But because Northerners were against slavery, the plan was thrown out. Ships were stationed along the coast of Cuba, including the battleship "Maine."" The ship sank, fingers were pointed, and a war began; although, no one knows for sure why the ship sank. (As a personal theory, I think that the U.S sunk its own ship to create the war, knowing it would give them a great opportunity for economic expansion) A war between Cuba and Spain now became the Spanish-American War.
McKinley was the current U.S. President and although he did not want war, he understood the economic benefits of war. If you give a nation freedom, it will have the freedom to trade, and create a global impact for economic growth. On April 11, 1898, McKinley asked Congress for war. The Spanish were defeated in three months. About 274,000 men were from the U.S. and 5,462 of them died. Ironically, only 379 died in battle. Many of them died from disease, and one disease being from the carelessness of our own country. The meat packing industry sold over 500,000 pounds of meat to the military that had been contaminated. The U.S. killed their people, indirectly, over a war that was not ours to begin with, but a war needed to satisfy greed.
A peace treaty was signed, but only the U.S. and Spain were present "Cuba was not. One stipulation of the peace treaty was that the same Spanish authority would remain in control until Cuba could create its own form of government. In addition, the U.S. had to approve the constitution of Cuba. Yet, the U.S. would not approve Cuba's constitution if it did not include the Platt Amendment of 1901. This Amendment stated that the U.S. has the right to intervene for the preservation of Cuban independence, the maintenance of a government, adequate for the protection of life, property, and individual liberty. It also provided that U.S. is to obtain control of coaling, or naval stations at specified points.
