Editing William McKinley (section)

===Cuba crisis and war with Spain===
{{Main|Spanish–American War}} {{Further|Presidency of William McKinley#Spanish–American War}}
[[File:Judge-2-6-1897.jpg|thumb|Editorial cartoon promoting intervention in Cuba. [[Columbia (name)|Columbia]] (the American people) reaches out to help oppressed Cuba in 1897 while [[Uncle Sam]] (the U.S. government) is blind to the crisis and will not use its powerful guns to help. [[Judge (magazine)|''Judge'' magazine]], February 6, 1897.]]

For decades, rebels in [[History of Cuba|Cuba]] had waged an intermittent campaign for freedom from Spanish colonial rule. By 1895, the conflict had expanded to a [[Cuban War of Independence|war for Cuban independence]].{{sfn|Gould|p=60}} As war engulfed the island, Spanish reprisals against the rebels grew ever harsher. American public opinion favored the rebels, and McKinley shared in their outrage against Spanish policies.{{sfn|Leech|p=148}} However while public opinion called for war to liberate Cuba, McKinley favored a peaceful approach, hoping that through negotiation, Spain might be convinced to grant Cuba independence, or at least to allow the Cubans some measure of autonomy.{{sfn|Gould|pp=65–66}} The United States and Spain began negotiations on the subject in 1897, but it became clear that Spain would never concede Cuban independence, while the rebels (and their American supporters) would never settle for anything less.{{sfn|Gould|pp=68–70}}<ref>Recent historiography emphasizes the humanitarian motivations for the initial war decision.  Jeffrey Bloodworth,  "For Love or for Money?: William McKinley and the Spanish–American War" ''White House Studies'' (2009) 9#2 pp. 135–57.</ref>

In January 1898, Spain promised some concessions to the rebels, but when American [[Consul (representative)|consul]] [[Fitzhugh Lee]] reported riots in [[Havana]], McKinley agreed to send the battleship [[USS Maine (ACR-1)|USS ''Maine'']].{{sfn|Gould|pp=71–72}} On February 15, the ''Maine'' exploded and sank with 266 men killed.{{sfn|Gould|p=74}} Public attention focused on the crisis and the consensus was that regardless of who set the bomb, Spain had lost control over Cuba. McKinley insisted that a [[Naval Board of Inquiry|court of inquiry]] first determine whether the explosion was accidental.{{sfn|Leech|pp=171–72}} Negotiations with Spain continued as the court considered the evidence, but on March 20, the court ruled that the ''Maine'' was blown up by an [[Naval mine|underwater mine]].{{sfnm|Leech||1p=173|Gould||2pp=78–79}} As pressure for war mounted in Congress, McKinley continued to negotiate for Cuban independence.{{sfn|Gould|pp=79–81}} Spain refused McKinley's proposals, and on April 11, McKinley turned the matter over to Congress. He did not ask for war, but Congress made the decision and declared war on April 20, with the addition of the [[Teller Amendment]], which disavowed any intention of annexing Cuba.{{sfn|Gould|pp=86–87}} Nick Kapur says that McKinley's actions were based on his values of arbitrationism, pacifism, humanitarianism, and manly self-restraint, and not on external pressures.<ref>Nick Kapur, "William McKinley's Values and the Origins of the Spanish‐American War: A Reinterpretation." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 41.1 (2011): 18–38 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/23884754 online].</ref>

The expansion of the telegraph and the development of the telephone gave McKinley greater control over the day-to-day management of the war than previous presidents had enjoyed, and he used the new technologies to direct the army's and navy's movements as far as he was able.{{sfn|Gould|pp=91–93}} McKinley found Alger inadequate as Secretary of War, and did not get along with the Army's commanding general, [[Nelson A. Miles]].{{sfn|Gould|pp=102–03}} Bypassing them, he looked for strategic advice first from Miles's predecessor, General [[John Schofield]], and later from [[Adjutant general#United States|Adjutant General]] [[Henry Clarke Corbin]].{{sfn|Gould|pp=102–03}} The war led to a change in McKinley's cabinet, as the president accepted Sherman's resignation as Secretary of State. [[William R. Day]] agreed to serve as secretary until the war's end.{{sfnm|Gould||1p=94|Leech||2p=191}}

Within a fortnight, the navy had its first victory when [[Commodore (United States)|Commodore]] [[George Dewey]] destroyed the Spanish fleet at the [[Battle of Manila Bay]] in the Philippines.{{sfn|Leech|pp=203–07}} Dewey's overwhelming victory expanded the scope of the war from one centered in the Caribbean to one that would determine the fate of all of Spain's Pacific colonies.{{sfn|Gould|p=96}} The next month, McKinley increased the number of [[Eighth Army Corps (Spanish-American War)|troops sent to the Philippines]] and granted the force's commander, Major General [[Wesley Merritt]], the power to set up legal systems and raise taxes—necessities for a long occupation.{{sfn|Gould|pp=97–98}} By the time the troops arrived in the Philippines at the end of June 1898, McKinley had decided that Spain would be required to surrender the archipelago to the United States.{{sfn|Gould|p=101}} He professed to be open to all views on the subject; however, he believed that as the war progressed, the public would come to demand retention of the islands as a prize of war.{{sfn|Morgan|pp=467–68}}

Meanwhile, in the Caribbean theater, a large force of regulars and volunteers gathered near [[Tampa, Florida]], for an invasion of Cuba.{{sfn|Leech|pp=214–15}} After lengthy delays, the army, led by Major General [[William Rufus Shafter]], on June 22, landed near [[Santiago de Cuba]].{{sfn|Gould|pp=107–09}} Shafter's army engaged the Spanish forces on July 2 in the [[Battle of San Juan Hill]].{{sfn|Leech|pp=249–52}} In an intense day-long battle, the American force was victorious, although both sides suffered heavy casualties.{{sfn|Gould|pp=109–10}} The next day, Spain's Caribbean squadron, which had been sheltering in Santiago's harbor, broke for the open sea and was destroyed by the North Atlantic Squadron in the [[Battle of Santiago de Cuba|largest naval battle of the war]].{{sfn|Leech|pp=253–58}} Shafter laid siege to the city of Santiago, which surrendered on July 17, placing Cuba under effective American control.{{sfn|Gould|pp=110–12}} McKinley and Miles also ordered an invasion of [[Puerto Rico]], which met little resistance when it landed in July.{{sfn|Gould|pp=110–12}} The distance from Spain and the destruction of the Spanish navy made resupply impossible, and the Spanish government began to look for a way to end the war.{{sfn|Gould|pp=112–13}}