American-Spanish War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American-Spanish state of war - Essay ExampleIn the history of the join States, the Spanish-American War (SAW) is one of the most important foreign wars. The result of the war was the victory for the United States, and this victory became viable due to the hard work and efforts of far-sighted Americans, particularly known as Navalists. The contemporary world would have looked kinda different today, if the United States had non won this war. The United States was able to defeat Spain so easily because or so far-sighted Americans, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge, were able to develop a concentrated American fleet. Creating a strong navy was one of the most important ways to protect the national interest and sovereignty of the United States. The navy was to be the backbone of the American power for years to come . The U.S. was able to defeat Spain at considerably low cost as it got prepared better both military and psychologically, to a colossal extent The bac kground of the war actually propelled the United States to embark on the policy of revenge, and to take broad public opinion. On February 15, 1898, an explosion occurred in the USS Maine, in the Havana Harbor, which led to the war. Another reason was the approximation of freeing Cuba from Spanish domination. However, the USA was able to rapidly gain control, and build an empire effectively. After it had consume Spain from Cuba, the United States was able to gain control of Puerto Rico, and eventually Samoa, Guam, Wake Island, Philippines, and then eventually Hawaii . The war only lasted around 3 months, and resulted in very few casualties, around 400 killed and wounded. In fact, the anti-Spanish atmospheric pressure was able to raise the public against Spain, which led to mass support, which is essential in wars. Such anti-Spanish press include the Yellow Journalism. ... It was also because of the misrule by Spanish in Cuba, and the misery that it had caused, which led to huge n ationalistic extinctburst.6 The fact that the United States was so strong militarily also paved the way for the sprightly and relatively easy victory. The U.S did not have to protect any colonies abroad. Additionally, the strong navy was built, which was encouraged by both business and government leaders. A modernization program had been started back in 1881, which had include innovations, which included new ships having steel hulls, large, rifled guns and steam engines. The strong U.S navy was able to defeat Spain easily, because Spain could not manage with the all-steel and steam navy, which had ranked one of the top five navies in the world at that particular period. The Spanish navy was easily defeated. 7 Additionally, the government policies, as well as the high quality of lead also made Spanish defeat extremely easy. Theodore Roosevelt had a policy, which was summarized Speak softly but run for a big stick showed that there were masterminds behind the development of this plan. The building up of the navy, and the subsequent annexations that the U.S chased ensured that Spain no longer stood a chance. 8 The Monroe Doctrine also stated that the New World would not be part of foreign colonization, which is why American leadership did not want Spanish figurehead in Cuba. The leadership eventually turned against Spain, and Americas policies and strength diverted to driving out Spain. Additionally, as historians have examined, Spain was an old and weak country, while the United States was vigorous, new and energetic. It had new strategies.9 As Barrett wrote When Deweys squadron sailed out from Mires