Splendid Little War

Secretary of State, John Hay, thought of the Spanish-American war as a “splendid little war”. The war was begun in April 1898 and lasted four months and only a small fraction of the men who volunteered to fight died. America was triumphant over Spain in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines and the America navy was superior. Both Emilio Aquinaldo and Theodore Roosevelt felt very strongly for the Spanish-American war even though not in the same way as the other. Emilio Aquinaldo, a Filipino general and Politian, accepted the war with open arms and thought the war would be the change that the Philippines needed so desperately. When U.S declared war on Spain, Aquinaldo saw it as an opportunity for the Philippines to become an independent nation. America hoped that Aquinaldo and his army would assist America in their efforts against Spain which Aquinaldo readily accepted. He declared independence for the Philippines on June 12 1898. But as the war progressed Aquinaldo realized that America did not have the intentions to grant the Philippines freedom and the U.S. and Aquinaldo fought separately from then on. Eventually the U.S wanted to turn the Philippines into an American colony which resulted in the American-Filipino War. There was no other who wanted to fight the Spanish- American War as much as Theodore Roosevelt did. Roosevelt believed that this war was much needed and needed to be fought as soon as possible. Being an imperialist Roosevelt was excited for the war because he wanted America to have more territory and could not wait for it. Roosevelt let McKinley, the president at the time, know that if a war were to com Roosevelt wanted to be fight and leave his desk job for the time being. When McKinley finally agreed they needed a war, Roosevelt created his own voluntary fighters known as the rough riders. Roosevelt’s men were an important part in the battles in Santiago even though the proved very disorganized. Their most successful and glorifying moment was the taking of San Juan which but Spanish defenders at a disadvantage. Roosevelt’s strong opinions and determination contributed greatly to the war. America triumphed over Spain in the American- Spanish war. Only a small fraction of men died in this war and America had proven itself so the war simply became known as the “splendid little war.” No harm done. Both Emilio Aquinaldo and Theodore Roosevelt felt very strongly for the Spanish-American war even though not in the same way as the other.