Name
Isolation vs. Expansion - Background of
America's War with Spain
By Toni Lee Robinson
It was 1898. The nation that had begun as a bunch of ragtag
rebels throwing rocks at the world's most powerful army had grown
up. Amazingly, it had won its independence. At the time, the British
Empire spanned the world. The young nation had even withstood a
second war against Britain. It had bounced back from the humiliation
of seeing its capital reduced to ashes. It had even withstood the
dreadful wounds of a war within itself.
The United States was no longer an upstart band of colonies. It
was a union, over one hundred years old, solid and strong. Through
all its struggles, its people had constantly pushed out its boundaries.
A vast wilderness had been tamed. Now the country sprawled across
the North American continent. It truly stretched "from sea to shining
sea."
Ships carrying goods from U.S. fields and factories docked at all
the world's ports. From all over the world, other ships brought
people to the nation's wide shores. The newcomers looked to
America for their future. Many thousands had hung their hopes on
the "broad stripes and bright stars."
In the 1890s, the U.S. and the world were getting ready for the
coming of a whole new century. For many Americans, times were
good. They had made it through a nasty economic storm in the early
part of the decade. Now, factories were humming and people were
buying goods. In most sectors, money was flowing.
The importance of foreign affairs was not lost on the money
makers. They knew that far-off markets helped American business
thrive. Still, for the better part of the last century, the attitude of most
had been "There's no place like home!" Americans should look to
America, people said, and leave the rest of the world to look after
itself.
Isolationism had been the prevailing way of looking at the world
almost since the nation's birth. Americans were interested in selling
goods to distant markets. Beyond that, they had little desire to be
involved in foreign relations.
In the early days, there was concern over the threat of European
presence in the "neighborhood." The U.S. had gone into the War of
1812 overly confident in their military might. They had even tried to
grab Canada for themselves. They'd gotten a scare when Britain not
only proved herself fully capable of hanging on to Canada, but
threatened to sweep through the U.S. as well.
Americans were thankful when the U.S., in the end, managed to
hold its own. The events of the second war, as well as the actions of
European powers, made Americans rethink their strategy. Just how
secure were they? The world powers were always in the market for
new territory. They had snapped up many nooks, crannies, and
handy little islands in what was then the new world. The vast,
resource-rich lands of America would make a fine prize. If one of its
land-hungry neighbors came calling, would the U.S. be able to
defend itself?
In 1823, President James Monroe gave a speech to Congress. In
it, he served notice to European nations. If you're thinking of
grabbing more land in our neck of the woods, he told them, forget it!
Of course, his exact words were more formal, but that's the idea. He
told European countries that fishing for colonies in the Americas
would be considered an act of war against the U.S. The declaration
came to be known as the Monroe Doctrine.
Down through the years, Monroe's words had been the guide for
U.S. foreign policy to one degree or another. They had been put to
the test during the 1860s. As the U.S. fought its Civil War, France
made a bold play for control right on America's doorstep. French
forces raised up a European king on the throne in Mexico.
As the Civil War ended, U.S. troops were sent to the Mexican
border. War was narrowly avoided when French troops were called
home to deal with other problems. Mexicans threw off the unwanted
king and peace was restored. The Monroe Doctrine had been upheld.
By and large, though, the people who had fought two wars for
their freedom had no desire to go to battle for any lesser cause. The
1890s brought other questions for Americans, however. What about
someone else's freedom? Was the U.S. willing to go to war for
someone else's just cause?
