Why US Went To War With Spain

In April 1898, the United States went to war with Spain. The Spanish-American War was a three months war between America and Spain. There were a lot of reasons why America attacked Spain. The main two reasons were the America claimed to want to help Cuba to get its independence from Spain but it was not true; they wanted to protect their business interests in Cuba; the other reason was the mysterious explosion of U.S.S. Maine ship in Havana Harbor. In Cuba people were tyrannized by Spain; no one wanted to be under Spanish rule. In 1868 Cubans started a fight for their independence; they fought ten years and did not win until America helped. They tried whatever they could, but it was obvious that the Spain was stronger. America saw this mess as something that was …show more content…
America had a big businesses in Cuba, By 1895 North American businessmen had invested up to 50 million dollars in Cuba. For the United States, Cuba was “an important market for industrial goods and a source of raw sugar, tobacco, and various minerals.” America was prejudiced against Spain because their economy tied with Cuba. America declared war on Spain because they wanted Spain out of Cuba so they can trade with Cuba in peace. Americans were particularly unhappy with Spain because they felt the Spanish were treating their Cuban subjects quite brutally. They claimed that they wanted to help Cuba. This made America looked like they were engrossed in Cuba’s Independence but the truth is they were interested in what they were getting from Cuba. The other reason behind Spanish-American war was the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana Harbor. On February 15, 1898, the American battleship Maine exploded in Havana Harbor and killed 260 crew member. Though there was no evidence