Background
Cuba was discovered by Europeans in 1492. From 1511 it was a colony of spain and became a base from which Spanish exploration and colonisation took place. Numbers of indigenious Cubans dropped dramatically as a reuslt of European desieases and harsh Spanish rule. Those who remained were converted to Catholicism by missionaries. Cuba became a producer of tobacco and sucre due to its rich soil. The low numbers of indigenous Cubans caused problems for te Spanish, who needed large amounts of cheap labour which lead to importaiton of African slaces to work on the sugar and tabacco plantations. Currently, the population of Cuba is mainly of Spanish and African decent. Although Cuba is a small island, …show more content…
The Monroe Doctrine * The U.S was interested in Cuba from 1783 when President Adams described Cuba as ‘a natural extension of the Northern American continent’ * In 1823 President Monroe affirmed that the U.S would not become involved in European affairs and Europeans should no longer interfere with the Americas, any attempt by a European power to influence or colonise any independent nation in the Americas would be seen as an attack on the peace ad safety of the U.S. Therefore the U.S had the right to act in order to protect the region. Became known as the Monroe Doctrine * Placed U.S in the role of protector of independent countries of the Americas and became the philosophy behind the American actions in Cuba. Another justification was ‘Manifest Destiny’. The U.S believed that its system of democracy and free enterprise should spread through the rest of the Americas. * By 1850 insurrections were encouraged by the U.S who wanted to end Spanish colonisation and control Cuba. * 1880s America was heavily invested in Cuban economy, particularly