USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

[SOURCES]
Which of the following is NOT a reason for the United States’ involvement in the Spanish American War?

(A) To establish dominance over the Western Hemisphere

(B) ** To prevent the spread of Communism.

(C) To protect the U.S. business interests in the Caribbean.

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -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-2: -Spain wanted to avoid war at all costs, and the Spanish diplomats to Washington promised to end the concentration camps and make peace with the insurrectos. The US would not have it, demanding only one thing: complete Spanish withdrawal from Cuba and a recognition of Cuban independence.

Concept note-3: -Although the United States promised it would not annex Cuba after victory, it did require Cuba to permit significant American intervention in Cuban affairs. As a result of the war, the United States acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines as territories.

Concept note-4: -The war ended with the 1898 Treaty of Paris, negotiated on terms favorable to the United States. The treaty ceded ownership of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine islands from Spain to the United States and granted the United States temporary control of Cuba.