TERRITORIES: Unwanted Freedom

In 1898 a high-minded Congress of the U. S. resolved that the people of Cuba "are and of a right ought to be, free and independent." To prove that this declaration was not empty rhetoric, the U. S. soon thereafter went to war with Spain. Results of that 100-day conflict: 1) Cuba got its independence, 2) the U. S. paid Spain $20,000,000 as a fair price for the Philippines, 3) Spain handed over to the U. S. as an indemnity the Islands of Puerto Rico and Guam, 4) the Era of Manifest Destiny dawned...