Memories of History and International Politics
The Memory of the War of 1898: The United States, Cuba, and Independence of Puerto Rico
2017 Volume 2017 Issue 187 Pages 187_16-187_29
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2017 Volume 2017 Issue 187 Pages 187_16-187_29
The memory of the War of 1898 has been a contentious point of disagreements between the United States and Cuba. For decades, North Americans viewed the so-called “Spanish-American War” as a victorious step toward the greatness of the nation. In the wake of the sinking of the Maine, the United States declared war against Spain, an old imperial power. As seen in the figures of Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, men of diverse backgrounds joined the fray to overwhelm the Spanish military. It was their heroic acts that liberated the Cuban people from the oppressive regime of European colonialism. The United States gave independence to Cuba on May 20, 1902.
Across the Florida Straits, Cubans contested this depiction of the war. For them, the North American memory was unacceptable, offensive, and intolerable. It risked downplaying the sacrifice of 600,000 women and men who had died during the Independence War, which began since 1868 and lasted until the Spanish surrender. From Cuban perspectives, the U.S. entrance into the war was a logical extension of the territorial expansion of the North American Empire. What the northern giant brought to the island was not liberation but another form of repression. The true independence arrived on January 1, 1959, when the Cuban Revolution toppled the U.S.-supported dictatorship.
It is important to explore how the two governments grappled with the historical disagreements. Why did the war produce contradictory memories? How did they shape U.S.-Cuban conflicts since the Revolution of 1959? This article examines secondary sources and textbooks, and pays special attention to U.S.-Cuban conflicts over the independence of Puerto Rico, a matter of special importance to the two nations. It analyzes the minutes of the secret U.S.-Cuban diplomatic meetings in the late 1970s and illuminates the link between the historical memory and the conduct of foreign policy. Its conclusion suggests that dialogue, respect for mutual interests, and sustained conversations helped to generate a degree of understanding between the two governments despite the remaining gaps in historical memories.
