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January 24 |
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The War in Cuba
and Its Aftermath |
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Massachusetts
senator Henry Cabot Lodge, at this point just beginning a career
notable for its outspoken advocacy of a more aggressive US role in
the Western Hemisphere and calls for a more realistic US approach
to world affairs. |
| The
debate over imperialism erupted with fervor by the mid-1890s. In
short order, the United States proclaimed its "fiat" law
over the Western Hemisphere and then sent troops to intervene in
the Cuban independence revolt. By the war's end, the United States
was recognized as the dominant power in the Western Hemisphere. |
| The
reading for today's class consists entirely of documents, except
for this timeline
and some introductions
to the Cuban-Spanish-American
War. The documents begin with Secretary of State Richard Olney's
"fiat is law" telegram. We'll then move on to the
remarks of a major player in the foreign policy of the era,
Massachusetts senator Henry Cabot Lodge, on the Cuban revolt. Next
will be a contrasting view of whether the United States should
pursue an imperialist course, from Massachusetts senator George
Hoar. And finally, the text of the Platt Amendment, adoption of
which brought this era to a close. |
DOCUMENTS:
Spanish territories on the eve of the war
return
to course schedule
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