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Example research essay topic: Spanish American War Spanish Fleet - 2,842 words

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... some could not even sail because their bottoms were covered with barnacles. The Spanish ships were armed with old cannons, and the crews lacked proper ammunition and skilled marksmen, causing additional fires to break out of the old wooden planks of the When the news of the stunning victory reached home, Americans cheered ecstatically. Dewey, "the conqueror of the Philippines, " became an instant national hero.

Stores soon filled with merchandise bearing his image. Few Americans knew what and where the Philippines were, but the press assured them that the islands were a welcome possession. (Bachrach, 61). Lastly, the United States wanted complete and total control over Cuba. The American military planners had to solve a basic strategic problem in order to free Cuba from Spain.

Cuba was very important colony to Spain because the island had many natural resources, such as, sugar, tobacco, and other raw materials. It also became a national pride to Spain, because Spain had already lost colonies, such as, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and other countries declaring their independence To ensure possession of Cuba, large Spanish armies occupied it and kept the island under strict control. These armies brutalized the Cuban peasants to such a degree that Cuba rebelled against Spanish control in 1868. Called the Ten Years Revolt, this uprising led to much bloodshed on both sides. In 1895, Cuba again staged a major revolt against Spain. Conditions had not improved at all for these peasants.

Many were starving, yet the Spanish authorities continued to increase their taxes to be paid to the Spanish government in Madrid (Bachrach 17). One Cuban nationalist, Rafael de Eslava, described Cuba at the time of the rebellion in 1895: It seems to be self-evident that a curse is pressing upon Cuba, condemning her to witness her own disintegration and converting her into a prey for the operation of those swarms of vampires that are so cruelly devouring us, deaf to the voice of conscience, if they have any; it will not be rash to venture the assertion that Cuba is undone; there is The Spanish eventually sent more than 200, 00 soldiers to Cuba to put down the 1895 rebellion and retain control of the island. At first, the soldiers were led by General Arsenic Martinez de Campos. When he failed to crush the rebellion, the Spanish government replaced him with Valerian Weyler, a general with a reputation for using harsh methods. Weyler decided that he could contain the rebellion only by rounding up civilians and putting them in small areas that were guarded by Spanish soldiers. As the revolt dragged on, the United States government tried to mediate between the Spanish and the Cubans.

In 1895, for example, President Grover Cleveland attempted to negotiate a settlement. He also tried to involve the other European powers in the process. But these attempts came to nothing, and the Spanish army tightened its hold on the Cuban civilian population (Bachrach, 19). In 1897, the conflict continued. President William McKinley, Cleveland's successor, sent his friend William J.

Calhoun to Cuba to see if events were as bad as they had been presented in the American press. McKinley knew the American public was favoring a war with Spain over Cuba, and he wanted to know what was really happening. Calhoun reported to the president that he had found Cuba wrapped in the stillness of death and the silence of desolation. Calhoun reported that the great loss of life and property had not been exaggerated and that Cuba was slowly dying. McKinley also tried to negotiate peace.

In 1897, he made an offer to purchase Cuba from Spain. The government in Madrid, led by its prime minister, Praxedes M. Sagasta, refused the offer outright. In a sow of bravado, Sagasta told a Spanish newspaper reported that his government would never assent to foreign interference in our domestic affairs or with our colonies.

Spain would rather fight than relinquish its hold on Cuba. By 1897, the United States and Spain appeared to be at an impasse. Spaniards were incensed at U. S. attempts to involve itself in foreign affairs of Cuba, which the Spaniards believed to be part of Spain.

Americans were furious that the Spanish soldiers were locking people in concentration camps and sacrificing American lives and property in Cuba (Bachrach, 19) The United States had to gain control of the waters surrounding Cuba, so the American army could land safely and fight the Spanish. To accomplish this, the United States had to do two things. First, it had to blockade Cuba and prevent supplies from coming to the aid of the Spanish army. The United States government declared a naval blockade of Cuba on April 21, 1898, and sent ships to patrol the waters surrounding the island. Second, the U. S.

Navy had to find and destroy the large Spanish fleet of Admiral Cervera. Once Cervera's fleet was no longer an obstacle, the American army mobilizing in Tampa could board ships, sail to Cuba, and begin the land war against the Spanish army (Bachrach, 71). The execution of these operations was put under the direction of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, commander of the North Atlantic fleet, placing a small group of fast ships in the command of Commodore Winfield Scott Schley.

Schley's group of ships was called the Flying Squadron. Its task was to seek out the Spanish ships and report their location to Sampson. Schley also patrolled the waters west of Cuba. Most of the rest of Sampsons fleet kept up a blockade of Cuban ports while keeping a watch for Cervera's fleet.

Sampson himself patrolled the waters east of Cuba and explored Caribbean ports. The navy desperately needed to locate and destroy the Spanish fleet because it posed a threat to American ports and ships. It also made it impossible to land an American army safely in Cuba. The Americans knew that Cervera's fleet lad left the Spanish port of Saint Vincent on April 19. But then it had disappeared from the view.

For two critical weeks in May, Sampson and Schley frantically searched for the fleet in the Caribbean Islands and the sea lane approaches to Cuba. Although the American navy did not know it, Cervera himself was in a terrible situation. Cervera had successfully left Spain to cross the Atlantic, but he lacked adequate coal and food supplies. He could not locate the supply ship that had been sent ahead to meet him half way. So he was forced to make several landings on the Caribbean islands in search of desperately needed coal and fresh food and water. These landings made it difficult for the American navy to discover his whereabouts (Bachrach, 73).

Sampson and the American government assumed that Cervera's fleet would most likely land in the Cuban port of Havana. Most of the Spanish army was concentrated near Havana, and these soldiers urgently needed the weapons, ammunition, and other military supplies that Cervera carried in the holds of his ships. So the Americans kept a close watch in the waters off Havana. But Admiral Cervera eluded the American ships patrolling the Cuban waters.

After making several coaling stops, the Spanish admiral arrived safely at the port of Santiago de Cuba, on the southern coast of the islands, on May 19, 1898. It was some time before the American fleet located Admiral Cervera. Schley had been ordered to verify rumors that Cervera had arrived safely in Santiago. he arrived at the mouth of the harbor, but the approach to the inner harbor curved and Schley could not see the Spanish fleet.

Finally, it was a relatively new invention that helped the Americans locate the Spanish fleet. At the beginning of the war, President McKinley gave instructions that the telegraph company in Cuba should assist the American war effort. As a result of these instructions, an American secret agent was placed in the telegraph office in Havana On May 26, 1898, Mckinley's foresight paid off. On that day, the secret agent spotted the Spanish fleet and sent an alarm to Washington and to Sampson's fleet that Admiral Cervera was in the Santiago harbor.

Admiral Sampson's fleet immediately began to converge at the mouth of the harbor. Admiral Cervera knew that his fleet was smaller and weaker than the Americans fleet. Ship bottoms were fouled form lack of proper maintenance, and most of his fleet could not outshoot or outrun the fastest of the American ships. Nonetheless, Admiral Cervera knew that his duty required sacrificing his fleet to On July 3, 1898, Admiral Cervera ordered all the sailor who had been serving as soldiers in the Santiago to board ship. With these reinforcements, Cervera led his flagship, the Maria Teresa, out of the harbor. He was followed by the Viscaya, Cristobal, Colon, Almirante Oquendo, Pluton, and Furor.

The Spanish fleet did not want to fight. It wanted to escape. It turned west while hugging the shore. If all failed, Cervera planned to drive the ships ashore and save as many Spanish lives as possible. As the doomed fleet emerged from the harbor, it confronted the American fleet arranged in an arc around the entrance. From east to west lay the Vision, Brooklyn, Texas, Iowa, Oregon, Gloucester, Indiana, Erickson, and New York.

The American ships raked the Spanish fleet with the volleys of cannon fire. The first ship the Spanish fleet encountered at the mouth of the harbor was the Brooklyn. So the Spanish fleet concentrated on attacking that ship. The Brooklyn circled to the east, almost colliding with the Texas, forcing the Texas to swerve. It was a critical moment for both American ships, as they could have been severely damaged. Then the ships righted themselves and continued their attack on the Spanish fleet.

In spite of the extreme confusion of the American naval forces, the Spanish fleet was doomed. The wooden deck of the ships caught fire easily, and became burning infernos from which the sailors desperately tried to escape. A Spanish officer later wrote: The fire was terrific; shells were continually striking new fire wherever they struck. Our men were driven from the guns by the rain of secondary battery projectiles, and by the flame and smoke of burning wood in our ships. The decks and the joiner work in the officers quarters and all along the berth deck took fire (Bachrach, 77). That battle was a very costly affair for the Spanish.

The Spanish had more than four hundred dead and wounded, and eighteen hundred Spanish sailors were captured during the naval action. The Spanish fleet was completely destroyed. The American losses were slight. Only one American sailor lost his life during this battle.

It was an overwhelming American victory and the last major naval action of the In conclusion, the United States was pushed into to the Spanish-American war by means of yellow journalism, wanting control of the seas, and wanting control of Cuba. The United States emerged from the Spanish-American War with a great deal more than American leaders expected. At wars end, the United States controlled Puerto Rico and Cuba in the Caribbean Sea and Guam and the Philippine Islands in the Pacific Ocean. (Bachrach 90). Representatives from both of the United States and Spain went to Paris to discuss terms of peace. There in Paris, the United States demanded the complete independence of Cuba from Spain. The United States also want to gain control of all the islands they defeated during the war.

Spain didnt really have any choice, but to agree to these terms. The Americans requested to incorporate the Treaty of Paris. On December 10, 1898, both the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris that marked the end of Spanish control of once a great empire. It concurrently marked the emergence of the United States as an imperial power, a country that controls the domestic and foreign As a result of the war, the United States took on an important role in managing the affairs of the western hemisphere. One of their main goals that they concentrated on was to keep the influence of European powers out of the region. During the nineteenth century, the United States formed the Monroe Doctrine, but did no have enough power to enforce it.

In the aftermath of the Spanish-American War, the Monroe Doctrine became the guiding principle of the United States foreign policy. (Bachrach 90) The war also helped pushed the United States ideas to build a canal linking the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans across the country of Panama. One event during the Spanish-American War, the spectacular voyage of the Oregon, had indicated the need for such a canal. They believed the canal would be a useful route during times of war and also important trade during peacetime. The leader among these supporters was Theodore Roosevelt, who became president of the United States in 1901.

As president, he campaigned to the people the importance to the canal for military security. Roosevelt assisted Panama, then a possession of Colombia, in gaining independence in 1901. He then received permission to begin construction of the canal across the Isthmus of Panama, which connected North and South America. The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the many changes that resulted in a more powerful United States, but also another one of these changes was the establishment of a general military staff. American leaders realized that the country had won its first conflict with a European power, only because the enemies had so many weaknesses. The leaders knew if the United States were to become engaged in another war with a major country, it would result in defeat.

Thus, new organization had taken place, such as, the formation of a general staff. A general staff acts as the brain of an army by directing, planning and organizing all of the army activities. Also, in the minds of many American, the Civil War did not really end until the Spanish-American War ended. This was because until the 1890 s, many people, particularly in the South, were still divided by Civil War memories.

The Spanish- American War gave Northerners and the Southerners a common enemy to hate, thus, they stopping them to hate each other and uniting to fight against the Spanish. President McKinley contributed greatly to this spiritual union of the nation. He selected generals from both Civil War armies to lead the units in Cuba. Northerners and Southerners served with great pride during the Spanish-American War. The Spanish-American War not only helped to overcome regional differences but also influenced relations between blacks and whites. The Civil War had freed the slaves, but it did not free peoples minds of prejudice.

The Spanish-American War was an opportunity for the country to move towards this As a result of the Spanish-American War, America gained many more advantages politically, Bachrach, Deborah, The Spanish-American War. San Diego: Americas Wars, 1991. Conway, Christopher, The Birth of U. S.

Imperialism: An Introduction to the Spanish-American War, web Cushing, Lincoln, 1898 - 1998 Centennial of the Spanish-American War, Lawson, Don, The United States in The Spanish-American War. New York: Abelard-Schuman, 1976. OToole, G. J. A. , The Spanish War. New York/London: W.

W. Norton & Company, 1984. The United States Army Yellow Fever Commission and the Spanish-American War: Science and Politics web Reporters article from the Journal: OToole, G. J. A. , The Spanish War.

New York/London: W. W. Sigmund Rothschild, a passenger abroad the City of Washington: OToole, G. J. A. , The Spanish War. New York/London: W.

W. Norton & Company, 1984. Telegram sent to Dewey in Hong Kong: Bachrach, Deborah, The Spanish-American War. San Diego: One Cuban nationalist, Rafael de Eslava, described Cuba at the time of the rebellion in 1895: Bachrach, Deborah, The Spanish-American War. San Diego: Americas Spanish officier upon Cervera's ship: Bachrach, Deborah, The Spanish-American War. San Diego: Bibliography: Bibliography Bachrach, Deborah, The Spanish-American War.

San Diego: Americas Wars, 1991. Conway, Christopher, The Birth of U. S. Imperialism: An Introduction to the Spanish-American War, web Cushing, Lincoln, 1898 - 1998 Centennial of the Spanish-American War, web Lawson, Don, The United States in The Spanish-American War. New York: Abelard-Schuman, 1976.

OToole, G. J. A. , The Spanish War. New York/London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1984.

The United States Army Yellow Fever Commission and the Spanish-American War: Science and Politics in Latin America, 1898 - 1904, web Primary Sources Reporters article from the Journal: OToole, G. J. A. , The Spanish War. New York/London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1984.

Sigmund Rothschild, a passenger abroad the City of Washington: OToole, G. J. A. , The Spanish War. New York/London: W.

W. Norton & Company, 1984. Telegram sent to Dewey in Hong Kong: Bachrach, Deborah, The Spanish-American War. San Diego: Americas Wars, 1991. One Cuban nationalist, Rafael de Eslava, described Cuba at the time of the rebellion in 1895: Bachrach, Deborah, The Spanish-American War. San Diego: Americas Wars, 1991.

Spanish officier upon Cervera's ship: Bachrach, Deborah, The Spanish-American War. San Diego: Americas Wars, 1991.


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Research essay sample on Spanish American War Spanish Fleet

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