President William McKinley Orders the Carrying out of a Key Peace Term of the Spanish American War, and the American Seizure of the Last Vestiges of Spain?s American Empire, Initiated by Christopher Columbus (He names Commissioners to oversee Spain?s evacuation of Puerto Rico and other possessions)

William McKinley

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This marked the end of four centuries of Spanish Imperial occupation, and resulted in exit of the last forces potentially hostile to the U.S. in the hemisphere?The beginning of U.S. sovereignty at the dawn of what has been called the American CenturyChristopher Columbus reached the island that would become Puerto Rico, then home to the Taino people, in 1493, ushering in more than four hundred years of Spanish rule. It became a critical military outpost, allowing Spain to defend its New World colonies against other European powers. By the eighteenth century, Puerto Rico had become a major exporter of tobacco, coffee, and sugarcane. Yet discontent with colonial rule led to a growing independence movement on the island. So in 1897, in a desperate effort to hold on to its last two possessions in the Americas, Spain granted Cuba and Puerto Rico a broad array of rights including those under Title I of the Spanish Constitution, which bestowed all the rights of Spanish citizens and gave universal suffrage to all males more than twenty-five years old. Then on November 25, 1897, Spain an autonomy constitution, which gave Puerto Rico the right of self-government. The first elections under this new political arrangement were held in March 1898.The United States had a long-term negative view of Spain and wanted it out of the Western Hemisphere. This was in part because of anti-Catholic feeling in the U.S. going back to colonial days. Then, in the War of 1812, the Spanish were allies of Britain, angering many Americans. The prospect of taking East and West Florida from Spain encouraged southern support for the war in the U.S. Moreover, the Spanish policy of supplying Creek Indians with arms and ammunition through their territories in Florida further strained relations with the Americans on the frontier, and made Spain a threat to American expansion. The U.S. obtained West Florida in 1819, and purchased East Florida from Spain in 1821. About that time Spain left Mexico, but there were colonies, such as Cuba and Puerto Rico remaining in Spain?s grasp. Americans wanted to obtain these possessions and Spain stood in the way.Starting in 1895, Cuban revolutionaries fought to gain independence from Spanish colonial rule. From 1895?1898, the violent conflict in Cuba captured the attention of Americans because of the economic and political instability that it produced. The long-held U.S. interest in ridding the Western Hemisphere of European colonial powers and American public outrage over brutal Spanish tactics created much sympathy for the Cuban revolutionaries. By early 1898, tensions between the United States and Spain had been mounting for months. After the U.S. battleship Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor under mysterious circumstances on February 15, 1898, U.S. military intervention in Cuba became likely.On April 11, 1898, President William McKinley asked Congress for authorization to end the fighting in Cuba between the rebels and Spanish forces, and to establish a ?stable government? that would ?maintain order? and ensure the ?peace and tranquility and the security? of Cuban and U.S. citizens on the island. On April 20, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution that acknowledged Cuban independence, demanded that the Spanish government give up control of the island, foreswore any intention on the part of the United States to annex Cuba, and authorized McKinley to use whatever military measures he deemed necessary to guarantee Cuba?s independence.The Spanish government rejected the U.S. ultimatum and immediately severed diplomatic relations with the United States. McKinley responded by implementing a naval blockade of Cuba on April 22 and issued a call for 125,000 military volunteers the following day. That same day, Spain declared war on the United States, and the U.S. Congress voted to go to war against Spain on April 25.On July 25 U.S. troops invaded Puerto Rico. Military operations on the island lasted approximately three weeks. Seller Inventory # 28702

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Title: President William McKinley Orders the ...

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