United States Military Government in Cuba explained

See also: Second Occupation of Cuba, Sugar Intervention and Guantánamo Bay Naval Base.

Native Name:Gobierno militar estadounidense en Cuba
Conventional Long Name:United States Military Government in Cuba
Era:Modern Era
Status:Administered territory of the United States
Government Type:Military Government
Year Start:1898
Year End:1902
Event Start:Treaty of Paris
Date Start:10 December
Event End:Independence
Date End:20 May
Event1:Platt Amendment
Date Event1:2 March 1901
Event Pre:Teller Amendment
Date Pre:20 April 1898
P1:Captaincy General of Cuba
Flag P1:Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
S1:Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)Republic of Cuba
Flag S1:Flag of Cuba (sky blue).svg
S2:Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Flag S2:US flag 45 stars.svg
Flag:Flag of the United States
Flag Type:Flag
Symbol:Great Seal of the United States
Capital:Havana
National Motto:E Pluribus Unum
"Out of Many, One"
National Anthem:Salve, Columbia
"Hail, Columbia"
Common Languages:Spanish, English
Title Leader:Military-Governor
Leader1:Adolfo Castellanos
Leader2:John R. Brooke
Leader3:Leonard Wood
Year Leader1:1898–1899
Year Leader2:1899
Year Leader3:1899–1902
Today:Cuba
United States

The United States Military Government in Cuba (Spanish: Gobierno militar estadounidense en Cuba or Gobierno militar americano en Cuba), was a provisional military government in Cuba that was established in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War in 1898 when Spain ceded Cuba to the United States.[1] [2]

This period was also referred to as the First Occupation of Cuba, to distinguish it from a second occupation from 1906 to 1909. United States Army forces involved in the garrisoning of the island during this time were honored with the Army of Cuban Occupation Medal after its establishment in 1915.

Timeline

1898
1899
1901
1902

Platt Amendment

The Platt Amendment defined the terms by which the United States would cease its occupation of Cuba. The amendment, placed into an army appropriations bill was designed to give back control of Cuba to the Cuban people. It had eight conditions to which the Cuban Government needed to adhere before full sovereignty would be transferred. The main conditions of the amendment prohibited Cuba from signing any treaty allowing foreign powers to use the island for military purposes. The United States also maintained the right to interfere with Cuban independence in order to maintain a certain level of protection of life, though the extent of this intrusion was not defined. Most significant, the amendment forced the Cuban Government to sign a treaty officially binding the amendment to law.

The United States reasoning behind the amendment was based on the significant commercial interests held on the island. Spain had previously been unable to preserve U.S. interests and maintain law and order. At the end of military occupation, the amendment served as the primary method of ensuring a permanent presence. Due to the previously enacted Teller Amendment, the United States was forced to grant Cuba its independence after Spanish rule ended. Since the Platt Amendment was successfully incorporated into the constitution in Cuba, influence was maintained without direct U.S. involvement in the country.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Wood, Leonard. 1903. The military government of Cuba. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 21 . 2 . 1–30 . 10.1177/000271620302100201 . 1009912 . 2027/miun.agy6954.0021.002 . 220849377 . en. PDF. free.
  2. Book: Lane, Jack C. Instrument for Empire: The American Military Government in Cuba, 1899-1902. Science & Society. 1972.
  3. http://historyofcuba.com/history/time/timetbl2d.htm History of Cuba
  4. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/platt The United States, Cuba, and the Platt Amendment, 1901