Gerardo Licon: Okay. So now we'll get to the Spanish American War. Gerardo Licon: It didn't. Gerardo Licon: At the end of the 19th century there were. Gerardo Licon: Most of Latin America had already become independent from Spain. Gerardo Licon: but there were some places that were still colonized by Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines. Gerardo Licon: and then I'm not sure what their status was with Guam. But Gerardo Licon: but you know most of Latin America had already become independent now, Puerto Rico had fought Gerardo Licon: against Spain for independence unsuccessfully, and Cuba at this point was in the process of fighting against Gerardo Licon: Fighting against Spain for its independence. Gerardo Licon: and some historians argue that they were on the verge of winning their independence from Spain on their own. Gerardo Licon: But the United States got involved. Gerardo Licon: and hence why, we know it as the Spanish American war, a war between Spain and the United States Gerardo Licon: that begins in 1898. Gerardo Licon: How does it begin? Well, the United States there were us companies who had investments in Cuba. Gerardo Licon: and so the United States sent the navy. Gerardo Licon: This battleship, the Uss. Maine, off the coast of Havana to help protect us. Gerardo Licon: Corporate property and investments in Cuba. Gerardo Licon: While the ship is off the coast of Cuba it explodes. Gerardo Licon: and so hence we have the before and after pictures. Right here. Gerardo Licon: Now the Us. Public was told Gerardo Licon: that we had been attacked by Spain. Gerardo Licon: and you could see, like in this headline, Prices is is at hand. Spanish treachery. Gerardo Licon: the main destroyed by an outside attacks outside attack. Gerardo Licon: And so, you know, these treacherous Spanish attacked us. Gerardo Licon: and so we need to defend ourselves and fight back Gerardo Licon: we're not the aggressors is you know how we. Gerardo Licon: how the media portrays it for us. Gerardo Licon: And the Us. Public is told Gerardo Licon: why we need to support this because they attacked us. Gerardo Licon: So before Congress before Congress agrees to declare war against Spain. Gerardo Licon: we pass the teller amendment where we say, Okay, we'll get involved in this war Gerardo Licon: but we're not gonna make Cuba part of the United States. Gerardo Licon: And so in a way, it it seems like Gerardo Licon: like a selfless act right, like we're gonna help them, you know, be we're gonna help them get their independence because Spain attacked us. But we're not. This is not with the plan to keep Cuba for ourselves. Gerardo Licon: So we get involved in the fighting, and the fighting against Spain ends as soon as it the same year that it begins Gerardo Licon: in 1898, Gerardo Licon: the fighting against Spain ends. So really, the Spanish American war should begin and end in 1898. Gerardo Licon: But it doesn't. Gerardo Licon: It's typically there's another war that gets included as far as Spanish American war. That's the one that goes on until 19 0. 2. And I'll talk about that in a second. Gerardo Licon: So the fighting against Spain ends in 1898 begins and ends that year. Gerardo Licon: And so then we pass the Platt amendment. Gerardo Licon: and we insert it into Cuba's constitution. Gerardo Licon: And so, you know, we kept our promise to not make them part of the United States. Gerardo Licon: But that doesn't mean that we didn't take control of Cuba. Anyways. Gerardo Licon: we put the Platt amendment into their constitution, saying, You know you're free and independent, but Gerardo Licon: we have the right to veto any of the laws you pass. You pass any laws we don't like, we can veto them. Gerardo Licon: We you're free and independent. But Gerardo Licon: and you know this. This land belongs to you. It doesn't belong to us. Gerardo Licon: but you're going to rent to us Gerardo Licon: the space for a military base on Cuba forever and ever. Gerardo Licon: And that's why we still have Guantanamo Bay there today. Gerardo Licon: We we send them. I forget how much we send them a check Gerardo Licon: every year for like $5,000 for the last 100 years, so that we can say the land Gerardo Licon: is theirs. They're just renting it to us. Gerardo Licon: And ever since Castro came into power he just stacks up the checks and not doesn't cash them as like. I don't know symbolic protest or something. Gerardo Licon: And the Us. Again didn't make it part of the United States, but said we reserve the right to militarily intervene in Cuba anytime. We deem it necessary, and we have. And we did. Gerardo Licon: especially in the early 20th century. Gerardo Licon: Alright. So the stuff going on with Cuba begins and ends in 1898 Puerto Rico. Gerardo Licon: We said, Okay, well, now that we got rid of Spain. Gerardo Licon: you know, the Teller amendment didn't say anything about any other Spanish possessions. It only said about we weren't gonna keep Cuba. Gerardo Licon: So guess what, Puerto Rico. You're ours now. Gerardo Licon: and that's why, till this day Puerto Rico is Gerardo Licon: controlled claims by the United States. Gerardo Licon: We legalize this through our own laws. With our own court system, with the Foraker Act in 19, 0 1, where we say Puerto Rico belongs to the United States. Gerardo Licon: and this is Gerardo Licon: interesting, unique, different in that. Previously, when we took over territory, we made it a Us. Territory. Gerardo Licon: and by being a Us. Territory. That meant that they could do like what California did. Gerardo Licon: you know, after the Mexican American War became Us. Territory. So then the people there could organize themselves, draft the Constitution and petition us Congress to admit them as the next State of the United States. Gerardo Licon: With Puerto Rico we never gave gave them the right Gerardo Licon: of being recognized as a Territory, and so hence they don't have Gerardo Licon: legally, we didn't give them the right to be able to become a Us. State if they ever wanted to. Gerardo Licon: and we'll talk more about Puerto Rico, and Gerardo Licon: and whether they want independence or become a Us. State or or something else. Gerardo Licon: In 1917 the United States entered World War one. Gerardo Licon: and so in that year, in 1917, as part of the Jones Act, we made Puerto ricans us citizens. Gerardo Licon: so Puerto Rico can't become a Us. State, but the people there are us citizens, and we immediately drafted them to fight for us in World War One. Gerardo Licon: We'll talk later about other aspects of the Jones Act, because it also made it. It also limited Puerto Rico's independence because it made it so that Gerardo Licon: Puerto Ricans couldn't trade Gerardo Licon: using their own ships or couldn't trade with neighboring Caribbean countries or islands. Everything had to come and go through mainland United States, and through us ships Gerardo Licon: making everything harder to get and less competitive. In Puerto Rico we'll talk more about the Jones act later. Gerardo Licon: The Philippines. Gerardo Licon: This is where the fighting really happens Gerardo Licon: from 1898 to 19. 0 2. Gerardo Licon: So most of the Spanish American war is really the Philippine American war, and Gerardo Licon: I don't know. It's like a whole war that gets hidden in our history Gerardo Licon: by making it part of the Spanish American war, and then not even talking about it. Gerardo Licon: So the Philippines were fighting for their independence. Like Cuba, the Us. Gets involved Gerardo Licon: and helps the Philippines get rid of Spain. Gerardo Licon: But then the Us. Turned around and started creating started how to put this creating a new administration for the Philippines. Gerardo Licon: without including any Filipino people as part of the new administration. Gerardo Licon: So the Filipino people went from fighting to get rid of Spain to fighting to get rid of the United States. Gerardo Licon: Most of the fighting in the Spanish American war is not against Spain. Gerardo Licon: Most of the fighting is against the Filipino people as part of this Philippine American war, that's. Gerardo Licon: you know, usually hidden within the bigger title of the Spanish American War Gerardo Licon: one of the Filipino leaders, was Emilio Aguinaldo. Gerardo Licon: and there were 200,000 Filipinos killed as part of this war Gerardo Licon: the war and Gerardo Licon: da da change microphone last time it said that, and it continued working. So we'll see Gerardo Licon: alright. So part of this whole Spanish American war, including the Philippine American war. Gerardo Licon: There were over 5,000 Us. Troops who died, but Gerardo Licon: the overwhelming majority died from tropical diseases. Gerardo Licon: not from combat. Only 379 died in combat. Gerardo Licon: and as a result of this war the United States got Puerto Rico, Guam. Gerardo Licon: Puerto Rico, and Guam completely. Cuba Gerardo Licon: kind of indirectly, you know, becomes a protectorate. Similar thing with the Philippines. Gerardo Licon: We never made the Philippines Gerardo Licon: a Us. Territory like Puerto Rico, you know, similar to Puerto Rico, where we also didn't make it a Us. Territory. Gerardo Licon: But we controlled the Philippines until after the end of World War. 2 Gerardo Licon: part of that agreement after World War 2 in 1946, Gerardo Licon: to allow the Philippines to become an independent country. Gerardo Licon: The Philippines. You know you're free and independent. But you have to agree to the Bell Trade Act. Gerardo Licon: which which says that the Philippines cannot compete with the United States economically in any way. Gerardo Licon: So you know you're free and independent unless you compete with us economically, somehow, and us being us corporations not Gerardo Licon: like the Us. People. Gerardo Licon: You're free and independent, but you cannot nationalize your resources. Gerardo Licon: That means that you know you can't have, like national parks that protect your rainforests or your rivers. Gerardo Licon: Your land needs to be available to us Gerardo Licon: businesses, investors that want to go and exploit it, chop down the trees or mine the mountains for whatever minerals Gerardo Licon: are on the island. Gerardo Licon: So you're free and independent, but you can't protect. You can't protect it from investors. Gerardo Licon: And same thing in the Philippines. We reserve the right to have us military bases there forever. Gerardo Licon: and we still do. Gerardo Licon: In fact, we've been beefing them up lately, as tensions with China have been growing. Gerardo Licon: and to top it all off. Gerardo Licon: The reason the Us. Public was given for why we got involved in this this war with Spain. Gerardo Licon: It turns out that Spain did not blow up the Uss. Maine. Gerardo Licon: It wasn't until I think it was the 19 seventies Gerardo Licon: that there were like forensic people investigators that Scuba dived and went in to look at the wreckage of the Uss. Main. Gerardo Licon: and determined that the Uss. Main blew up from the inside. Gerardo Licon: And so, you know, giving the benefit of the doubt. Gerardo Licon: To those involved. Those investigators said that. Gerardo Licon: you know. Maybe it was from the unsafe storage of coal that created flammable fumes Gerardo Licon: that a spark then ignited, and and hence the explosion. Gerardo Licon: But the public was told Gerardo Licon: that we had been attacked by Spain, and that that's why we needed to get involved in this war. Gerardo Licon: and that was not true, and the public doesn't find out till 70 years later. Gerardo Licon: And most of the public doesn't really find out it just Gerardo Licon: by then. People aren't, don't really aren't so concerned about it anymore.