Title: Spanish-American War Causes - PHDessay.com
Headings: Spanish-American War Causes
Get help from
a subject expert
in 3 hours It’s fast!
Spanish-American War Causes
Cite this page

Content: Spanish-American War Causes - PHDessay.com
PhD Essay History Wars Spanish American War Spanish-American War Causes
Get help from
a subject expert
in 3 hours It’s fast! Hire verified expert
Last Updated 10 Aug 2020
Spanish-American War Causes
Category Spanish American War
Essay type Research
Words
1035
(4 pages)
Views
345
The Spanish-American War (April 24, 1898-August 12, 1898) occurred as a result of various influences, including American religion, a sense of mission, political tensions between the U.S. and Spain, Spanish violence against the people of Cuba, and the Cuban desire for freedom from colonization. The war originated in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain in February 1895. The spreading influence of the Cuban conflict on America prompted the United States to go to war with Spain (History.com Editors, 2010). Although the “mysterious” explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine, in Havana Harbor, was seen as the cause of the Spanish-American War, it was the United States’ increasing concern over political unrest in Cuba that prompted America to declare war on Spain. Throughout the nineteenth century, the Cubans were struggling to rebel under Spain’s oppressive rule. The Cuban conflict was injurious to U.S. investments on the island, so much so, that it almost ceased U.S. trade with Cuba. Meanwhile, on the insurgent side, the war mainly waged against property and led to the ultimate decimation of sugarcane and sugar mills. Furthermore, under the Spanish commander, Capt. Gen. Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, Cubans were forcefully herded into “reconcentration areas,” which were often located in and around large cities.