LAD #22- McKinley's War Message

William McKinley’s War Message to Congress
April 11, 1898
"In the name of humanity...The war in Cuba must stop."

The Cuban people revolted against their Spanish rulers in 1895, bringing the island into a bloody war. The United States remained neutral for the most part, and two days after sending an ultimatum to Madrid, President McKinley address Congress in an effort to bring about an end to the violence in Cuba.

McKinley felt it to be his duty as President to address the crisis in Cuba and its effect on the relation between the United States and Spain, stating that the war in Cuba had led to the annoyance and irritation of American citizens, causing a decrease in trade and capital as well. McKinley continued by saying that there was a chance the violence would not end unless one side of the dispute was completely destroyed, but maintained the idea that this could not be allowed to happen. The President then called for the utilization of 'neutral intervention,' thereby siding with neither aggressor. However, McKinley also felt that by declaring neutrality he ran the chance of achieving nothing in the Cuban-Spanish issue, and believed that there were other methods of ending the war.

In all actuality McKinley believed that the United States had no business in the affairs of another nation, though he also felt that America owed Cuba protection and ought to provide some legal support. He claimed that the United States also had the right to intervene if its trade and commerce were put at risk and solidified his argument by saying that the conditions in Cuba posed a threat to America's peace.

The sinking of the Maine only furthered McKinley's idea that the situation in Cuba was intolerable and needed to be fixed along with the pacification of said island. The President asked Congress to allow him to take measures in order to end the hostilities and establish peace and a stable government as a result, leaving the the issue in the hands of Congress.

Congress would later bring the United States into the war, siding with the Cubans rather than the Spanish.