LAD/Blog #23: McKinley's War Message

Over the past century, Cuban uprisings against Spain had caused America headaches due to a disturbance of trade and the difficulty of maintaining neutrality. Despite American efforts to create peace in the area, Spain refused to allow Cuba any form of a self government and continued a bloody war. Because of the nature of the war, it is unlikely that one side could win a final military victory, and it was more likely that the war would continue until one side was simply too exhausted to continue. Because of this, McKinley sent a letter to Spain requesting that they immediately suspend hostilities and form an armistice. Because of the violence of past wars that America had been involved in, McKinley was reluctant to declare war on a country. However, he believed that it was the best course of action based on what was occurring in Cuba.

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McKinley's War Message



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Synthesis: Declaration of war of Great Britain that led to the War of 1812


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