1810 American settlers in East and West Florida declare independence and rebel against Spain for control of land.
April 28, 1823 With newly acquired land the United States has become to within 90 miles of Cuba. Secretary of State John Quincy Adam sends a letter to Minister to Spain Hugh Nelson speculating the likelihood of U.S. “annexation of Cuba” within half a century in spite of deterrents:
“But there are laws of political as well as of physical gravitation; and if an apple severed by the tempest from its native tree cannot choose but fall to the ground, Cuba, forcibly disjoined from its own unnatural connection with Spain, and incapable of self-support, can gravitate only towards the North American Union, which by the same law of nature cannot cast her off from its bosom.”
- Cubans’ dub Adam’s policy la fruta madura (ripe fruit); Washington is waiting until the fruit is ripe for the picking.
On this day 191 years ago John Quincy Adams expressed his prediction for the future of Cuban-American contact. The Cuban wars of independence were only 15 years away from his prediction when he estimated. These independence wars continue to influence Cuba’s cultural and political attitude toward Europe and the United States; This in part due to the externalities involved in the remodeling of social structure in the aftermath of the revolution. The intentions and motives of each faction: rebels, United States government, Spanish government, United States public, and the Cuban public, varied widely to an extend that caused even more concern in the future. Depending on the point of view of an outsider the situation in Cuba seemed to be a continuation of revolution...
... middle of paper ...
...." Jane Franklin –
Cuba and the United States: A Chronological History. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
.
Pérez, Louis A.. Cuba between empires, 1878-1902. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1983 Print.
Pletcher, David M. The Diplomacy of Trade and Investment: American Economic Expansion
in the Hemisphere, 1865–1900 (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1998).
"Proposition del Capitan General Ramon Blanco Erenas." Proposicion del Capitan General Ramon Blanco Erenas. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Smith, Verity. Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature. Taylor & Francis, 1997.
"The Ten-Year War (1868-78)." History of Cuba. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Trask, David F.. The war with Spain in 1898. Collector's ed. Norwalk, CT: Easton Press,
2002. Print.
Americans living in West Florida between the Iberville and Perdido Rivers declared their independence, and President Madison ordered the Governor of New Orleans Territory to take control of the independent land. The Americans now had control over half the territory they wanted but this did not satisfy them, this only made them more eager to gain control of East Florida. Almost two years after this event peace concluded, but Spain still had possession of East Florida. This time Spain only had two solutions to avoid a shameful political break down over this region. One was to gain support of a European ally, and the second was to get some form of honor in this event by winning some of the United States best land else where in North America. The first plan fell through, Britain and other European nations refused to help Spain. They eventually fell to having discussions with the United States.
Teja, Jesus F. De La. A Revolution Remembered: The Memoirs and Selected Correspondence of Juan N. Seguin. Austin: State House Press, 1991.
Díaz del Castillo, Bernal. "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain." In Sources of Making of the West, by Katarine J. Lualdi, 269-273. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
United States of America. U.S. Department of State. Office of the Historian. The Spanish-American War, 1898. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Long before our involvement, the Cubans had been leading revolts and revolutions against Spain. The Spanish empire considered Cuba to be its jewel, not only for its beauty but also for its economics. Cuba’s main source of income was from its expansive sugar plantations that greatly contributed to its wealth (more so to the Spanish Empires wealth). Ironically, even due to the high regard to Cuba, it was neglected and oppressed, as the Spanish Empire began its decline in the middle of the nineteenth century. The Empire was falling due to it slowly loosing its control over its territories, closer to the US then to Spain, because of a lack of industrializing. The Spanish would claim ownership, but never contribute back to their land. This opened the door for what is known as the 10-year war and the struggle for Cuban Independence. The United States never got directly involved, but it sympathized greatly with the Cuban’s cause, for ...
The War of 1898 was a war between Spain and the United States of America. It is one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted wars in American history. There were many circumstances that led up to the battle between Spain and America. The three main causes of the War of 1898 were the worsening economy during this time, nationalism, and imperialism. The Spanish American war was brief and included few battles. In fact, there was never much doubt of its outcome, but the war had major historical significance.
Comment on the consequences for the United States with regard to the statement made by Eric Foner in the text, “Thus, two principles central to American freedom since the War of Independence – no taxation without representation and government based on the consent of the governed – were abandoned when it came to the nation’s new possessions. The struggle of Cuba to gain its independence from Spain, which began in 1895, has captured the attention of many Americans. Spain’s brutal repressive measures to halt the rebellion were graphically portrayed to the U.S. public by American newspaper publishers, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. This caused the national mood to shift. Hearst and Pulitzer exaggerated the actual events in Cuba and how the Spanish brutally treated their prisoners by adding sensational words to catch the emotions of readers.
The Spanish-American War was the brief conflict that the United States waged against Spain in 1898. The war had grown out of the Cuban struggle for independence, and whose other causes included American imperialism and the sinking of the U.S warship Maine. The actual hostilities in the war lasted four months, from April 25 to August 12, 1898. Most of the fighting occurred in or near the Spanish colonial possessions of Cuba and the Philippines, nearly halfway around the world form each other. In both battlegrounds, the decisive military event was the complete destruction of a Spanish naval squadron by a vastly superior U.S. fleet. These victories, after brief resistance, brought about the surrender of the Spanish to U.S. military forces as indicated by a peace treaty signed between the two countries on December 10, 1898, in Paris, France. In the end, the Americans had minimal casualties, while the Spanish suffered immense fatalities and damage to their naval resources (Encyclopedia Britannica).
Loss, Jacqueline, and González José Manuel Prieto. "Introduction: Pg. 1-5." Caviar with Rum: Cuba-USSR and the Post-Soviet Experience. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. N. pag. Print.
Trask, David.? ?The Spanish-American War.?? The World of 1898:? The Spanish American War.? (1998):? n. pag.? Online.? Internet.? 19 Jan. 2000.? Available:? http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/trask.html.
Many people think of and remember Cuba as an island filled with picturesque tourist beaches, Che Guevara memorabilia, and quaint fifties cars; but it is much more than that. Ask any one of the countries that engage in foreign relations with Cuba and one would hear positive remarks regarding the systems of Cuban Medical Diplomacy, Yo Si Puedo literacy training, and other aspects of what Joseph Nye calls ‘Soft Power’ (Dominguez 2008). Nye defines ‘Soft Power’ as the promotion of the attractive qualities of a country; their way of life, their social supports and cultural institutions, his definition uses the example of the United States however one could argue that Cuba is perhaps one of the best examples of successful ‘soft power’ (Dominguez 2008). The Cuban brand of ‘Soft Power’ is built off of a rejection of hegemonic processes of neo-colonialism, and operates under the cover of cooperation and prides itself on its unwillingness to interfere in the inner workings of another sovereign nation (Huish and Blue 2013). At its roots Cuban Foreign policy seeks to earn international influence through productive engagement rather than a show of military force. Even President Obama has acknowledged the success of Cuba’s effective employment of ‘Soft Power’ and suggested that the United States learn from their example at the 2009 Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad:
However, the US played a much larger role in Cuba’s past and present than the building of casinos and the introduction of the first taints of corruption. In the past, even before Batista, Americans were resented by Cubans because the Americans made a lot of Cuba’s decisions. Under Batista, 80% of Cuban imports came from the US, and the US controlled at least 50% of sugar, utilities, phones and railroads. If Cuba was a business in the stock markets, then the US would have been close to owning 50% of its shares. When combined with a long history of US-backed leaders, and US involvement, it is understandable that Cubans begrudged the Americans....
While the address itself is an event, Obama discusses many conflicts that have been going on for decades, such as the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. He mentions, “Fifty years of isolating Cuba has failed to promote democracy … That’s why we restored diplomatic relations, opened the door to travel and commerce, positioned ourselves to improve the lives of the Cuban people” (Obama). Not only does he mention history with the failure of cutting off ties with Cuba, but Obama also references to his trip to Cuba that he made in March 2016, two months after this speech was given. This event contributes to the overall sequence of the relationship between America and Cuba because while the two countries may have resolved their tensions, certain issues, such as trade and tourism, will continue to be discussed in the future. By evaluating Obama’s speech as a process, the audience can analyze how his plans and goals relating to Cuba contribute to the sequence of developments between these two countries throughout
In 1895, American citizens took notice of a Cuban revolt against their corrupt Spanish oppressor. The Cuban insurgents reasoned that if they did enough damage, the US might move in and help the Cubans win their independence. Not only did Americans sympathize with the Cubans upon seeing tragic reports in the newspaper, but they also empathized that the US once fought for their own independence from Britain. If France didn’t intervene, the Americans probably would not have won their freedom. As if this did not rally enough hate for the Spanish among the American Public, fuel was added to the flame by the Spanish General (“Butcher”)
The tropical island of Cuba had been an object of empire for the United States. Before the Missile Crisis, the relationship between Castro and the US were strained by the Bay of Pigs occurrence in 1961. This was where counterrevolutionary Cubans were American funded and tried to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. However, the counterrevolutionaries failed. Castro then found an alliance with the Soviet Union and an increase of distrust that Castro had on the US. On January 18, 1962, the United States’ Operation Mongoose was learned. The objective would be “to help the Cubans overthrow the Communist regime” so that the US could live in peace. Consequently, Castro informed the Soviet Union that they were worried about a direct invasion on Cuba, thus longed for protection against th...