Remember 1898 (8/12/02)
by Dean Hartwell
As the Bush Administration
deliberates on whether or not to invade Iraq, now would be a good time to
review United States history. A similar instance of using an attack as
foreign policy took place in 1898 and may provide us with the insight we need
to understand current events.
Instead of Iraq and the Middle East occupying much of our attention, the United
States before 1898 for the most part stayed out of events on our
mainland. Before the Civil War, the United States had attacked Mexico in
the 1840s. It had also fought with several Indian nations over land.
A civil war raged in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, between
those loyal to the Spanish-backed regime there and those who wanted
independence from it. The latter group included many with pro-U.S.
sympathies. Puerto Rico and the Philippines, also controlled by Spain,
likewise had problems with anti-Spanish dissenters.
Receiving word of riots affecting United States citizens, President William
McKinley dispatched the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba in early 1898. So as not to
offend Spain, the President called it a “good will” visit.
On February 15, 1898, in Spanish waters, the Maine exploded, killing 260 U.S.
soldiers on board. Leading journalists of the day pointed the finger at
Spain as the culprit, as did a Congressional inquiry. However, most
historians now agree that the ship probably struck a mine not intended for it
or that flammable material on the ship caught fire and exploded.
Congress did not get around to declaring war until April 25, 1898. During
the two months between the explosion and the declaration, U.S. leaders and our
people struggled with the question as to whether to go to war or not. The
nations of England, Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Russia all appealed to
President McKinley for peace.
Some argued that the United States needed to expand to get more military bases
and economic resources around the world. Others countered by saying that
expansion would necessarily subjugating people to our control, something we
would be hypocritical to do after officially renouncing slavery just a
generation before. In the end, some believe the military and commercial
interests (and the journalists) pressed McKinley the hardest.
Meanwhile, in Cuba, leaders like Cuban Governor-General Weyler deceived the
Spanish monarchy into believing Spain’s military could defeat the U.S.
forces. During the next eight months, the United States invaded Cuba,
Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam and Hawaii, seizing control over each of them.
In the three places that offered resistance (Cuba, Puerto Rico and the
Philippines), 3,289 U.S. and 60,000 Spanish soldiers died.
The Treaty of Paris formally ended what became known as the Spanish-American
War on December 10, 1898. Spain’s monarchy remained in power, but
political turmoil plagued the nation for many years afterwards. The
United States annexed new territory and rose in international prestige in the
years leading up to World War I in the 1910s.
What should the United States learn from its experience in the Spanish-American
War? One, given the long period of time between the explosion of the
Maine and our declaration of war, the public needs a rational explanation for
war. McKinley and leaders in Congress spent time debating what happened
to the Maine instead of what would happen to our soldiers and our people.
President Bush should not even think about sending any military personnel near
Iraq before he has decided whether or not to invade. An incident
involving a U.S. soldier or soldiers would divert attention from the larger
questions at hand.
Second, the U.S. should reconsider the wisdom of intervening outside its
borders to save the lives of United States civilian citizens. If citizens
want the full protection of the U.S. government, they can and should live in
the United States. The lives of the citizens in Cuba in 1898, like those
in many other places where the U.S. has intervened like Grenada in 1983, were
not worth the effort necessary to extricate them from the danger they chose to
be around.
Lastly, the United States should listen to the advice of its allies. Many
of the nations who counseled McKinley not to go to war are today telling Bush
the same message. True, nations intent upon peace do not claim the
“spoils of war”, but, as it turned out, the United States did not keep the
biggest prize of all, anyway (Cuba).
History's lessons should be clear to the Bush Administration: we should never
fight a war we cannot justify. Let's remember the senseless loss of lives
in 1898 and steer clear of Iraq.