| The island of Cuba has been inhabited for | | | | has become Cuba's undisputed national hero. |
| more than several thousand years by | | | | |
| Amerindian peoples known as the TaÃno and | | | | The Spanish-American War resulted when the |
| Ciboney. The TaÃno were known to be mostly | | | | U.S. battleship Maine was mysteriously blown |
| farmers while the Ciboney were | | | | up in Havana harbor, killing 266 men. The |
| hunter-gatherers. The name Cuba in fact is | | | | U.S. accused Spain, even though they had no |
| derived from the TaÃno word cubanacán, | | | | motive, and quickly passed a resolution |
| which means "a central place". Christopher | | | | calling for intervention. The war started |
| Columbus sighted the island during his first | | | | when U.S. forces landed in Cuba in June 1898 |
| voyage of discovery on 24 October 1492, and | | | | and quickly overcame Spanish resistance. In |
| immediately claimed it for Spain. | | | | August a peace treaty was signed under which |
| | | | Spain agreed to withdraw from Cuba. |
| Spain possessed the island of Cuba for 388 | | | | |
| years, ruled by the governor of Havana. It | | | | Some advocates in the U.S. supported Cuban |
| had an economic base of plantation | | | | independence, while others argued for |
| agriculture and main exports of sugar, coffee | | | | outright annexation. As a compromise, the |
| and tobacco to Europe and later to North | | | | McKinley administration placed Cuba under a |
| America. British seized the island in 1762, | | | | 20-year U.S. trusteeship. The Cuban |
| but returned it to Spain the following year. | | | | independence movement bitterly opposed this |
| Like most of the Spanish Empire, a small | | | | arrangement, but unlike the Philippines, |
| land-owning elite of settlers held all the | | | | where events had followed a similar course, |
| social and economic power. They were served | | | | there was no outbreak of armed resistance. |
| by a population of small farmers, laborers | | | | |
| and slaves. | | | | Theodore Roosevelt, who had fought in the |
| | | | Spanish-American War and had some sympathies |
| Many architectural masterpieces constructed | | | | with the independence movement, succeeded |
| during Spanish rule still stand today. An | | | | McKinley as President of the United States in |
| excellent example is the Catedral de San | | | | 1901 and abandoned the 20-year trusteeship |
| Cristóbal, Havana. During the 1820s, when | | | | proposal. Instead, the Republic of Cuba |
| the rest of Spain's empire in South America | | | | gained formal independence on 20 May 1902, |
| rebelled and seceeded, Cuba remained loyal, | | | | with the independence leader Tomás Estrada |
| although some campaigned for independence. | | | | Palma becoming the country's first president. |
| Partly because fears of a slave rebellion (as | | | | Under the new Cuban constitution, however, |
| had happened in Haiti) if the Spanish | | | | the U.S. retained the right to intervene in |
| withdrew, partly because the prosperity of | | | | Cuban affairs and to supervise its finances |
| Cuban settlers depended on their export trade | | | | and foreign relations. Under the Platt |
| to Europe, and partly because Cuba feared the | | | | Amendment, Cuba also agreed to lease to the |
| rising power of the United States more than | | | | U.S. the naval base at Guantánamo Bay. |
| they disliked Spanish colonial rule. | | | | |
| | | | Independent Cuba soon ran into difficulties |
| Due to the fact that Cuba is a mere 90 miles | | | | as a result of factional disputes and |
| from the United States has had a profound | | | | corruption among the small educated elite and |
| influence on the countries development. | | | | the failure of the government to deal with |
| Politicians in the south plotted the island's | | | | the deep social problems left behind by the |
| annexation as a means of bolstering the | | | | Spanish. In 1906, following disputed |
| pro-slavery forces in the U.S. throughout the | | | | elections to choose Estrada Palma's |
| early 1900's. In 1848 a pro-annexationist | | | | successor, an armed revolt broke out and the |
| uprising was defeated after several failed | | | | U.S. exercised its right of intervention. The |
| invasion atemps from Florida proved | | | | country was placed under U.S. occupation and |
| fruitless. After that the United States tried | | | | a U.S. governor took charge for three years. |
| to buy Cuba from Spain but was always turned | | | | In 1908 self-government was restored when |
| down. | | | | José Miguel Gómez was elected |
| | | | President, but the U.S. retained its |
| Rural poverty in Spain led to a substantial | | | | supervision of Cuban affairs. Despite |
| Spanish emigration to Cuba. Among those | | | | frequent outbreaks of disorder, however, |
| arriving were the parents of Fidel Castro. | | | | constitutional government was maintained |
| During the 1890s pro-independence agitation | | | | until 1925, when Gerardo Machado y Morales, |
| revived, fueled by resentment of the | | | | having been elected President, suspended the |
| restrictions imposed on Cuban trade by Spain | | | | constitution. |
| and hostility to Spain's increasingly | | | | |
| oppressive and incompetent administration of | | | | This brief article can't possibly address the |
| Cuba. On 15 July 1895 rebellion broke out and | | | | vast history that is Cuba. I have listed |
| the independence party, led by Tomás | | | | several excellent books at the end of this |
| Estrada Palma and the poet José MartÃ, | | | | article. You can find them all at Amazon or |
| proclaimed Cuba an independent republic. | | | | your local bookstore. |
| Martà was killed shortly thereafter and | | | | |