I was wondering if someone could grade my FRQ out of 9 and give me some feedback on how to improve.</p>
Question: Was the United States justified in going to war against Spain in 1898? In your response, take into account political, economic, moral, and diplomatic factors.</p>
Here is my essay:</p>
<pre><code>The Spanish-American war marked the emergence of the United States as a world power. Many question whether the United States was justified in going to war with Spain in 1898. To evaluate whether America was justified in going to war, political, economic, moral, and diplomatic factors must be considered. Morally, the United States wanted to end harsh treatment of Cubans by the Spanish. This may seem like good justification for the war. However, America had other motives. Economically, the U.S. wanted to protect their business interests in Cuba. Politically, leaders gave into popular passion and declared war. Diplomatically, the U.S. wanted to create a global empire. Therefore, the United States was not justified in going to war with Spain in 1898.
Popular passion was a major factor that led to the declaration of war. The “yellow press” contributed to this by printing sensational stories about Spanish mistreatment of the Cuban people. Later, they reported on the explosion of the Maine, which was a ship sent to protect American interests in Cuba. Together, these reports caused the American public to call for war against Spain. Personally, President McKinley opposed war with Spain. However, he saw defying the public as a large political risk. As a result, he declared war on Spain. Politically, President McKinley declared war based on public opinion. This is not a justifiable reason for war.
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The U.S. had many economic interests in Cuba. The U.S. had large investment and trade stakes in Cuba. They also had large interest in Cuban sugar. The conflict between the Spanish and the Cubans menaced the shipping routes of the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico. Due to this, business interests demanded war. Economically, the United States went to war to protect their own interests. Once again, this is not a justifiable reason for war.
The United States desired to become an imperialist power at the turn of the 20th century. Cuba offered an opportunity to realize this goal. According to Alfred Thayer Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power upon History, a strong navy is key to becoming a world power. To develop a strong navy, colonies needed to be acquired to serve as naval bases. Cuba’s strategic location made the island perfect for this purpose. America would also gain Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines from this war. Together, these islands strengthened the U.S. navy and economy and helped the U.S. to become a world power. Diplomatically, the U.S. went to war to become an imperialist power at the expense of Spain. This does not justify war.
While America had many selfish reasons for going to war with Spain, they also had a moral one. The Americans genuinely wanted to free the Cubans from the Spanish, who treated them brutally. However, this was subordinated to America’s imperialist objectives by the end of the war. The Platt Amendment allowed the United States to in Cuba to protect its own interests. Therefore, the Cubans were not actually given their freedom. The United States had a strong moral justification for declaring war. However, this moral reason vanished by the end of the war as a result of American imperialist objectives.
Overall, this war was fought as a result of public pressure on the president, economic interest, and a desire to become a world power. Therefore, America was not justified in going to war with Spain.</p>