USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -In April 1898 Senator Henry M. Teller (Colorado) proposed an amendment to the U.S. declaration of war against Spain which proclaimed that the United States would not establish permanent control over Cuba.

Detailed explanation-2: -As chair of the Senate Committee with Relations on Cuba, he sponsored the amendment as a rider attached to the Army Appropriations Bill of 1901. Cubans reluctantly included the amendment, which virtually made Cuba a U.S. protectorate, in their constitution.

Detailed explanation-3: -Think about the Platt Amendment as a reaction to the Teller Amendment. Teller says the U.S. can’t lay claim to Cuba; Platt says the U.S. can control tons of aspects of how Cuba is run, just without actual American ownership.

Detailed explanation-4: -What was Cuba’s role in the peace talks in the Treaty of Paris and the Platt Amendment? Cuba did not have a role in negotiating terms in the Treaty of Paris; Spain agreed to cede Cuba to the US. In the Platt Amendment, Cuba agreed to American intervention and to lease Guantánamo Bay to the US.