During the late 1800s the people of Cuba were locked in a battle against the Spanish for their independence. Many Americans wanted to help, but had to first convince the president to join the Cuban’s fight. On December 10 1898 the Spanish were defeated. The Spanish-American war helped show how strong the US army and navy really were, as this was the first time in quite a while anyone had gone outside of America to fight. It also showed everyone else that the US could easily put down any rebellions, and could fix any problems they wanted to. Additionally, while the United States claimed they had not fought the Spanish for imperialistic purposes, many other countries saw this as the US expanding their territory when they received additional land from Spain.
Another issue the United States faced …show more content…
A big person playing into this category is Theodore Roosevelt. During the Spanish-American War Roosevelt served as a lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, and became one of the most conspicuous heroes of the war. When he became president Roosevelt ensured construction of the Panama Canal and had many effective achievements in conservation. He also built up the United States navy, until it was eventually the third largest navy in the world. Roosevelt assigned much more effective people to help him in office, and helped the US be known as a world power by strengthening both its military and government