U.S. Rise to Global Power: The Spanish-American War

Introduction: The United States Enters the World Stage

The Spanish-American War enabled the international community to observe the emergence of the United States as a notable global player. While the U.S. had already established considerable financial and diplomatic power through the achievements of the previous two centuries, this particular conflict was essential in securing the country's position on an international level. It marked the end of relative American isolation and the beginning of an era in which the United States actively sought influence far beyond its borders.

Alfred Mahan and the Strategic Case for Expansion

A key intellectual force behind the shift in U.S. foreign policy was Alfred T. Mahan, whose work promoted the idea that the United States needed to reinforce its position near its coasts in order for American commerce to function with fewer obstacles. As one source notes, "U.S. foreign policy is influenced by Alfred T. Mahan who wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783, which advocated the taking of the Caribbean Islands, Hawaii, and the Philippine Islands for bases to protect U.S. commerce, the building of a canal to enable fleet movement from ocean to ocean, and the building of the Great White Fleet of steam-driven, armor-plated battleships."

Such a strategy would have had an obvious positive effect on the U.S. economy and was therefore embraced as a common national goal.

Manifest Destiny and the Ideological Roots of Intervention

At the time when the Spanish-American War became imminent, the United States adopted a foreign policy dramatically different from the one it had pursued through the late nineteenth century. The country was determined to become the most dominant power in the region and could not allow other nations to maintain their influence there. This war was practically the culmination of several decades during which the U.S. had quietly supported Spanish control over Cuba. Americans believed it was best for Spain to hold its limited authority over the territory until the United States itself became strong enough to take over. The U.S. was well acquainted with the dangers of having any power other than Spain control Cuba, and thus focused on preventing both the French and the British from gaining any foothold in the matter. Once it determined that the time had come to remove Spanish authority, the U.S. actively put forward a series of positions emphasizing why American control over Cuba was preferable.

The American tendency to expand its influence over Cuba was deeply rooted in broader American ideology. Americans believed it was only natural for them to exercise control over much of the American continent, and they used the doctrine of Manifest Destiny as justification for this belief. By appealing to God's plan and to a higher power that sanctioned American territorial expansion, they came to believe that nothing could stand in their way. By the end of the nineteenth century, Americans had grown considerably more aggressive in their ambitions and had come to regard the expansion of U.S. power as a goal that every citizen needed to support in order for the nation as a whole to progress.

It is illuminating to observe how this shift in the U.S. international position was reflected in the attitudes of ordinary Americans. Citizens came to see themselves as more powerful than before and more responsible for the well-being of other peoples. To a certain degree, U.S. citizens believed it was their duty to support American intervention in Cuba, given that Spain appeared incapable of properly governing its colony or providing adequate assistance to those living there.