What you’ll learn to do: describe the Spanish-American War and resulting American expansionism

Figure 1. A cartoon by Louis Dalrymple about Cuba and the Spanish. The original subtitle of the cartoon reads: “The duty of the hour; – to save her not only from Spain, but from a worse fate.” What do you think this says about American attitudes towards Cuba, and towards America power abroad? Think about this as you learn more about the Spanish-American War.

By confronting Spain over its imperial rule in Cuba, the United States took control of valuable territories in Central America and the Pacific. This first step toward becoming an empire was a militarily decisive one, and the U.S. was also able to seize valuable territories in Latin America and Asia. The untested U.S. Navy proved superior to the Spanish fleet, and the military strategists who planned the war in the broader context of empire felt that their expansionist views had been validated. The annexation of the former Spanish colonies of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, combined with the acquisition of Hawaii, Samoa, and Wake Island, positioned the United States as the predominant world power in the South Pacific and the Caribbean. However, this also reignited debates about what a viable foreign policy might look like for the United States.