Cuba: So Close Yet So Far

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