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Before the abolishment of slavery, American investors did not want to invest in sugar plantations that were produced by slsves. Shortly after the abolishment of slavery, American capitalists began investing in millions of dollars in large sugar cane plantations in Cuba.
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The United States want to protect American investments in Cuba. The U.S. believed that if Spain gained control of Cuba, the invesments that were made would be endangered. This was one of the reasons that the United States was interested in Cuba.
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America wanted to be in "The Club." The only way of doing this is by gaining control of overseas countries. Cuba was included in this category. America wanted to be a world power but they weren't going to make it their first priority.
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General Valeriano Weyler arrived in Cuba to try to regain control. He put the Cubans into concentration camps where thousands died from disease and starvation. Anyone caught outside of the concentration camp was an "enemy" and was killed. This created sympathy for Cuba in the United States.
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Yellow journalism was a type of writing that exaggerates news to lure and enrage readers. One example of yellow journalism was a story about babies being fed to sharks in Cuba.
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The United States and Spain met in Paris to agree on a treaty. Spain freed control of Cuba over to the United States. The U.S. is now a protectorate of Cuba
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As a result of the Treaty of Paris, The United States gains control of Guam and Puerto Rico from Spain.
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The United States buys the Philippines from Spain for $20 million.
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This letter writen by Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish minister to the United States, was published in the New York Journal. This letter included material that criticized President William McKinley. Americans were angered by the letter that bashed their president. This was another reason that lead the U.S. into the Spanish-American war.
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The U.S.S. Maine, the United States' best battleship, was blown up on the harbor of Havana. The Maine was there to bring American citizens back home that were in danger from the fighting between Cuba and Spain & protect American property. American newspapers claimed that Spain had blown up the ship, but no one knows for sure what happened. This was one of the reasons that lead the U.S. into the Spanish-American War.
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The U.S declared war on Spain.
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American fleet steamed to the Philippines. Commodore George Dewey gave the command to open fire on the Spanish fleet at Manila, the Philippine capital.
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Admiral William T. Sampson sealed up the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba.
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The Battle of San Juan Hill was the most famous land battle in the Spanish-American war. The first part of the battle, on nearby Kettle Hill, featured a dramatic uphill charge by the Rough Riders and the Ninth and Tenth Calvaries. Their victory cleared the way for an infantry attack on the strategically important San Juan Hill. Theodore Roosevelt took credit as being the hero of the battle.
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U.S. forces launch their invasion of Puerto Rico after Spanish fleet tried to escape the American blockade. This ended in the destruction of the Spanish fleet.
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The Spanish-American war finally comes to an end.
