The Spanish-American War Was Not a "Just" War

Many people have different ideas on what a "just" war is. I believe a just war means the war has to be for the right reasons and it has to be last resort. To me the Spanish American War was not a just war. I don't feel the U.S foreign policy was justified following to war because the U.S used the foreign policy of imperialism when the should have use isolationism. This war was not their war they should have stood out of it.

This war all started when the small island of Cuba wanted independence from Spain. This was a conflict of Cuba and Spain, NOT America. But the United States felt the need to interfere and "help" Cuba. Of course the United States had its own reasons for going in like sugar and the fact that they didn't want Spain in the Norther Hemisphere. See, at the time all or almost all nations were being imperial. Almost as if every man for himself. Every nation wanted to expand their land and spread there cutler; be imperial. I consider my self an anti-imperialist because to me going into other weaker and poor nations just seems wrong. Now, if America weren't so caught up in being imperial they would have never gotten into this war at all. They wouldn't care about getting into Cuba and Spain's conflict to keep Spain out of the Northern Hemisphere or to keep Cuba for themselves.

In the beginning President McKinley didn't even want to go to war! The United States sent a boat called the U.S.S Maine to Cuba to help Cuba get independence from Spain. When the U.S.S Maine exploded the United States quickly accused the Spanish for blowing up the Maine. That's when the media started to play a huge role in this war. The media influenced the U.S public opinion by using yellow journalism to make the American people believe that Spain blew up the Maine. Yellow journalism is a type of reporting that is not always true and uses eye checking writing to sell more newspapers. All the newspapers had written articles on what happened with the U.S.S Maine but those articles were using yellow journalism. An example of how they used yellow journalism is that the newspapers had headlines like "Work of Enemy." And Because at the time all people got their news from newspaper, everyone believed Spain blew up the Maine.


After all this happen with the Maine it gave America more reasons to interfere with Spain and Cuba's conflict, not only for imperialism but now America thinks Spain blew up the Maine. Her Majesty sent a letter to the U.S concerning what happened with the U.S.S Maine and in this letter it stated how Spain had nothing to do with what happened with the Maine and it said "As for the question of who destroyed the Maine, the Spanish government has declared itself ready to submit the issue to the judgment of impartial and disinterested experts." Spain pretty much wanted to solve this problem it now had with America. President McKinley then wrote a letter to congress declaring war on Spain with out taking the problem to judges to figure out whether or not Spain blew up the U.S.S Maine. 78 years later we found out Spain did NOT blow up the U.S.S Maine.

President McKinley was pressured into war. He had a difficult decision to make. He did not want war. He once said "I fought in our Civil War. I saw dead piled up. I do not want to see it again." But he knew many Americans wanted war and if he didn't go to war he would lose Republican support. Also he felt America related to Cuba because when the colonies wanted freedom from England they also rebelled. He also felt bad for Cubans, Cubans were being put into consideration camps by Spain. Cubans were dieing quickly from starvation and deises.

Imperialist believed expanding our nation was a good thing. That even included going into other weaker, poorer nations and taking over. Imperialist supported foreign policy. They agree with the position we took on going in and helping Cuba. America helped free Cuba from the Spanish. But once Cuba was free they went into chaos so America went in and took over. America set up a government in Cuba. Cuba then became U.S territory, today Cuba is not U.S territory anymore. Imperialist believed even though we helped Cuba get free from Spain, its OK that we go in and take over later. See, at the time all nations were trying to expand. All nations wanted more land , more power and they wanted to influence other places to believe what they believe. So for the U.S to gain Cuba would be a big plus.

Anti-imperialist did not support foreign policy. They believed it was wrong to want to be better then everyone else. Places that nations tried to take over liked their ways not other peoples way so why should the be forced to follow ways the don't like. "Now the great reason why saying to someone else 'We know what is good for you better then you know yourself and we are going to make you do it' is false and wrong is that it violates liberty; or to turn the same statement into other words, the reason why liberty, of which we Americans talk so much of, is a good thing is that it means leaving people to live out their own lives in their own way, while we do the same."

After- Once the war ending Cuba was set free along with Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and other small islands. Once Cuba was set free it went into chaos without a government so The United States took control over Cuba and set up a government there. Puerto Rico became a U.S territory; not a state but this island belongs to the U.S.

The Spanish American war shows me how shady thing were back in the 1900's. It shows the ways of imperialism and unfair war. This war shaped the U.S because it was the nations first step on the pathway to becoming a world power.

-Kaitlyn Rivera