(A) Spain sent a torpedo at the U.S
(B) ** Cubans were suffering
(C) Spain was going to bomb Havana
(D) They didn’t give one
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -The Cuban movement for independence from Spain in 1895 garnered considerable American support. When the USS Maine sank, the United States believed the tragedy was the result of Spanish sabotage and declared war on Spain.
Concept note-2: -The reasons for war were many, but there were two immediate ones: America’s support the ongoing struggle by Cubans and Filipinos against Spanish rule, and the mysterious explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor.
Concept note-3: -The main issue was Cuban independence. Revolts had been occurring for some years in Cuba against Spanish colonial rule. The United States backed these revolts upon entering the Spanish–American War. There had been war scares before, as in the Virginius Affair in 1873.
Concept note-4: -The conflict, combined with the Spanish-U.S. tariff controversy of the 1890s, had destroyed two-thirds of its productive capacity. Close to 20 percent of its prewar estimated population of 1, 800, 000 had perished, and for those who survived the future was bleak indeed. Cubans had no capital and were heavily in debt.