Spanish American War

Today - you are going to research the Spanish-American War and post your findings on your website.

Some we sites that I want you to use include: http://www.smplanet.com/teaching/imperialism/#SAW2

and http://loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/intro.html

What to POST ON YOUR BLOG:

1) What was the Spanish-American War?  When did it happen?  Why did it happen?
2) What incident set off the war?
3) Find a map of the war (post it)
4) Who was President.  Did the President want the war?  If not who did and why?
5) What area/land etc. did the U.S. acquire at the end of the war?
6) How did this make the U.S. an Imperialistic country (look up the term imperial)?
7) How did Teddy Roosevelt fit into this war?  What did he do?
8) Give some reactions both positive and negative about the war (from the time period).
9) Read the primary sources below and give me your reaction to them.  

Reading 7

First. In the cause of humanity and to put an end to the barbarities, bloodshed, starvation, and horrible miseries now existing there [in Cuba], and which the parties to the conflict are either unable or unwilling to stop or mitigate....

Second. We owe it to our citizens in Cuba to afford them that protection and indemnity for life and property....

Third. The right to intervene may be justified by the very serious injury to the commerce, trade, and business of our people and by the wanton destruction of property and devastation of the island.

 President McKinley's call for war against Spain, 1898

Reading 8

When next I realized that the Philippines had dropped into our laps I confess I did not know what to do with them....I walked the floor of the White House night after night until midnight; and I am not ashamed to tell you, gentlemen, that I went down on my knees and prayed Almighty God for light and guidance....And one night late it came to me this way....
(1) that we could not give them back to Spain--that would be cowardly and dishonorable;
(2) That we could not turn them over to France or Germany--our commercial rivals in the Orient--that would be bad business and discreditable;
(3) That we could not leave them to themselves--they were unfit for self-government--and they would soon have anarchy and misrule worse than Spain's war;
(4) That there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them as our fellow men for whom Christ also died.

President McKinley on the Philippines