Spanish-American War - Essay Example

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR The Mormon Church and the Spanish-American War: An End to Selective Pacifism While much has been written about the Spanish-American war and the cultural and political milieu of the time, little scholarship discusses the growing influence of the Mormon Church at this time. This article aims to remedy that oversight. The author discusses how the war shaped the Church of Latter Day Saints view of war and conflict and made them reconsider their position within the United States. It made them think about what kind of citizens they wanted to be. The Mormon Church for many years prior to the war was pacificist. Indeed, the Book of Mormon in many places appears to promote the idea that war is bad and should never be fought. Under Brigham Young the Church took a more aggressive view of self-defence, especially when under attack from Native American tribes. The Spanish-American war, however, split the Mormon church with different factions taking sides both for and against participation in the war. Eventually, the policy evolved. In the final analysis, this war marked the end of Mormons believing themselves to be separate from other American citizens. They agreed to be ruled by the Commander-in-Chief. The agreed to fight in war when required and to stand up for both their faith and their country when called to do so. This was certainly a turning point in the history of the Mormon Church and its role in the United States. The Splendid Little War of 1898: A Reappraisal This article offers a reappraisal of the Spanish-American war. The idea that is commonly said of this war is that it was a short, minor conflict that provided a big boost to the American ego. In truth it was not an easy war to win, nor was America properly prepared for it. Additionally, its consequences would last for many years to come and shape much of America throughout the 20th century. While prosecuting and concluding this war, Roosevelts goal was to strengthen and preserve American power around the world. He took an aggressive approach towards doing this as he did in many aspects of his life. He felt that democracy and capitalism were well worth preserving and fighting for. Indeed, Roosevelt would have agreed with E.H. Carr who wrote a few years later about political realism. Utopianism is unrealistic. It supposes that a perfect world can be created by men and that is one of our goals on Earth. Carr was a realist: he believed the world is not perfectible and that efforts to do so will end in failure and sometime calamity. The political system contains too many variables for any person or group to control. The League of Nations was a good example of this. The problems of the world are not the creation of any one person or group and so they cannot be tackled head on. Utopianism is a dead end. Roosevelt understood that power existed to be used. He encouraged its use. Indeed, this “little” war would shape American policy for a long time to come. Later, as Cuban and Puetro Rican migrants entered the U.S. en masse in the post-war period, Americas attitude toward these two island would change dramatically. Cuba would be seen no longer as a colony but at an enemy and Puerto Rico would be bound ever closer to America. The migrants from these two countries would form powerful lobbies and influence American foreign policy. It was no surprise that Cubans, in particular, would come to America, considering the two countries long-standing relationship. They would have a significant say in how things were done. Americas foreign policy towards the Caribbean underwent a massive shift throughout the first half of the 20th century. Influenced by events in the Philippines it took a harsh view of Cuba and Puerto Rico in the early years. Following upheaval after the Second World War and with the rise of revolutionary movement, migrants from these countries poured into America, changing its foreign policy forever. This was far from a pleasant, minor war, as the author so clearly argues. United States Intervention in Cuba, 1898: Interpretations of the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War There are many ways to interpret the Spanish-American War. The truth is that many people these days have forgotten the war or have a biased view of it and that this should change. The author explores some interpretations of the conflict in his article. The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 created a new era of American foreign policy. Some critics might call this policy expansionist, and although that is certainly an important element of it, it was also motivated by a desire to spread principles of democracy and good governance. Many idealists of the period believed the principles at the heart of the U.S. Constitution were universal and should be shared with everyone. By the end of the 19th century, the Monroe Doctrine was to come into full effect in a war with the Spanish. Not only would the Americans take control of Spanish possessions in the Caribbean such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other islands, but as the war expanded so would the remit of the Monroe Doctrine. The United States would gain control of the Philippines, far from its own shore, and attempt to remake the Spanish colonialism political system in its own image. The result would be a bloody conflict fought with Filipino insurgents that would take America many years to quell. As the decades went by and American became more involved in its own neighbourhood, this conflict would play a very influential role. America would not focus on building local capacity and democracy, but would instead treat Puerto Rico and Cuba effectively as colonies. Following the American victory over Spain and the taking of the Philippines, there was a great deal of tension between the U.S. and the locals. This came to a head in 1899 when American soldiers shot some Filipinos. Things quickly got out of hand with both sides raising armies and fighting conventional wars. The Americans rapidly defeated the conventional Filipino forces, killing two of their best generals and pacifying many of the urban areas. During this period, the President appointed distinguished Americans to investigate conditions in the Philippines and report back on ways to improve the administration of the country. This report would have a significant impact on the way America viewed Puerto Rico and Cuba in turn. Back in the United States, debate raged about whether the war was a good one or a bad one. Some people thought America was being too brutal, spending too much money, and behaving in a colonialist manner.1 There were reports of atrocities that inflamed public opinion back home and led to cries for investigations much like situations in Abu Ghraib and Haditha in Iraq would later do. While the war had its noisy critics, others thought that the United States was doing its duty to humanity by helping to spread democracy. The debate occurred in Congress, it occurred in newspapers, and also on the streets. But in the end, Americans decided they had invested so much in their new colonies that it was their duty to continue to support them. This way of thinking would continue into the 20th century with regards to American thinking about Cuba and Puetro Rico. All three of these articles provide a great deal of information and perspective on a fascinating and little-studied section of American history. The Spanish-American war was a definitive moment in American history but too often it is overlooked. All of these articles are interesting, but the latter two are fairly basic. They do not provide an especially useful perspective. They mostly quibble with a few small points while trying to call a few people biased. The first article, about Mormons is more useful. It is very interesting to examine the history of groups like Mormons and see what they thought of American foreign policy at various stages. With Mormons increasingly powerful in the United States government today—Harry Reid, Glenn Beck, Mitt Romney, etc—their historical views on important chapters of American history are well worth a look. Work Consulted Bradley, James. (2009). The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War. Davies, Robert William (1983). "Edward Hallett Carr, 1892–1982" pp. 473–511 from Proceedings of the British Academy, Volume 69,. Graff, Henry F., ed. (1969). American Imperialism and the Philippine Insurrection: Testimony Taken from Hearings on Affairs in the Philippine Islands before the Senate Committee on the Philippines—1902. New York: Little, Brown. Holmes, James R. (2006). Theodore Roosevelt and World Order: Police Power in International Relations.. Linn, Brian McAllister. (2000). The U.S. Army and Counterinsurgency in the Philippine War, 1899–1902. Durham: University of North Carolina Press. Paterson, Thomas G. United States Intervention in Cuba, 1898: Interpretations of the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War. The History Teacher, Vol. 29, No. 3 (May, 1996), pp. 341-361 Quinn, Michael. “The Mormon Church and the Spanish-American War: An End to Selective Pacifism.” Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Aug., 1974) Smith, Joseph. “The Splendid Little War of 1898: A Reappraisal.” Historical Association, 1995 Read More