Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i Cobblestone American History and Current Events for Kids and Children

Beginning in 1907, a group of 16 U.S. battleships sailed the globe for more than a year. Manned by 14,000 sailors, the ships cruised to six continents and logged 43,000 miles. The ships were painted mostly white. Cheering crowds greeted the “Great White Fleet” at ports all over the world. It was a dramatic show of strength. Such a journey would have been unthinkable a few years earlier. But the Spanish-American War in 1898 helped change the United States’ status and its role in the world. A U.S. diplomat described it as a “splendid little war.” The conflict lasted less than four months and cost little to fight. For the victorious United States, the results of the war were far-reaching. The United States emerged from the war in control of…

On the morning of January 25, 1898, the waters of Havana Harbor were calm. The situation in the Cuban capital was just the opposite, however. Cubans had been fighting for independence from Spanish rule for several years. A riot had rocked Havana on January 12. It made the U.S. government fearful for Spain’s ability to maintain the peace and for the safety of Americans living in Cuba. “In view of the possibility of danger to American life and property,” President William McKinley noted, “some means of protection should be at hand.” That protection arrived in the form of the USS Maine battleship. The Maine was an impressive sight as it steamed into the harbor. Commissioned in 1895, it was one of the first battleships to be built in an American…

U.S. secretary of State John Hay is credited with coining the phrase “splendid little war.” It was used to describe the Spanish-American War for more than 100 years. Clara Barton, famous Angel of the Battlefield during the Civil War (1861–1865), also served as a nurse during the Spanish-American War. About 1,500 professionally trained nurses signed up to serve during the conflict. Today, the USS Olympia is docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a floating museum. Commodore George Dewey’s flagship, from which he ordered the destruction of the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, is the last remaining all-steel vessel from the U.S. Navy of the 1890s. Despite popular stories and their famous name, the Rough Riders actually stormed Kettle Hill on foot, not riding horses. There was not enough room on the…

On the other side of the world from Cuba, the Philippines also hoped to be free of Spain’s control in the mid-1800s. Filipinos launched a failed rebellion against Spain in 1872. In 1896, a group of Filipino rebels tried again. They were led by General Emilio Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo and his troops eventually helped the United States defeat their common enemy—Spain—in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. As fighting in the war ended, the Filipinos controlled most of their country including the main island of Luzon. Aguinaldo declared the Philippines to be an independent nation in June 1898. With other Filipino leaders, he established the first Philippine Republic. But the peace treaty negotiations between the United States and Spain went in a different direction. From October 1 to December 10, 1898—almost…

Criollos refers to people of Spanish descent born in the Americas. To Cubans, the Spanish-American War is known by a completely different name. To them, it was the “War of Independence” or the “War of 1895–1898.” It was a historic fight for political, social, and economic independence from Spain. Streets and parks in Cuba still display the statues and names of the war’s national heroes. Spain claimed Cuba as a colony shortly after Christopher Columbus’s first stop there in 1492. At first, Spanish boats carrying gold from Mexico and South America stopped in Havana, Cuba’s main port. They picked up supplies there before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Over time, Spain installed military personnel and government officials in Cuba. Wealthy Spaniards owned Cuba’s cattle ranches and sugar and tobacco…

As events began to unfold in Cuba in early 1898, the U.S. Navy anticipated the need to have a plan for its warships. Naval leaders knew that it would take time to get battleships in the right place at the right time. For example, in December 1897, the USS Maine had been ordered to Key West, Florida, about 100 miles from Havana, Cuba. A month later, the Maine received orders to head to Havana Harbor. And in January 1898, Commodore George Dewey was alerted to growing tension with Spain. Dewey was the newly appointed commander of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron, which protected U.S. interests in the Pacific Ocean. After the Maine exploded in February but before war was declared in April, Dewey was ordered to gather his squadron together and…

When the Spanish-American War began, the U.S. Army was at its lowest level of strength since the Civil War (1861–1865). The number of officers and enlisted men was 28,000. There were not enough troops to fight a war. To increase the number of soldiers, President William McKinley called for state volunteers. More than 125,000 men joined National Guard and militia units. Some units were sent to the Philippines. Other units were formed into the Fifth Army Corps commanded by Major General William R. Shafter. Shafter was ordered to lead an invasion of Cuba. That proved difficult to do as the plan of action kept shifting at the War Department. Coordinating the invasion with the U.S. Navy and Cuban rebels also proved challenging. One of the most famous Fifth Army Corps…

Can you solve this crossword puzzle about the Spanish-American War? All the answers can be found in this issue. The solution is on page 49. ACROSS 1. Rear Admiral William T. _____ commanded the U.S. North Atlantic Squadron in the Caribbean Sea. 3. Yellow _____ proved to be more deadly to U.S. troops than enemy guns. 5. For $20 million, Spain agreed to sell the _____ to the United States. 7. The USS _____ exploded in Havana Harbor two months before war officially was declared. 8. _____ journalism in the United States whipped up public support for a war with Spain. 9. Lieutenant Colonel Theodore _____ was viewed as the leader of the Rough Riders. 11. William Randolph _____ and Joseph Pulitzer engaged in fierce competition for newspaper readers during…

Cuba is believed to derive from Cubanacan. It is a Taino word for the Indigenous people who once lived on the island. In 1492, after Christopher Columbus claimed the island, he named it Juana. The name was intended to honor Prince Juan, the son of Columbus’s Spanish benefactor, Queen Isabella. For a while, both words were combined to refer to the Caribbean island as Juana de Cuba. Today, Havana is Cuba’s capital city and its largest city. Spanish conquistador and first governor of Cuba Diego Velázquez established a Spanish settlement there in 1519. It became known as San Cristóbal de la Habana (St. Christopher of the Habana). Habana may derive from the local Taino people, who were called by that name. Or it may derive from the Taino leader’s name,…

Sensational means arousing interest or curiosity by using exaggerated details. Competition was fierce among newspapers in the late 1800s, especially in New York City. William Randolph Hearst was the publisher of the New York Journal. Joseph Pulitzer was the publisher of The World. Each man wanted to attract readers to increase his newspaper’s circulation. They each lowered the price of their newspaper to one cent, trying to undercut the other one. They also relied on offering sensational news stories. Their newspapers used headlines in all capital letters and offered entertaining illustrations. During the Spanish-American War, each newspaper looked for chances to obtain or create exciting stories. One opportunity involved Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish minister to the United States. De Lôme felt that the American people were being misled…

Epidemics are the rapid spread of disease to a large part of a population within a specific area and a short amount of time. In the early summer of 1898, U.S. troops were on the brink of defeating the Spanish. U.S. major general William R. Shafter was negotiating to persuade Spanish general José Toral y Velázquez to surrender. But U.S. troops quickly came under attack by a second, deadlier enemy—disease. In hot and humid Cuba, summer rains brought the outbreak of fevers. Typhoid fever had been a problem for U.S. forces since they had landed on the island. Its symptoms ranged from headaches to diarrhea. Malaria, a blood disease, weakened all it infected with its cycles of chills, fever, and sweats. Most dreaded of all was “Yellow Jack.” People knew…

About 306,000 U.S. soldier, sailors, and marines served during the Spanish-American War in 1898. More than 300 men died in battle. About 1,600 soldiers were wounded but did not die. The 266 crew members of the USS Maine, who died when the ship exploded, are not included in these numbers because their deaths occurred before war was declared. The greatest cause of death during the war was from disease rather than from combat. Nearly 3,000 Americans perished in nonbattle-related deaths. The above photo is of the graves of U.S. soldiers who were buried in Cuba. The U.S. military today makes every effort to bring home soldiers who die overseas.…

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