Political Quotes

“this year 1998 marks the centennial anniversary of the Spanish-American War. History tells us that it was fought to liberate the Cuban people from the yoke of Spanish colonialism. Historians and scholars are still debating America's true motivation for engaging in a fight between the Spanish empire and its long-held colonial possessions in the Caribbean and in the Pacific. They are still addressing, at least in an academic sense, the long-term effects and the many uncomfortable and the unresolved political issues that are the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. For 100 years now, the American flag has fluttered, both literally and philosophically, over the spoils of what has been termed the splendid little war. In the months ahead I am sure that students throughout the Nation will be introduced to historical anecdotes which set the stage for the Spanish-American War in 1898. In the wake of the Civil War, the U.S. was cementing its identity not only as a unified Nation of separate States, but also as a rising power rich in natural resources, growing and prospering and spreading the benefits of American democracy from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Against this backdrop the plight of opposed Cubans and the depravity of a crumbling European power became rich fodder for American newspapers.”