172: The Spanish-American War: Origins

We have done it! We have reached the end of the nineteenth
century with the beginning of the Spanish-American War. In the
first of a string of episodes, we will be exploring the country's
first overseas venture - war with Spain over its island
possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. In the
aftermath of the Civil War, the United States was already
thinking beyond its continental borders. With the purchase of
Alaska and new found influence in Samoa and the Hawaiian Islands,
the United States was already considering what was next. With
Spain's influence on a steep decline, there were an insurrection
in Cuba which captured the attention of public opinion and those
magnates who had invested heavily in the Cuban sugar industry.
Uncertain whether to negotiate of go to war, Presidents Cleveland
and McKinley proceeded carefully until events dictated their
actions.


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