule in 1895 yellow journalism (created through a newspaper-selling war between William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer) (parenthesis) used sensational titles and deeply exaggerated stories on the Spanish tactics to control the rebels to get people to buy more papers and influence their thoughts on the Spanish. This in turn fueled the public support for a war with Spain but support especially increased when the battleship Maine was claimed to have been sunk by the Spanish when in reality was from an accident on board. Along with yellow journalism and the sinking of the Maine, traders and businessmen began to worry about their investments in Cuba. So in order to protect their incomes from Cuba, businessmen would encourage a war, thus starting the search for a new frontier to claim. Alfred Thayer Mahan had published a book stating that if you wanted to control the world then you would have to take control of the seas. Important politicians read his book and believed that it could fix what Turner said about the western frontier’s closing having a drastic effect on the U.S. More importantly, Theodore Roosevelt was greatly influenced by the book (being Assistant Secretary of the Navy) and probably took it upon himself to make a theory become reality since TR believed that a strong navy would be excellent in proceeding into protecting U.S. interests overseas while staying safely at home. But in order to have a strong navy they would need a few bases such as Cuba, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. When the Maine ship was destroyed T.R. wrote to a friend that “[he] would give anything if President McKinley ordered the fleet to Havana tomorrow.” It can be assumed that Roosevelt had his own intentions at heart on what seemed like a way to raise the U.S. up to the world power status to everyone else. Once the war was won (alliteration) Americans began to spread their economic dominance overseas with the new acquisitions of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Cuba was allowed to stay independent even though Hawaii was forced to join, creating doubt to blossom in the minds of many. Therefore the past shows that the future of America (the current U.S.A) was created from the ambitions of a select few.
WOW, you are REALLY REALLY POWERFULLY SUPERLATIVELY LATE!
Annika Newman
Periods 1 & 4
During the tail-end of the nineteenth century, the United States saw a significant progression in the prosperity of the country, as industry, technology, agriculture, and various additional elements developed increasingly. However, without a infinite frontier as the West appeared to be in previous history, would it be possible for the nation to sustain its thriving culture? (Rhetorical questions) As perfectly embodied by Frederick Jackson Turner's “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” the conclusion of the western frontier resulted in a monumental transition for the United States of America. First, the Spanish American War of 1898 stimulated a spirit of ambition amongst Americans to broaden their search of a “modern” Manifest Destiny; second, a few key individuals left a titanic impact on the lifestyles of the American people; and thirdly, the imperialist ambition of the people of the United States emerged, exposing the actual intensions and reasons for the Spanish-American War. Thus, the United States' future was being molded by the ambitions of the American people to an ample extent, rather than by the natural course of its own destiny.
Even as American corporations possessed numerous plantations on Cuba, the island was under the authority of the Spanish at the time the Spanish-American War broke out in the late 1890s. However, in 1895, (parenthesis) Cuban nationals began to demonstrate a subversive enthusiasm in the nation, consequentially leading to a possible disaster in the lives of many Americans. There was a large possibility that their plantations would cease to succeed, that their trade would be stagnant, that their connections would be perpetually disturbed (anaphora and asyndeton). Cuba had once had a desire (personification) to hand itself over to America to be annexed, but with America's ties with Spain as well as Cuba's dislike of the idea of war, Congress denied the island's wishes. Yellow journalism, which were exaggerated and sometimes even fictitiously constructed stories that were designed to sell despite their inconsistencies, played an enormous role in the American interference with the islands. Yellow journalism exponentially intensified tensions that ran boisterously throughout the region. A work by William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer was produced from a distorted, and corrupted, and deceiving view of reality (polysyndeton). Many horrific events resulted from the Spanish's wrongdoings during the Spanish-American War, such as concentration camps and the perturbation of American women by Spanish officials, (parenthesis) and the media did not skip a beat in regards to communicating it to the American people. However, when the headlines announced a Spanish attack on an American ship that killed over 200 Americans, there was no greater desire for the majority of Americans than to take revenge with the military. Thus, the Spanish-American War and the United States' involvement was not solely a consequence of destiny or fortune, but rather a result of the ardent ambition of the American people, and their aim to redeem the dignity of their country through the utilization of the U.S. military.
Annika Newman
Part 2
Numerous wealthy Americans had valuable connections to the Cuban islands as well as their flourishing sugar plantations, and many feared that without America involving itself in the Cuban revolution, they would not be able to sustain their income. In an attempt to become a nationally recognized newspaper, two corporations conducted a literary battle that would force the involvement of the populace into a war. Frederick Jackson Turner presented a speech that brought forth an idea that despite the fact that the west could no longer be settled, the remaining part of the world is still open. This speech, which planted desires of imperialism into the American citizens, is otherwise known as Turner's “Frontier Thesis.” Admiral Alfred Mahan found Turner's speech to be quite influential, and he eventually discovered that with a supreme Navy, it was possible to conquer certain parts of the world. Theodore Roosevelt, the Assistant Secretary to the Navy, worked tirelessly expand America's power beyond its own borders. Roosevelt took Mahan's ideas and put them into physical action. Thus, the ambitions of several individuals caused the imperialist tendencies of the United States to become reality.
Various nations were setting out to create their own empires, but few had the resources (antithesis). Initially, Americans were often viewed as liberators, but were eventually seen with a sense of agitation. Americans had obtained the Cuban islands under the disguise of a redeeming force, but had actually taken the islands with imperialistic ambitions. The American idea was sustained amongst the islands, and Cubans benefitted from the existence of Americans through works. However, the Cuban islanders had been stripped of their culture and traditions, and their ways of ruling were replaced with a system with Congress. The entire aspiration was to produce an influence on the entirety of the world, to create an American system that would be under the authority of the Federal Government. Therefore, the ambitions of the American people and American officials had a great influence on the actions that were taken out during this time period, and although fate is undeniably powerful, she had no ultimate effect (personification) that could compare with that of the ambition of America.
PART 1
The Spanish-American war of 1898 was influenced by a variety of different sources. The young Theodore Roosevelt pushed for war on the political side, While Joseph Pulitzer, owner of The New York World, presented the war to the American public. Both had their own reasons to entice America into a war, both reaped the consequences (good and bad) (parenthesis) of their actions and choices. Looking back on this emergence onto the “world-stage,” we can see that America had built up to this point by following its ambiguous leaders and role-models...(ellipses) however, to the Americans participating in the war and to those watching from the mainland, this war with the Spaniards was their destiny ordained by God; their destiny to one day be that gleaming city on the hill, and with the winning of the war, the American city was glowing a little brighter.
Just before the war with the spanish, America was experiencing a lack of frontier. The answer to most problems during this time period was simply, “Head out west...” (Aphorism) With the “Gilded Age” winding down and most southern states still recovering from the destructive civil war, westward movement was a popular remedy for bankruptcy or a fresh start. However, being the massive island that America is, it does have limited space. Reaching California meant the end of westward expansion, leaving those Americans with plans to go and pioneer new and exotic lands left with no where to go. Around this same time, Cuba was having an unsuccessful rebellion against its spanish monarchs. The rebellion leader, José Martí, (Parenthesis) had planned for a quick victory by having a three pronged invasion of Cuba. This rebellion was held back and prevented from acquiring a foot-hold in the island. Resulting in the revolutionaries digging their heels and fighting with guerrilla tactics, dragging out the war and giving it the name “The Ten Years War.” The length of the war and its close proximity to American soil made it an attractive piece for American newspapers.
PART 2
Thus the two big newspaper owners, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, were putting any story into their news papers to sell copies. More often than not the stories left out key details or were exaggerated. One instance is when Heart’s Journal published a story about a cuban customs official brutally disrobing and searching an American woman, the outraged public was never told that the official was a woman as well. This power of the “yellow journalism” vaulted itself even higher with the accident of the USS Maine. With the rebellion in Cuba getting more dangerous, and tensions rising, President Mckinley sent an American warship for a “friendly visit” but to really pick up Americans and bring them back home. However, on February 15, 1898 the Maine sank in Havana Harbor from a massive explosion in the hull resulting in the death of 266 sailors. The rival newspapers pounced on this story and without any evidence blamed the spanish for attacking an American ship on a “friendly visit.” The populace was livid. Although Mckinley urged americans to wait and let the officials find what the cause of the explosion was, the newspapers had already told the people what to believe. America wanted war. Mckinley and House Speaker Reed tried to calm the masses, but the American people were like a forrest fire, rapidly expanding and burning hotter. (Idiom) Eventually, Mckinley had to ask congress to declare war to appease the now, white hot American forrest.
This war was becoming a bigger and bigger presence in America. America was this hero of the age, freeing the poor, oppressed cubans from their unlawful tyrants, the spanish. For those soldiers who went to the battlefield and for the ladies back home, this emergence from their hometown America into the world of old kings and monarchy. The view the American citizens had of their country was that of a heroic government setting out to destroy the monarchies and earn their rightful place as the city on the hill. It was Americas destiny. It was as simple as that. However from the future we can look back with a 20/20 hindsight and see that it was more of a logical reason that America decided to free the cubans. Cuba was originally a sugar colony of the French and later the Spanish, and would provide a good revenue for America if they could strike a deal with the cubans. Power back in the day was measured by number of countries one mother country controlled. Although America could say Cuba was free from the spanish, Cuba was to be treated like an American territory with its own government. So while this romantic of destiny and the shining city view persisted in American minds, the realistic view that America got to where it was because of its leaders is more plausible.
Cammie Gelbuda
Period 1 & 4
AP English/APUSH
Mr. Korling’s
Spanish-American War “Ambition or Destiny.”
When the movement of the settlers into the West finally finished the 1890‘s the United States needed a new outlet for its energy. America had become a people of determination and ambition both of which was needed to tame the West. After the big push to the west, Americans needed to decide how to handle other countries coming onto and through our boarders. And how to deal with their threats. How people acted during these next years would be how the United States would handle itself for the rest of time.
People during this timer were very hard working and driven and when the West was conquered they needed a new way to be hard working. Secondly people in this time had a mission to be a great country and a world power. Lastly, the United States wanted the worlds other people to be like us. Lots of people thought that the United States was shaped by just a handful of men, while others felt it was because of the “Manifest Destiny” and its role in the whole world. With everything America had gone through in the setting of the United States it had learned that we were a great country of democracy and freedom.
By the time of the Spanish-American War many people of the America believed in the power of “Manifest Destiny”, but Theodore Roosevelt pushed to have the war. America would like Cuba to be independent without Spanish control. He wanted the Panama Canal to be built so that ships could go between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. It also had a lot to do with the freedom of the Gulf of Mexico. If the Spanish claimed rights to all of this the United States would not have as much power as they do. During, the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt he made the Navy powerful in the oceans and seas. Theodore Roosevelt knew that if you controlled all of these waters of the world that the United States would be a world power.
After we won the Spanish-American War, America showed that it had a good and powerful army. We made good friends and partners with Cuba and also many other countries like the Philippines and even Guam. Theodore Roosevelt was also right about America’s power in the oceans and that the world knew we were a strong and powerful navy.
This war let the power of the United States hold their heads up high knowing that through hard work, ambition and the dream to be a world leader and power that we could be the most powerful country in the world. Theodore Roosevelt was the most important person that made this all happen.
Profoundly unspeakably late if you still have not done this one by now.
Steven Fraser
Period 6
The Spanish-American war, started in 1898, was arguably the first conflict started that was a result of American expansionism. With the closing of the frontier in the 1890’s, summed up by Fredrick Jackson Turner’s essay (Parenthesis), the U.S. sought a “new frontier” to conquer, and this came in the form of the weak Spanish Empire. First, this war was a result of political ambition as the men in power sought to flex their military muscles (Personification); second, the war was a result of the excited public calling for blood as a direct result of the press and “yellow journalism;” and third, the war raised the nations confidence in its role as the “city on the hill”. Therefore, because of the political and social reasons the Spanish-American War was a, “continuation of politics by other means” (Carl Von Clausewitz), and was a direct result of the ambitions of a few and the drive of an outraged many. Politically, the nation was pushed into the conflict by ambitious leaders, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge, who advocated expansionism. Theodore Roosevelt, the Secretary of the Navy at the time advocated the war, and spoke strongly that the U.S. grow its navy to control its borders and the seas. This shows the mood of the nation at the time, it believed that it had a destiny to expand and share the American ideals (parenthesis), and it would do this through, as Roosevelt would later say, “a big stick.” The ambition of Roosevelt and the other young political leaders was supplemented by the anger McKinley held for the Spanish who had written a letter that stated their disdain for the American President. The war, therefore, was personal, and was not just for Cuba’s freedom, or the “sinking” of an American ship; McKinley and Roosevelt were looking for war. Socially, the nation was pushed towards war as newspapers where being purchased like they were “going out of style” (Simile) and they most dramatically overstated the events that led the nation to war. These newspapers released papers with what was called “yellow journalism,” this type of journalism embellished and expanded the facts to gain more money, and helped to precipitate the war. These overstated facts helped to enrage the public who gave McKinley and the ambitious few all they needed to start a war after the Maine was sunk in a Cuban port. Although this turned out to just be the powder magazine on the ship accidently exploded, however, this did not stop the decision of the zealous nation from immerging itself in war. This proves that the nation was ambitious and seeking a “new frontier” to expand to in order to fulfill manifest destiny. This war, once started was a cake walk (Metaphor), as it was over almost as soon as it started. The Spanish were obviously no match for the more technologically advanced U.S. This war, although in reality was a given that the U.S. would win, gave the people and politicians the confidence that they could compete on the world stage militaristically and economically. It also affirmed America’s role, which had been believed since the Puritans landed on the continent, as the “city on the hill.” The Spanish-American War, although quickly over, was huge to the confidence of the U.S. and gave the country a “new frontier” to fill the void left by the total inhabitation from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The war was precipitated by the zealous public who were spurred on by “yellow journalism” and this was all the ambitious men in power needed to declare war.
The Spanish American War of 1898 is considered by many to be a defining point in American morality and explains how pertinent the ambitions of man can be. Frederick Jackson Turner, after the closing of the West Frontier, (Parenthesis) argued the Frontier thesis (or the Turner Thesis) (Parenthesis) in 1893 in which he exclaimed that American Democracy was formed by the American Frontier. So the question remains, was Americas future determined by the desires of a few good men or was it the natural course of its own sense of destiny. First, the Spanish American War of 1898 was one of the main confirmations of American ambition because it sought for new frontier by crossing the boundaries set in the Monroe Doctrine of 1823; second, people like Teddy Roosevelt and Henry Cabot were strong advocates of the Spanish American War as they saw as strictly Americas Destiny; third, The United States army was simply not ready for war, yet the enthusiastic spirits of the American people were strong enough to proceed, even if it required disobeying the rules set before them about 100 years ago. The Spanish American War was a huge tuning point in American Democracy, but was it the result of Ambition or Destiny? (Rhetorical Question)
The Spanish War was a conflict between Spain and The United States Of America, and it also was the result of the Cuban War for Independence. Cuba had been revolting on the Spanish rule for decades and America was in the audience watching it all go down (personification). Soon, the surprise of the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor pressured President William McKinley into a war that he never wanted. So an ultimatum was sent to Spain forcing it to surrender control of Cuba to the United States. Spain rejected bringing them into war. Frederick Jackson Turner, a historian of that time period, (Parenthesis) spoke during the 1893's World’s Colombian Exposition saying that the great era of westward expansion appeared to be over, but, he assured the audience that it would’ve only just begun if America had broadened its definition of “Manifest Destiny” and looked beyond it’s continental borders. Could this perspective have sparked the idea of taking Cuba and Puerto Rico regardless of the rules set forth by the Monroe Doctrine? (Rhetorical Question)
One could say that the ideas of historian Frederick Jackson Turner completely inspired the Spanish American War, even though these weren’t his intentions. His idea of an America with the ability to expand upon its beliefs of “Manifest Destiny” and extend the American frontier completely broadened the minds of America. (Personification?) This idea pretty much gave America the title of a world power because it labeled the whole world as its territory. Soon after this, Naval Strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan concluded that a strong Navy gives huge advantage in controlling the world. Being the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, future president Theodore Roosevelt agreed with Mahan’s conclusion and acted upon it by informing the naval forces in Hong Kong to take down the Spanish fleet in the Philippines if War was ever declared. This is where many have concluded that Theodore Roosevelt’s intentions were not for the good of the county but for the chance of an elevation in superiority for the United States of America. Historian Henry Cabot Lodge was also a strong backer of the U.S. intervention in Cuba, as he believed it was America’s moral Duty to do so (personification).
(Continued)
For many years the Monroe doctrine was practically a dead letter. The Bold Proclamation of 1823 that declared the western hemisphere forever free from European expansion bemused the Imperial Powers who knew the United States was simply too weak to enforce its claim. By 1900, the situation had changed. A bold expanding America was spreading its wings (Personification), daring the new world order to challenge its newfound might. When Theodore Roosevelt became President he decided to reassert Monroe’s old declaration. But was this a good idea? This would be going against Americas foundation, therefore allowing this self-betrayal to happen over and over again. But apparently it was worth the risk.
Bella Crosson
Period 1 & 4
Through the end of the nineteenth century, the United States was starting to see substantial progress in their own prosperity, especially as industry, agriculture, and technology were increasingly developing. Since the western frontier was “officially closed”, Frederick Jackson Turner was able to explain how the conclusion of this frontier resulted in a colossal transition for the United States. First, there were a few fundamental individuals who left a monumental impact on the lives of the people; second, the Spanish American War of 1898 inspired the American people to broaden their search of a “manifest destiny” state of mind; and third, the new ambition of the people exposed the true reasons for the Spanish American War. Therefore, for these three reasons, the future of the American people in the United States was being shaped by their own desires, rather than a “natural course of destiny.”
Many well-off Americans had valued connections and interactions with the islands of Cuba as well as their sugar plantations. Many were afraid that if America had not intervened in the Cuban revolution, their incomes would be impossible to be unceasing. In a attempt to became a nationally respected and red newspaper, two organizations conducted a sort of literary battle that forced the involvement of the populace into a war. Frederick Jackson Turner gave a speech that uncovered an idea that just because the west could no longer be settle, it did not mean the rest of the would was closed. The speech planted many different desires into the American people. This idea was also known as the Frontier Thesis. A man named Admiral Alfred Mahan also found Tuner’s speech influential, and in a short time he discovered that if a supreme United States Navy were established, other parts of the world would become accessible and conquerable. Theodore Roosevelt, affectionately called Teddy Roosevelt later on, as the Assistant Secretary to the Navy worked non-stop to expand Americas power. He took many of Mahan’s ideas and put them into action. Therefore, the actions and ambitions of a select few caused the dream a imperialist tendencies and made them a reality.
The island of Cuba was under Spanish authority at the time of the Spanish American War, (which broke out in the late 1890s) PARENTHESIS even thought there were numerous American owned plantations of the island itself. However, in 1895 many Cubans started to display a rebellious excitement that would inadvertently cause many consequences in the lives of many Americans. There was the looming possibility overhead that if a revolution were occur, their plantations would cease to exist and trade would become inactive. Many people in Cuba once had the desire to be annexed into America, but with the ties between American and Spain and the well-known Cuban dislike of war, Congress rejected the idea. Yellow journalism, or exaggerated and at times fictional stories designed to sell the newspaper, played a huge role in America’s interference in the islands, for it intensified the tensions that ran through the region. There were many absolutely horrific events that resulted from the wrongdoings of the Spanish during the Spanish American War. Concentration camps and perpetration of American women by certain Spanish officials were not overlooked by the American media. When the Spanish attack on an American ship where over 200 were killed was reported, a fire was lit under the American people as the cried out for revenge through the military. In this way, the war with the United States involvement was a result of the ambition of the American people.
Countless nations were striving toward their goals of creating their own empires, but unfortunately very few had the available resources ANTITHESIS. Although often viewed as the world’s saviors, Americans were eventually seen with a sort of sense of agitation. They had obtained the Cuban islands under the “disguise of a redeeming force”, but some felt that they had actually taken the islands with a more imperialistic force. The American dream was sustained amongst the islands, and many Cubans greatly benefited from the existence of the Americans through their technology. Still, many of the Cubans had been stripped of their sense of identity through their culture and traditions, and were outraged when congress replaced these. The original idea was to produce a new influence on the world, creating an American system under the authority of the Federal Government. Thus, both the American officials and the people had a huge influence on the actions taken place at this time.
In the late 19th century America was running out of frontier to expand to so to some they did what they thought was inevitable, they expanded to the surrounding islands like Cuba and then to the Hawaiian islands. This was because of our idea of “manifest destiny”; political ambition of political dignitary’s; and the yellow journalism of the time.
First off the reason that the United States was involved in the Spanish American war was that we were running out of the frontier that had always provided us a challenge and inspiration to strive to tame the wild. The idea that there was no more frontier made some people nervous since they had never not had a place that cheap land could be found so they looked to the near islands and started to invest in the local economy by making company’s and businesses in the area there is a great example of this in the movie “the godfather” where the “new” godfather is checking out Havana to see if he wanted to invest in a new casino in Havana but the godfather finds evidence of a revolution brewing so he stays out and this accurately depicts the times and in fact when the godfather leaves the revolution starts.
Secondly political ambitions were flaring when the politicians noticed that they couldn’t just keep promising cheap land in the united states any more so they also looked to surrounding lands and saw that Spanish controlled Cuba was on the brink of another revolution so when it seems there will be a riot the united states sends the USS Maine to protect American interests in the area but when it arrives later on it explodes and kills many of the crew. This aggravates the United States and they believe that the Spanish purposely attacked the Maine. Then political advisors in the confusion of the explosion, told William McKinley that he needed to protect the United States and declare war with Spain, and possibly beat Spain out of the region, out of fear of invasion from Cuba since it is just a stones through from America.
Finally the yellow journalism enflamed the situation further when they started publishing reports of subs and mines and sabotage on the Maine most of this was unconfirmed but none the less it enrages Americans and pushed the to the brink of war with Spain. But also Cubans wanted the war to happen so they could get rid of the Spanish puppet president who claimed to be of the people but many saw him as the puppet of the Spanish government. Also I believe that the president had thought of this beforehand and possibly hoped to put a American supported dictator or president in power but this never happened.
That’s how of our idea of “manifest destiny”; political ambition of political dignitary’s; and the yellow journalism of the time, lead to the Spanish American war. And the insueing conflict later on in the 20th century during the Kennedy administration
Edith Chavez
Periods 1 &6
With the Census of 1890, Frederick Jackson Turner proclaimed the end of the frontier and like James Madison before him in Federalist 10, saw it as what made the United States a great country and now pondered the fate of the country with the new lack of a frontier. Many felt that the country had to keep expanding or it would implode while others- especially those who’d lived through the Civil War- [PARENTHESIS] felt that expansionism would lead to worthless bloody wars. Several wanted the war out of pride and the need to prove themselves in battle; newspapers needed juicy gossip to sell; and businesses wanted to expand in order to get more money. With the ambition of a few individuals, the war became a self-fulfilling destiny led by the men who wanted it and supported by the masses that could be easily rallied.
Pride was of the main factors of war. Several decades had already passed since the Civil War and a few of the men from the current generation felt the need to prove their worth through war. William McKinley was of these few men. During his presidency he annexed Hawaii but only as a territory as if it still needed to be civilized, all of the islands were handed over to be under total control of the United States, not even the way territories and new states like California and Texas were annexed before the Civil War as the war had made the Federal Government increase in power. McKinley wanted more though, “wanted things only war would give him.” In addition to Turner talking about the importance of the frontier, naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mayer Mahan wrote two naval books by 1892 saying that the United States needed to have a huge navy for world domination. Spain at the time still had the Philippines and some land in the Americas but for the most part was seen as a dying empire [PERSONIFICATION] that had to go. Theodore Roosevelt was also of this generation and he was heavily influenced by Mahan and set off to “free” the colonies of Spain. The Philippines did not appreciate the Americans however and tried to overthrow them. Cuba on the other hand did want to be annexed although this didn’t happen due to the southern states now changing their minds based off Cuba’s nature a few decades after the Civil War. The island later had some problems with the US as the Platt Amendment gave the nation too much power over the islanders in their opinion. Though these few men concerned mainly with politics derived some help in rallying the people into war with the help of others elsewhere.
William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer were both ambitious in the newspaper industry. Yellow journalism had been in use previously but in competing against each other, they put yellow journalism on steroids. [PERSONIFICATION] War was a fantastic way to get people to buy their papers in order to know how the battles went and what dirty things the Spanish were up to. When the USS Maine blew up (due to an accident on board that even at the time was known to be the fault of someone in the US) [PARENTHESIS] the newspapers went crazy with it and came up with the phrase “Remember the Maine, To Hell with Spain!” A letter from Spain insulting President McKinley was published by Hearst to get the people begging for war. Women were man-handled before entering the island according to the newspapers, although this was a lie. In suppressing the rebellion, the Spanish set up concentration camps in Cuba and this further enraged Americans; this bit of information though was true as was that Cuba was getting taxed without representation as Spain was a monarchy, reminding the Americans about their roots in the American Revolution, “No Taxation Without Representation!” which had to do partly with business rather than just mere yellow journalism.
Businessmen wanted more places to expand their businesses to and more trade. Puerto Rico offered lots of new land and after the Spanish American War the United States revealed more of its ambition as Puerto Rican sugar industries were revived for the benefit of the United States. While the United States could argue that it was helping the Spanish territories by “freeing” using Cuba with its Spanish concentration camps as an example, the Philippines could prove the country wrong [PERSONIFICATION] being that when the Filipinos rebelled against American rule, the US crushed the rebellion. Economic expansionism was also present in the motive to take the Philippines in the first place, the islands were in a key position for trading with Asia. The power hungry nation also forced China to keep the Open Door Policy allowing US businesses to trade and US control of the Philippines would make for more profits. Guam was taken as well, the island serving as a rest stop to and from the Philippines though not much more that and the island didn’t put up much of a fight compared to the neighboring Philippines.
The United States declared its freedom partly because it got annoyed with Britain limiting its ability to expand west so with this in mind, expansionism could be seen as a continuing habit that formed before the birth of the country, some sort of destiny. The way a few men took it into their hands to rally the masses for their own benefit and then making connections between Cuba’s situation and the American Revolution for public support shows that the War was a self-fulfilling prophesy- something made up by the few to get the rest to accomplish it.
As the nineteenth century was reaching a close, a significant amount of evolution was taking place within a multitude of fields including industry, technology, and agriculture, among other things. This amount of progression was rising in correlation with the prosperity of the United States. However, as some aspects were rising and opening up to new possibilities, others were approaching their final conclusion. As shown through Frederick Jackson Turner’s “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” citizens of the United States of America were facing a transition in their culture as the western frontier proved to not be as limitless as originally perceived. First, the Spanish American War of 1898 sparked a new motivation for Americans to expand the horizon of their search for a more “modern” Manifest Destiny; second, a handful of individual figures left an impacting imprint upon the American lifestyle; and third, the imperialistic attitude of the American people materialized, revealing the true intensions and reasons for the Spanish-American War. Therefore, the country’s future was being crafted within the ambitious hands of the people of the United States, as opposed to the natural course of its own destiny.
Despite the countless plantations located in Cuba that were owned by American corporations, by the time the Spanish-American War broke out in the late 1890’s the island as a whole was under the control of the Spanish. However, in 1895, Cuban nationals began to demonstrate a subversive enthusiasm in the nation, consequentially leading to a possible disaster in the lives of many Americans. There was a large possibility that their plantations would cease to succeed, that their trade would be stagnant, that their connections would be perpetually disturbed. Cuba had once had a desire to hand itself over to America to be annexed, but with America's ties with Spain as well as Cuba's dislike of the idea of war, Congress denied the island's wishes. Yellow journalism, which were exaggerated and sometimes even fictitiously constructed stories that were designed to sell despite their inconsistencies, played an enormous role in the American interference with the islands. Yellow journalism exponentially intensified tensions that ran boisterously throughout the region. A work by William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer was produced from a distorted, and corrupted, and deceiving view of reality. Many horrific events resulted from the Spanish's wrongdoings during the Spanish-American War, such as concentration camps and the perturbation of American women by Spanish officials, and the media did not skip a beat in regards to communicating it to the American people. However, when the headlines announced a Spanish attack on an American ship that killed over 200 Americans, there was no greater desire for the majority of Americans than to take revenge with the military. Thus, the Spanish-American and the US’ entanglement of such affairs did not result from a preset path of destiny or fortune, but instead was a product of American ambition from the people to redeem their native pride through the employment of the U.S. military.
Provoked by the fear of not being able to maintain the proper amount of income, a multitude of affluent Americans with precious connections and investments in the Cuban sugar plantations encouraged American involvement in the Cuban revolution. In an attempt to become a nationally recognized newspaper, two corporations conducted a literary battle that would force the involvement of the populace into a war. Frederick Jackson Turner presented a speech that brought forth an idea that despite the fact that the west could no longer be settled, the remaining part of the world is still open. This speech, which planted desires of imperialism into the American citizens, is otherwise known as Turner's “Frontier Thesis.” Admiral Alfred Mahan found Turner's speech to be quite influential, and he eventually discovered that with a supreme Navy, it was possible to conquer certain parts of the world. Theodore Roosevelt, the Assistant Secretary to the Navy, worked tirelessly expand America's power beyond its own borders. Roosevelt took Mahan's ideas and put them into physical action. Therefore, it was the actions and ambitions of several individuals that evoked the imperialist tendencies of the United States to become reality.
A large amount of nations were setting out to establish and start up their own empires, but only a few had the resources in order to do so. Initially, Americans were often viewed as liberators, but were eventually seen with a sense of agitation. Americans had obtained the Cuban islands under the disguise of a redeeming force, but had actually taken the islands with imperialistic ambitions. The American idea was sustained amongst the islands, and Cubans benefitted from the existence of Americans through works. However, the Cuban islanders had been stripped of their culture and traditions, and their ways of ruling were replaced with a system with Congress. The entire aspiration was to produce an influence on the entirety of the world, to create an American system that would be under the authority of the Federal Government. Therefore, the ambitions of the American people and American officials had a great influence on the actions that were taken out during this time period.
During the last few years of the nineteenth century, the United States reversed its previous isolationist policy and emerged on the world stage as an imperialistic nation. Without the western frontier to develop into, this imperialism came as no surprise as Americans felt destined to expand to other parts of the world. First, the Spanish American War in 1898 gave a sense of purpose and ambition to the American people; second, specific people and theories left a huge impact on the American people and their outlook towards Cuba; and third, the aftermath of the war gave America an even greater sense of dominance and importance. Therefore, the United States’ future was due to the desires of the American people as a whole, and what they wanted their beloved country to become.
Although American companies owned many plantations on the island of Cuba, it was still under the authority of Spain when the Spanish-American war broke out in 1898. However, trouble had started back in 1895 when Cuban nationalists displayed insurrectionary behavior throughout the tiny nation, consequently leading to trouble in the lives of many Americans. There was a great possibility that their plantations would fail, trade would cease, and their connections would be ruined. Previously, the United States had considered annexing Cuba (ex: southern plantation owners in the Antebellum Era), but because of the island’s connection with Spain, America now disliked the idea of bringing it under its wing. Yellow journalism played a huge part in this conflict. Often highly exaggerated and slightly fictitious accompanied by sensational headlines, these articles drove the American people mad over the supposed injustices that the Spanish were dealing out to the Cubans, such as concentration camps. However, what really threw Americans over the edge was the “attack” by the Spanish of the U.S.S. Maine which killed over 200 Americans. Although the accusations on the Spanish were dubious at best, Americans had become so angered over the incident, which had been inflated by the looming newspapers. Thus, the United States’ involvement in the Spanish American War was not because of a predestined course for the nation, but rather the result of ambitious Americans wanting to prove the strength of their country and right the dreadful wrongs in the world.
Many Americans were invested in Cuba financially though the vast and prosperous sugar plantations, and without involving America in the Cuban conflict, many of these wealthy investors feared that their profits would plummet. Frederick Jackson Turner announced the closing of the frontier in 1893 and stressed the importance the wild west had played in shaping the nation. With this vital part of the country gone, how would the democratic America survive to live another day? Turner’s Frontier Thesis re-evaluated the concept of Manifest Destiny (which had been present since the beginnings of the nation) to expand outwards to other nations. This concept was timed perfectly since it became very influential in American relations towards Cuba. In addition, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan’s book The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: 1660- 1783, published in 1890 stressed that control of the sea is key to world dominance. Cuba, many realized, would be the perfect place for a naval base (which was established with the creation of the American base at Guantanamo Bay by the Platt Amendment). In addition to these theories, were the publications of newspapers by writers such as William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer who, in an attempt to sell more papers, directly convinced the American people to go to war. Of course, Assistant Secretary to the Navy Theodore Roosevelt’s role in the war cannot be forgotten as we worked tirelessly to greaten America’s power and its borders, and he did join the Rough Riders in the actual war.
Although America entered the war with brave and democratic goals, it came under an imperialistic banner. With the end of the war, the United States secured Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines and the Platt Amendment was attached to the Cuban constitution placing the seemingly newly freed nation another America’s control. Having easily triumphed over the once-powerful Spanish, America emerged as an imperialistic nation, ironically which it had been striving to escape from just a little more than a century previously. This, obviously, increased the nation’s sense of importance. The United States claimed they were merely trying to help its new possessions, but this mask was soon pulled off with rebellion against the new rule, especially in the Philippines.
Although America would have liked to blame its actions on fate and destiny, the ultimate reason for its involvement in the Spanish American War and its course after was predetermined only by individuals who directly and indirectly opened a new chapter in American history through the influence they had on the people as a whole.
All graded up to this point.
Ambition is the American Dream. It was and is the driving factor in most immigrants coming to America for many centuries. The ambition to pursue freedom is what our nation was founded on in the 18th century and every decision that our has government made is in the name of that ambition. The question should not be "Was America to be the consequence of ambition or of destiny?" for they depend on each other to survive. It is because we pursue our ambitions that we shape our destiny and it is our destiny to pursue our ambitions. Which came first the chicken or the egg? You cannot have one without the other. In the same way destiny and ambition are two separate, yet intricately woven ideas that are engrained into the American media throughout all of history. To a large extent, it is the collective ambition of the country that pushes them toward their destiny. This "prophesized" destiny, that they had the ambition to create for themselves believing that they were destined to create it, manifests itself in the American work force throughout history. But its true colors were shown during the time of the Spanish-American war and the time leading up to it, through the circumstances, persons and consequences of the war. The Spanish American War was the point after America could not expand any more where America realized that the whole world was a new frontier to expand itself in and you see the beginnings of American imperialism start to arise. Historian Fredrick Jackson Turner seemed to understand it best when he said that the closing of the western frontier in 1890 marked a huge turning point in US history. This turning point was the supposed fulfillment of Manifest Destiny that was brought on by the ambition of America, ambition that was stirred on by the journalistic staple of the time, “yellow journalism.” Yellow journalism manifested itself in the competition between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst over the sale of their newspapers. However our ambition was not satisfied and because manifest destiny is the American mindset it continued to drive the workforce even passed the closing of the western frontier. Journalism was a place where America could continue to expand even after the close of the western frontier. Roosevelt was able to continue this idea of manifest destiny with his corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and his foreign policy of “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Little did anyone know that manifest destiny would not only continue past the end of the western frontier but it would continue past the earth itself in JFK’s quest for the moon. It was during the Spanish American War that America’s ambition of expansion took root in the already accepted and ingrained mindset of manifest destiny Thus it was both the destiny of America and the ambition of America to follow that destiny that shaped America into the country that with the influence and power that it now has today.
Grading complete up to this point.
-From Josh
The frontier of the west was closed and disappeared in 1890, according to Frederick Jackson Turner, in the United States (Parenthesis). In that time the Americans had to find another way to vent their energy that had gone into expanding to the west and supporting manifest destiny, and in that time Cuba allowed these Americans to finally do something with their pent-up energy in 1898 (Anaphora). This new Imperialistic America was eager to release the energy on the Spanish instead of themselves, and for their own good.
Cuba, being sick of being controlled of the Spanish, went into a revolution against the Spanish. The USA had spent and invested millions into Cuba, and the actions of a few would change the path of America and make it become what it is today. Powerful politicians and business owners weren’t about to let underdog Cuba fight the Spanish alone. Having Cuba be iits own independent country had many benefits, especially if they were allies with the USA, allowing for practically complete control of the Caribbean, and for a stronger possibility for a Atlantic to Pacific route to be created in the area for transport to sped up to substantial amounts without having to go all the way around South America. Many people were rushing for the war with Spain, especially with the help of journalism to spread the fervor across the country.
One major cause for the Spanish-American War was due to the emergence of “yellow-journalism”. The competition between newspaper businesses was extraordinary, especially between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. These two newspaper tycoons sensationalized and even in some cases fictionalized stories to sell more and more to the public, along with spreading political propaganda. Hearst eventually set the public on fire (Metaphor) by spreading the rumor that the Spanish had caused the explosion and destroyed the US battleship Maine in Havana harbor. Quickly through the public, all sorts of chants were repeated including “Remember the Maine, To Hell with Spain!” The American people went to war perfectly willingly with Spain, even after the Navy admitted that the explosion was not caused by the Spanish (paranthesis), with absolute fervor.
The war was not even fair for the Spanish, despite the diseases that could have ruined American troops in Cuba. American gained strong ties with semi-independent Cuba, and even gained authority over several areas including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, bolstering America with an imperialistic image. Some of the people who fought in the war would also gain fame and even the presidency. President Teddy Roosevelt truly spoke softly and carried a big stick, and his fame from being a rough rider gained him major popularity. He came in a with a imperialistic approach, and he even disregarded checks and balances to an extent. He went through south America and perverted the Monroe Doctrine, he started the construction of the Panama Canal so that the US could get further control over the gulf of Mexico and have a way to easily send warships and trade ships to the other half of the world without the risks of Ice sinking ships and killing many lives, and he even became a pseudo Henry Clay at a world level as he negotiated for the Japanese and the Russians for peace after war (anaphora). The Spanish-American War not only gave more control over more parts of the Earth, it gave America a new leader that would be as hardy as a bull-moose.
The actions of a few, along with the help of newspapers and the media, changed America’s focus of energy on the rest of the world when the Western Frontier disappeared. The war even gave America another war hero president, but this time, he wouldn’t die like the other halve of other war hero presidents and change the nation even more.
Nick Palmares
Per. 4
in 1898, the Spanish- American war was arguably the first conflict started that was a result of American expansionism. With the closing of the frontier in the 1890’s, summed up by Fredrick Jackson Turner’s essay, the U.S. sought a “new frontier” to conquer, and this came in the form of the weak Spanish Empire. First, this war was a result of political ambition as the men in power sought to flex their military muscles (Personification); second, the war was a result of the excited public calling for blood as a direct result of the press and “yellow journalism;” and third, the war raised the nations confidence in its role as the “city on the hill”. Therefore, because of the political and social reasons the Spanish-American War was a, “continuation of politics by other means” , and was a direct result of the ambitions of a few and the drive of an outraged many. Politically, the nation was pushed into the conflict by ambitious leaders, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge, who advocated expansionism. Theodore Roosevelt, the Secretary of the Navy at the time advocated the war, and spoke strongly that the U.S. grow its navy to control its borders and the seas. This shows the mood of the nation at the time, it believed that it had a destiny to expand and share the American ideals (parenthesis), and it would do this through, as Roosevelt would later say, “a big stick.” The ambition of Roosevelt and the other young political leaders was supplemented by the anger McKinley held for the Spanish who had written a letter that stated their disdain for the American President. The war, therefore, was personal, and was not just for Cuba’s freedom, or the “sinking” of an American ship; McKinley and Roosevelt were looking for war. Socially, the nation was pushed towards war as newspapers where being purchased like they were “going out of style” (Simile) and they most dramatically overstated the events that led the nation to war. These newspapers released papers with what was called “yellow journalism,” this type of journalism embellished and expanded the facts to gain more money, and helped to precipitate the war. These overstated facts helped to enrage the public who gave McKinley and the ambitious few all they needed to start a war after the Maine was sunk in a Cuban port. Although this turned out to just be the powder magazine on the ship accidentally exploded, however, this did not stop the decision of the zealous nation from immerging itself in war. This proves that the nation was ambitious and seeking a “new frontier” to expand to in order to fulfill manifest destiny. This war, once started was a cake walk (Metaphor), as it was over almost as soon as it started. The Spanish were obviously no match for the more technologically advanced U.S. This war, although in reality was a given that the U.S. would win, gave the people and politicians the confidence that they could compete on the world stage militaristically and economically. It also affirmed America’s role, which had been believed since the Puritans landed on the continent, as the “city on the hill.” The Spanish-American War, although quickly over, was huge to the confidence of the U.S. and gave the country a “new frontier” to fill the void left by the total in habitation from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
During the late 1800's, America had experienced success technologically, economically, and industrially. When the western frontier was officially closed Fredrick Jackson Turner explained that there were two options left; either the United States could choose (personification) to transfer their energy into finding a new frontier, or allow it to destroy them. First, the Spanish American War was the dawn (metaphor) of finding the new frontier; Second, select people had a large influence on what the outcome of the war would be whether they realized it or not; third, the nation began to question its role as a dominant world power as American leadership spread throughout the territories; a consequence of the Spanish American War. Therefore, events building up to the war, people who had a large effect on the outcome of the first American war over seas, and consequences of the Spanish American War support that it is American ambition versus destiny that created the future of the United States.
In 1893 the Census Bureau was able to claim that the entire western frontier was occupied. The West already began to be filled with newcomers once valuable resources (such as gold and silver) (parenthesis) were discovered in California. By the time it was announced that the frontier was gone, Americans all had nationalism on their minds and needed to put all that energy into finding a new frontier. When Cuban rebels wanted freedom from the Spanish rule in 1895 yellow journalism (created through a newspaper-selling war between William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer) (parenthesis) used sensational titles and deeply exaggerated stories on the Spanish tactics to control the rebels to get people to buy more papers and influence their thoughts on the Spanish. This in turn fueled the public support for a war with Spain but support especially increased when the battleship Maine was claimed to have been sunk by the Spanish when in reality was from an accident on board. Along with yellow journalism and the sinking of the Maine, traders and businessmen began to worry about their investments in Cuba. So in order to protect their incomes from Cuba, businessmen would encourage a war, thus starting the search for a new frontier to claim. Alfred Thayer Mahan had published a book stating that if you wanted to control the world then you would have to take control of the seas. Important politicians read his book and believed that it could fix what Turner said about the western frontier’s closing having a drastic effect on the U.S. More importantly, Theodore Roosevelt was greatly influenced by the book (being Assistant Secretary of the Navy) and probably took it upon himself to make a theory become reality since TR believed that a strong navy would be excellent in proceeding into protecting U.S. interests overseas while staying safely at home. But in order to have a strong navy they would need a few bases such as Cuba, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. When the Maine ship was destroyed T.R. wrote to a friend that “[he] would give anything if President McKinley ordered the fleet to Havana tomorrow.” It can be assumed that Roosevelt had his own intentions at heart on what seemed like a way to raise the U.S. up to the world power status to everyone else. Once the war was won (alliteration) Americans began to spread their economic dominance overseas with the new acquisitions of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Cuba was allowed to stay independent even though Hawaii was forced to join, creating doubt to blossom in the minds of many. Therefore, the actions of people and the beliefs of others is what has shaped America till this day.
Post a Comment