Chosen Bless

In the nineteenth century, Cuba was Spain’s most prosperous island but the Cubans were rebellious and were agitating for independence.
1840-1850 Between 1840 and 1850 the U.S. made four separate attempts to purchase Cuba, in keeping with the principle of the Monroe Doctrine.   Not only did Spain refuse to sell but neither Britain nor France was willing to see Cuba fall into American hands.
Within Cuba itself there were several popular liberal nationalist movements led by such men as Manuel de Cespedes, Estrada Palma and Maximo Gomez, and supported by the Cuban exiles Jose Marti and Narciso Lopez. Many thousands of Cubans died in rebellions, demanding an end to slavery, fewer taxes and a more liberal government.
1895 While Cuban exiles tried to whip up American support against Spain, none came until the 1895 War of Independence which began with the untimely death of Marti in the first skirmishes. The war coincided with a deep trade recession in sugar, caused by the withdrawal of U.S. tax concessions.   The Spanish Government’s harsh methods of suppression, in particular the herding of prisoners in large barbed-wire encampments aroused U.S. indignation, as did fear for the safety of U.S. property in Cuba and damage to trade. When the U.S. battleship Maine blew up under mysterious circumstances in Havana, anti-Spanish sentiment reached its peak. President McKinley declared war on Spain, in support of Cuban independence in 1898. The brief Spanish-American War which followed ended in defeat for Spain and by the Treaty of Paris she ceded Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and Philippines.
1899 A U.S. military government was established in Cuba to restore stability and to make preparations for a constitution and elections. A Cuban Convention was set up for this purpose.
1901 Before the independent Cuban Republic could be proclaimed, the U.S. government forced the convention, against its better judgement, to cede Guantanamo Bay for a military base and to agree to the Platt...