8 - The Wars of 1898 and the US Overseas Empire

Summary

The United States acquired a large overseas empire as a result of its quick victory in the War of 1898. The war had many causes, but for most Americans it began as a humanitarian intervention to liberate Cubans suffering under Spanish rule, a generous aim that made the war popular. If the cause of the war had to do with Cuba, the consequences went further. By war’s end, the United States also occupied Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and other Spanish territories in the Pacific. These possessions fell into the lap of the United States as a byproduct of the war in Cuba, and the United States did not let go of them, leading to resistance by people who had not imagined trading Spanish rule for American. Governing unwilling subjects soon led to “pacifying” them by coercive methods that took some of the shine off American self-regard and boosted anti-imperialist sentiment.