I believe that the United States overseas intervention between 1870 to 1920 was justified. I believe it was necessary to maintain Democracy and freedom throughout the world, as well as protect the American people. As we all know, during this time period, there were two major wars, both were a serious threat to the United States and its people.
The Spanish-American War began with the Spanish mercilessly crushing the Cuban people who were trying to start a revolution in 1895. Many U.S. newspapers graphically portrayed how the Spanish ruthlessly halted the Cuban revolution. This caused many citizens of the U.S. to sympathize with the Cubans and the demand for intervention rose. The demand for intervention would continue until the USS Maine exploded …show more content…
Spain declared war on April 24, 1898 with the U.S. declaring war the next day. The Spanish Army and navy were ill prepared. On May 1, the US Navy destroyed the entire Spanish fleet of ships at Manila Bay in the Philippines. The Philippines would soon be occupied by U.S. troops and would soon become a protectorate of the United States, despite many natives not wanting our help. In Aguinaldo’s Manifesto, Aguinaldo states,” General Otis is proclaimed Military Governor of the Philippines and I protest a thousand times and with all the force in my soul against such pretension.” This is an obvious public outcry against the U.S.’s occupation. However, I believe that if the U.S. had not occupied the Philippines, the Spanish would have regained control and the Filipinos would have never had a chance to have real independence. After Manila Bay, the U.S. Army forced Adm. Pascual Cervera out of the Santiago harbor and into the U.S. blockade. Santiago was surrendered on on July 17, essentially ending the war. The Treaty of Paris officially ended the war on December 10. 1898, with Spain giving the U.S. Guam and Puerto Rico. Spain also renounced its claims to Cuba and gave the sovereignty of the …show more content…
In 1901, the Platt Amendment granted Cuba its independence, only if they let America control their foreign policy, debts, and security. I believe this was a controversial, but smart move by the US. Also in 1901, the US agreed to the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, which let the US have exclusive control over the Panama Canal, this expanded US influence to Central America and gave the US a strong grip on international trade. When he was president, Theodore Roosevelt wanted to unite the North and South American countries. He created the Roosevelt Corollary 1904, which stated that America would become the international police, especially in Latin America. I do not agree with this move, as most countries did not want the United States interference. This may not classify as an “overseas intervention”, but it was a show of the US Navy’s strength. In 1907, the Great White Fleet sailed around the world to show off and flex the muscle of the