Spanish-American War Stations Activity

The intent of this lesson is to expose students to a collection of influential Spanish-American War topics in a brief amount of time. After completing this lesson, students should have an understanding of the causes/effects, and major topics of the Spanish-American War. The lesson is easily adaptable to fit your teaching style. The following methods have proven to be the most successful in my classroom:

1. Hang the information sheets around the class and have students rotate to each sheet. - This is my favorite because it gets students up and moving. You can use the worksheet that accompanies this activity, or simply have students write a summary of each station as they rotate.

2. Split the students into groups and assign one sheet per group. Have the students read the information sheet and prepare to present the information to the rest of class. - I assign a number to each group member (number the first group, then start back at 1 for the next group, so that you have multiple 1’s, 2’s, etc. throughout the class) and after students have had adequate time to prepare I tell them all the 2’s are presenting. This method motivates students because they don’t know which group member is presenting until it is time to present.

3. Form groups of 5 and have the students pass around the information sheets. - I’ve found the best approach for this method is to give students a set amount of time and then have all students pass their sheets to the right when told.

As a culminating activity, I have students pick which topic they believe had the biggest influence on American involvement in the war, and we discuss their ideas as a class, or I have them write a short defense of their answer.

I hope you and your students enjoy this activity. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns!

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1. Cuban Rebellion / Spanish Brutality

Cuba had been ruled by Spain for centuries, but by 1895 many Cuban had grown frustrated with Spani sh auth ority. That fr ustratio n led t o violen ce and bloodsh ed. Cu ban reb els beg an figh ting for their indep endence from S pain.

Spani sh lead ers on t he islan d knew they h ad to a ct quick ly to h alt the rebellio n. The Spain leaders imple mented a “Rec oncent ration P olicy” to strip the reb els of t heir ab ility to live off the lan d and camo uflage t hemsel ves amo ng civi lians. T he poli cy requ ired Cu ban civ ilians t o move from ru ral areas to fortifi ed cam ps that were m onitore d by Sp anish s oldiers . Cuba n civilia ns had eight d ays to m ove to the camp s. Anyo ne tha t failed to obey the or der was shot.

The p olicy h ad disas trous r esults. The ho using p rovided for Cu bans w as often roofles s and d eteriorating. Food, medici ne, and suppli es were scare, l eading to ramp ant fam ine an d disea se. By 1 898, on e third of Cuba’ s popul ation h ad been forced into re locatio n camp s. Alth ough th e camp s were designe d to keep the civilia ns aliv e until the rebe llion w as stop ped, at least 30 percen t died f rom sta rvation and d isease. Over 400,0 00 Cuba civilia ns died as a re sult of t he reco ncentra tion po licy. A merica ns read about Spanish bruta lity and saw pi ctures of starv ing Cub ans, w hich int ensified the an ti-Span ish mo vement in America. The c ruelty o f Span ish lead ers acce lerated Ameri ca’s ent ry into the wa r.

U.S. S enator Redfie ld Proc tor trav eled to Cuba a nd witn essed t he atro cities fi rst han d. In a speech to Congr ess he s tated, “What I saw I c annot t ell so tha t other s can see it. It m ust be s een with one's o wn eyes to be realize d...To m e the st rongest appeal is not th e barba rity but the spe ctacle of a millio n and a half peo ple, the entire native p opulati on of Cu ba, stru ggling f or freed om and delivera nce from the wo rst misg overnm ent of which I ever had kno wledge ..."

Drawings depict Senator Proctor’s descriptions Starving boy in a relocation camp

Source: “Crucible of Empire.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 1999, www.pbs.org/crucible/frames/_timeline.html.

Little History Monster 2. American Business Interests

As the conflic t grew, some A merica ns beca me con cerned about U .S. eco nomic interest s in Cu ba. The Ameri can - Cu ban tr ade val ue reac hed $10 0 millio n in 18 95. U.S . inves tments in Cub a totale d $50 million . The majorit y of mo ney ca me from Cuba’ s lucrat ive sug ar plan tations . Other invest ments includ ed mini ng, iron , coffee and to bacco. Americ an prop erty, b usiness es and l ives we re jeop ardized by the reb ellion.

S pain and Cu ban reb els relie d on th e land to prov ide for their ar mies. T his inc luded c rops to sustain the m en, a nd also cash c rops to finance the fig hting. A comm on tac tic for b oth sid es was to destr oy land t hat th eir ene my val ued. Cu ban re bels tar geted S panish busines s prope rties. O ccasio nally, t he fighting a nd rio ting sp read to land a nd busi nesses o wned b y Ame ricans. When rioting intensif ied in H avana, m any Americ an lives were e ndange red. N umerou s Amer icans b egan to call on the U.S . gover nment to j oin th e confl ict to pr otect U .S. pro perty, b usines ses and lives in Cuba.

Cuban rebels attacking Spanish property

Source: “The World of 1898.” The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War, www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/index.html. Little History Monster 3. Yellow Journalism

During the 1890’s, newspapers entered frenzied competitions for readers. In an attempt to outsell rivals, many newspapers began using large, attention grabbing headlines with exaggerated stories. This style of reporting became known as yellow journalism.

Newspaper owners such as and Joseph Pulitzer saw the conflict in Cuba as an opportunity to increase sales. Their papers began running sensationalized stories designed to target the emotions of Americans. Appalling accounts described the situation in Cuba – executions, courageous rebel fighting, starving women and children. Americans were enthralled with the developments in Cuba, but it was the sinking of the battleship USS Maine that gave yellow journalist their biggest story. Many newspapers b lamed Spain for the sinking of the Maine, although they had no evidence to support their claims. U.S. public opinion demanded intervention.

The influence of yellow journalism fueled public passion for war. Most historians agree the Spanish-American W ar was the first war driven by the press. The dramatic portrayal of events in Cuba propelled the United S tates into war with Spain.

Source: “The World of 1898.” The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War, www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/index.html. Little History Monster 4. Explosion of the USS Maine

At 9:40 pm on February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, killing over 260 men. Of those that perished, only 200 bodies were recovered and 76 identified. America was stunned.

The USS Maine was an America battleship sent to Cuba’s capital on January 25, 1898. As pre-war tensions increased betw een the and Spain, American officials decided to send the battleship to protect American interests on the island. Fueled by yellow journalism, many Americans blamed Spain for the explosion. Spain adamantly denied any involvement.

President William McKinley ordered on investigation to determine the cause of the explosion. On March 28, a Naval Court of Inquiry reported that the explosion had been caused by an external submerged mine, i mplying Spanish responsibility. American public opinion demanded action against Spain. The U.S. Navy neglected to include in its report that between 1895 and 1898, thirteen other American ships had fires a ssociated with internal spontaneous combustion in coal bunkers. In 1977, a U.S. naval commission r eopened the investigation and reversed the 1898 judgment, declaring that the explosion was, “without a doubt,” internal. Regardless, the damage was done. While it will never be known what exactly happened to the Maine, the incident was a significant force that propelled the United States into the Spanish-American War.

Wreckage of the USS Maine

Artist’s rendering of the explosion

Source: “The World of 1898.” The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War, www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/index.html. Little History Monster 5. and the Rough Riders

When the Spanish American War began in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt was serving a highly regarded role as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Most Americans were shocked when Roosevelt announced he was resigning his respected post to volunteer to fight in the War. Roosevelt joined the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. The cavalry included hunters, gamblers, cowboys, athletes, young college men, Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans. The group would become known as Roosevelt’s Rough Riders.

Shortly after arriving in Cuba, Roosevelt was promoted to Colonel. He and his men endured temperatures above 100 degrees as they advances towards the Spanish lines. As the troops neared the enemy fortifications, shrapnel from a Spanish shell injured Roosevelt’s wrist, and wounded several others. Roosevelt and his men were ordered to attack a Spanish entrenchment on Kettle Hill. Riding his horse, Texas, Roosevelt led his men u p the hill against a well-entrenched enemy. Observers thought the charge was doomed to fail, but Roosevelt and his men took control of the entrenchments, forcing a Spanish retreat.

R oosevelt and the Rough Riders then charged the Spaniards on adjacent San Juan Hill. Roosevelt ordered a charge, leading his men up the hill. As he rushed up the hill he suddenly realized only five men followed. In the c haos of battle his men did not hear his order or see him charging up the hill almost single-handedly. Furious with his men, Roosevelt returned to the line and confronted his troops. He gave a second order to charge, this time rallying the men. The second charge was a success. 89 of 490 Rough Riders were killed or wounded in the battle. Most historians agree that Roosevelt’s leadership and personal bravery were the strongest elements leading to that day’s crucial victory at the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Theodore Roosevelt recorded his recollections of the battle in his book, The Rough Riders. In the following passage Roosevelt describes his role in the charge: I called to charge the next line of trenches, on the hills in our front. Thinking that the men would all come, I jumped in front and started at the double; but, as a matter of fact, the troopers were so excited, what with shooting and being shot, and s houting and cheering, that they did not hear, or did not heed me; and after running about a hundred yards I found I had only five men along with me. Bullets were ripping the grass all around us, and one of the men was mortally wounded; another, w as shot first in the leg and then through the body. He made not the slightest murmur, only asking me to put his water canteen where he could get at it, which I did. There was no use going on with the remaining three men. They sat down in the grass, firing back at the line of trenches from which the Spaniards were shooting at them. Meanwhile, I ran back, filled w ith anger against the troopers, and especially those of my own regiment, for not having accompanied me. They, of course, were quite innocent of wrong-doing; and even while I taunted them bitterly for not having followed me, it was all I could do not to smile at the look of injury and surprise that came over their faces, while they cried out, "We didn't hear you, we didn't see you go." I leaped and we started across the wide valley which lay between us and the Spanish entrenchments. Before we got near them the Spaniards ran, save a few here and there, who either surrendered or were shot down. When we reached the trenches we found them filled with dead bodies in the light blue and white uniform of the Spanish regular army. There were very few wounded. Most of the fallen had little holes in their heads for they were covered from the neck down by the trenches.

The Rough Riders charge San Juan Hill

Source: "The Soldier." Theodore Roosevelt Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Little History Monster

6. Results of the Spanish-American War

In less than four months Spanish forces were defeated and the Treaty of Paris ended the war. The war had cost America $250 million and 3,000 lives, of whom 90% had perished from diseases. The U.S. Secretary of State referred to it as “a splendid little war.”

As a result of the war, America gained control of Spain’s former colonies – Guam, Puerto Rico and the

Philippines. The Philippines rebelled against U.S. control for years, fighting for their own independence. The Philippines remained a U.S. possession until eventually gaining independence in 1946. In addition, Cuba gained independence as a result of the Spanish-American War. Triumph in the Spanish-American war helped America emerge as a new world power. The addition of several territories, and the quick defeat of an established power such as Spain, earned America newfound respect and prestige.

Bos ton Glob e, May 28 . 1898. M cKinley’ s menu in cludes C uba stea k, Porto R ico pig, a nd the P hilippine and Sand wich isla nds.

Source: “The World of 1898.” The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War, www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/index.html. Little History Monster