Although there were many conflicts that caused the Spanish-American-Cuban War, the three main ones were revolution led by Jose Marti, the De Lome letter, and the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine. One of the reasons war broke out between Spain, America, and Cuba was because of the campaign for Cuban freedom led by Jose Marti. Jose Marti was a Cuban poet and journalist living in exile in New York. He organized a revolution against Spain in 1895. He used an active guerrilla campaign and destroyed property like American-owned sugar mills and plantations. Jose dedicated his life to att ...view middle of the document...
The second reason war broke out was because of a private letter written by the Spanish minister. Enrique Dupuy de Lome, who was the Spanish Minister to the United States, wrote the De Lome letter. The letter itself criticized President McKinley calling him "weak" and "a bidder for the admiration of the crowd". The letter was not supposed to be seen by American eyes but a Cuban rebel stole it from a Havana post office and it was later printed in the New York Journal. Most Americans believed that criticism of their president from a Spanish official was unacceptable. The final reason why this war took place was because of an accidental sinking of a United States ship. The U.S.S. Maine was sent to Cuba by President McKinley to protect American lives and property. An explosion on February 15, 1898, sent the ships ammunition up in flames and sank the ship. Most of the 350 officers on the ship lost their lives. Nobody knows exactly what cause the U.S.S. Maine to blow up, but people believed that Spain had something to do with it. Newspapers everywhere blamed Spain for the sinking and Americans were outraged and war broke out soon after. The Spanish-American-Cuban War was called "a splendid little war". Jose Marti fighting for Cuba's freedom, the De Lome letter, and the accidental sinking of the U.S.S. Maine caused the war. It was a short war but America gained much from it.