LAD #22 President McKinley's War Message

Summary of President McKinley's War Message to Congress, April 11, 1898:

In 1898, Cubans had been fighting the Spanish for independence for three years. In March, the U.S., who had been neutral up to this point, demanded that Spain grant an armistice to the Cuban rebels. On April 9th, Spain sent a cable agreeing to the demands. Nevertheless, two days later, President McKinley presented a War Message to Congress to fight on the Cuban's side against the Spanish, only briefly noting at the end of the message that Spain had already agreed to suspend hostilities. Eight days later, Congress adopted a joint resolution to go to war with the Cubans against the Spanish.

In his speech, McKinley cited the loss of American investments in Cuba and the "irritation, annoyance, and disturbance of our citizens...[which] shocked the sensibilities and offended the human sympathies...". He states that intervention is justified "in the cause of humanity", to protect the rights of American citizens in Cuba, because of the damage to commerce and trade, and on the grounds that the conflict is a menace to American peace and an expense to the government. He then contemplates what kinds of intervention America could take, and notes that America has for several years already attempted to pacify the two nations into peace and prosperity. He cites extensively the destruction of the Maine by Spanish forces (although it has since been found that the ship sunk due to internal engine issues). Finally, he requests Congress to grant him the power to "secure a full and final termination of hostilities between the government of Spain and the people of Cuba...", and the ability to secure for the island a stable government. Finally, he mentions how Spain notified America two days ago that they were suspending hostilities in Cuba, and includes that he hopes Congress will take this fact into account.