Although there were many conflicts that caused the Spanish-American-Cuban War, the three main ones were revolution led by Jose Marti, the De Lome letter, and the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine.
One of the reasons war broke out between Spain, America, and Cuba was because of the campaign for Cuban freedom led by Jose Marti. Jose Marti was a Cuban poet and journalist living in exile in New York. He organized a revolution against Spain in 1895. He used an active guerrilla campaign and destroyed property like American-owned sugar mills and plantations. Jose dedicated his life to attain freedom for Cuba. He died in 1895 fighting for independence. He is remembered in Cuba as a hero and martyr. But Spain responded to this Cuban revolt by sending a general to Cuba to restore order. This general sent 300,000 Cubans into concentration camps and many died. The general's actions fueled the newspapers and Americans began to sympathize even more with the Cuban rebels.
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United StatesThe second reason war broke out was because of a private letter written by the Spanish minister. Enrique Dupuy de Lome, who was the Spanish Minister to the United States, wrote the De Lome letter. The letter itself criticized President McKinley calling him "weak" and "a bidder for the admiration of the crowd". The letter was not supposed to be seen by American eyes but a Cuban rebel stole it from a Havana post office and it was later printed in the New York Journal. Most Americans believed that criticism of their president from a Spanish official was unacceptable.
The final reason why this war took place was because of an accidental sinking of a United States ship. The U.S.S. Maine was sent to Cuba by President McKinley to protect American lives and property. An...