The Spanish-American

War (1898)
Day 6
Small Group Discussion
1. What is an empire?
2. What are some examples of empires from
history?
Definition
“an extensive group of states or countries
under a single supreme authority . . . .”
Oxford Dictionary
Key Features of Empire
1. Power
2. Use of Force
3. Acquisition of Wealth
4. Not every empire is the same
5. However, all empires fall
6. The Rise & Fall of Empires
The “Big Three”
1. Roman Empire
2. Spanish Empire
3. British Empire
 United States Expansion:
Conflicting Interpretations

“Great Aberration” vs. “Great Culmination”

New Empire
● Walter LaFeber
● Empire of Markets
● Between 1870 and 1900, the United States
only expanded by about 125,000 square
miles
● Territory must have strategic value
William H. Seward
● Secretary of State (1861-1869)
● Purchase of Alaska in 1867 ($7.2 million)
● “[Seward] anticipated the direction of
American foreign policy for the next
generation and beyond, and with the limited
materials and opportunities at his disposal,
prepared the way.” --Ernest Paolino
William H. Seward (1801-1872)
Alfred T. Mahan
● The Influence of
Sea Power Upon
History (1890)
● Mahan called for a
stronger & larger
navy
● Modern Battleships
Cuba
● Cuban rebellion against Spanish Empire
● Riots in Havana (January 1898)
● Arrival of USS Maine
USS Maine (Launched in 1890)
February 15, 1898
Telegram (March 25, 1898)

“Big corporations here now believe

we will have war. Believe all would
welcome it as a relief to suspense.”
“A Splendid Little War”
● United States attacked the Philippines
● Invasion of Cuba
● United States acquired Guam, Puerto Rico,
and the Philippines from Spain
“Rough Riders”
Platt Amendment
● Senator Orville Platt (Republican-
Connecticut)
● Cuba could not make treaties
● United States could intervene
● Established Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
● Repealed in 1934