Question
In April 1898, a big change in American history started when the U.S. declared war on Spain. This was called the Spanish-American War. People in Cuba were fighting for their freedom from Spain, and many Americans felt strongly about helping them. A group of newspapers, known as the "yellow press," made things even more intense by printing exciting stories that grabbed people's attention and made them angry about the situation in Cuba.
Things really heated up when the USS Maine, an American battleship, exploded in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, killing many sailors. This made more people want to go to war. Although Spain tried to talk things out, Americans were already fired up, and President McKinley declared war on April 25, 1898.
The actual fighting didn't take long. American soldiers quickly defeated the Spanish in Cuba and Puerto Rico, leading to a peace agreement on August 12, 1898. During this time, the U.S. also annexed Hawaii, showing that it was starting to become a powerful country on a global scale. People were divided over expansion; some wanted to extend U.S. influence (mostly Republicans), while others, mainly Democrats, worried about becoming an empire and going against the Monroe Doctrine, which had warned against interfering in other countries.
At first, some business leaders and Catholic groups were against the war, but over time, as nationalism grew, more people changed their minds in favor of expansion. By the time the peace treaty with Spain was agreed upon, many Democrats supported it too, signifying a big shift in American attitudes about being involved in world affairs.
Hawaii was important for the U.S. because people were worried that another country might take it over. American interests in Hawaii had been growing for years. In the late 1800s, American sugar growers had a lot of power in Hawaii, and they wanted to make sure the U.S. would control Hawaii, especially when Queen Liliuokalani tried to take back some of her power. In 1893, she was overthrown in a coup led by Sanford Dole, with help from the U.S. government.
President Grover Cleveland thought annexing Hawaii was wrong and wanted to restore Queen Liliuokalani, but in 1898, the U.S. went ahead and annexed Hawaii anyway during the excitement of the Spanish-American War. Hawaii officially became a U.S. territory in 1900, with Dole as its first governor. Hawaii wouldn’t become a state until 1959, when it joined the United States along with Alaska in a compromise.
In a letter to the Senate, a government official asked them to ratify a treaty to annex Hawaii. He explained that the Hawaiian monarchy was unstable, and Queen Liliuokalani’s rule was hurting American interests. He argued that annexing Hawaii was necessary to prevent other countries from taking control of the islands and to ensure stability.
In a letter to Congress, President Cleveland talked about the trouble in Hawaii, explaining that the Hawaiian government was overthrown shortly before he took office and that he was unhappy with how the U.S. had intervened there. He aimed to restore the original government but faced challenges. He wanted Congress to be informed about the situation and hoped to fix the mistakes made by the U.S.
Before all this, when Queen Liliuokalani tried to make changes to help her people, some American sugar planters wanted Hawaii to join the U.S. because of an economic downturn. After she was overthrown by American forces on January 16, 1893, she gave up her power but remained Queen. Later, after a failed attempt to regain her throne, she was imprisoned and eventually had to give up her claim to power altogether.
put it in seven sentences
Things really heated up when the USS Maine, an American battleship, exploded in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, killing many sailors. This made more people want to go to war. Although Spain tried to talk things out, Americans were already fired up, and President McKinley declared war on April 25, 1898.
The actual fighting didn't take long. American soldiers quickly defeated the Spanish in Cuba and Puerto Rico, leading to a peace agreement on August 12, 1898. During this time, the U.S. also annexed Hawaii, showing that it was starting to become a powerful country on a global scale. People were divided over expansion; some wanted to extend U.S. influence (mostly Republicans), while others, mainly Democrats, worried about becoming an empire and going against the Monroe Doctrine, which had warned against interfering in other countries.
At first, some business leaders and Catholic groups were against the war, but over time, as nationalism grew, more people changed their minds in favor of expansion. By the time the peace treaty with Spain was agreed upon, many Democrats supported it too, signifying a big shift in American attitudes about being involved in world affairs.
Hawaii was important for the U.S. because people were worried that another country might take it over. American interests in Hawaii had been growing for years. In the late 1800s, American sugar growers had a lot of power in Hawaii, and they wanted to make sure the U.S. would control Hawaii, especially when Queen Liliuokalani tried to take back some of her power. In 1893, she was overthrown in a coup led by Sanford Dole, with help from the U.S. government.
President Grover Cleveland thought annexing Hawaii was wrong and wanted to restore Queen Liliuokalani, but in 1898, the U.S. went ahead and annexed Hawaii anyway during the excitement of the Spanish-American War. Hawaii officially became a U.S. territory in 1900, with Dole as its first governor. Hawaii wouldn’t become a state until 1959, when it joined the United States along with Alaska in a compromise.
In a letter to the Senate, a government official asked them to ratify a treaty to annex Hawaii. He explained that the Hawaiian monarchy was unstable, and Queen Liliuokalani’s rule was hurting American interests. He argued that annexing Hawaii was necessary to prevent other countries from taking control of the islands and to ensure stability.
In a letter to Congress, President Cleveland talked about the trouble in Hawaii, explaining that the Hawaiian government was overthrown shortly before he took office and that he was unhappy with how the U.S. had intervened there. He aimed to restore the original government but faced challenges. He wanted Congress to be informed about the situation and hoped to fix the mistakes made by the U.S.
Before all this, when Queen Liliuokalani tried to make changes to help her people, some American sugar planters wanted Hawaii to join the U.S. because of an economic downturn. After she was overthrown by American forces on January 16, 1893, she gave up her power but remained Queen. Later, after a failed attempt to regain her throne, she was imprisoned and eventually had to give up her claim to power altogether.
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The U.S. declared war on Spain in April 1898, marking the beginning of the Spanish-American War, largely fueled by American sympathy for Cuban freedom fighters and sensational journalism from the "yellow press." The explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor intensified calls for war, leading President McKinley to declare war on April 25, 1898. The conflict quickly concluded with American victories in Cuba and Puerto Rico, resulting in a peace treaty on August 12, 1898. Concurrently, the U.S. annexed Hawaii, driven by strategic interests and fears of foreign takeover, despite initial opposition from President Grover Cleveland. American business leaders and nationalist sentiments gradually shifted public opinion in favor of expansionism. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1900, with Sanford Dole as governor, even though Queen Liliuokalani had been overthrown in a coup in 1893. Throughout these events, differing perspectives on American expansionism reflected deep divisions within the country regarding its role in world affairs.
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