Essay On The Maine War

In the year of 1898 Spain declared war on the United States. The U.S. prime objective was for the true Cuban independence. In pursuing such goal, the string of conflicts began with the poor treatment of Cuban civilians in concentration camps by the Spanish, ‘yellow journalism,” and the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine. The United States involvement in the war was a combination of all of these factors; however, the most influential factor was the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine. The outrage of American citizens advanced throughout the country. Ultimately, the strong perception of a deliberate attack on the Maine pressured United States into the war. Without a clear rationale, the American public pressured the United States to avenge the Maine. After …show more content…
This caused the greatest statewide emotional response and a sense of patriotism to the injustices of the strike on the Maine. It motivated many Americans to step in and pressure the U.S. government to take action upon the Spanish. In contrast, President McKinley tried to avert the U.S. from war, however after the sinking of the Maine he couldn’t avoid war. Although the explosion of the Maine sparked retaliation among American citizens, the origin of the explosion is still unknown. Thus, “yellow journalism” played an important role that fueled the Americans strong response to the acts of aggression towards the U.S. The press only made the U.S. make a faster decision. Ultimately, this resulted U.S. in the commencement of the …show more content…
They gained economic benefits as well as the necessity to be a major player in the world. The most immediate development of the war was the reshaping of United States territory. The preliminary peace agreement between the United States and Spain took place right after the war (677). Spain agreed to hand over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. The United States emerged into a strong nation by conquering large portion of Spain’s land. Another contributor to the war was confidence in their military force. The aftermath of the Spanish-American War “solidified U.S. military confidence and the policies that came out of this war” (“The Rise of US Imperialism”). The war helped the United States learn a great deal in terms of military organization, training and medical advancement. For instance, “American combat causalities had been few; most U.S. soldiers’ deaths had resulted from malaria and yellow fever” (Henretta et al. 676). These precautions of medical attention made America much stronger and smarter than before. Consequently, the factors greatly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. military and the nation