Research Paper on:
Consequences of the Spanish-American War

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
achieved all of its objectives; and less than 300 American lives were lost (Drew and Snow, 1990). Yet this "little war" had enormous consequences for the United States, as it  made the US a world power, but also caused domestic dissension. The Spanish American War and its aftermath also demonstrated the need for expansion of US military capabilities, as well  as the need for a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. Ostensibly, the US involvement in this conflict was motivated by an  altruistic desire to free Cuba from Spanish rule, a desire that was created by the "yellow journalism" William Hearst and his newspaper (OToole, 1984). However, while the American public did  have humanitarian concerns for the population of Cuba, an underlying issue behind the war sentiment was expansionist tendencies on the part of Congress. Drew and Snow (1990) point out that  at this point in history the acquisition of colonies bestowed a great deal of power on a country in a similar manner to the way having a nuclear arsenal of  weapons did in the twentieth century. On the other hand, the US becoming an imperial power caused considerable domestic tension because many American opposed this development (OToole, 1984). After  the Spanish-American War, which was publicly motivated by American sentiment to free Cuba from Spanish rule, sentiment grew in the country to keep the spoils of war. The Treaty of  Paris, which concluded hostilities, was signed on December 10, 1898. In this agreement, Spain granted Cuba its freedom, but ceded its colonies of Guam, Puerto Rico and also the Philippines,  which the US purchased for $20 million (OToole, 1984). It was generally felt that the U.S. needed colonies in order to become a major power. However, there was not a