Florida and the Spanish-American War of 1898

Teacher's Guide for the Buffalo Soldiers in the Spanish-American War

Background Information

The African-American community debated the role of black soldiers in the war. Many black people saw this as an opportunity to fight for equality at home by fighting oppression in Cuba. Others questioned whether African-Americans should fight for a U.S. government that enacted federal and state laws that deprived them of their rights.

The most famous of the African-American soldiers to fight in the Spanish-American War were known as the "Buffalo Soldiers." They were the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army. The four regiments, the 9th and 10th Cavalries and the 24th and 25th Infantries, were created by Congress just after the American Civil War.

All four regiments were transferred to Florida in the spring of 1898 in preparation for the war with Spain. From Florida they went to Cuba where black troops fought and played a major role in the victory at Santiago de Cuba.

Lakeland, Florida

Lakeland was a staging area for troops en route to Cuba. It was chosen as an overflow site for Tampa, 30 miles to the west, because of its good rail connections and reliable water supply from area lakes. The addition of 9,000 troops to a town of 1,000 permanent residents created logistical problems and tension between citizens and soldiers.

Black soldiers of the 10th Cavalry and local white business owners clashed over the city's Jim Crow laws.

Major Frederick E. Pierce, a white soldier of the Massachusetts Infantry, wrote, "The race prejudice in Florida is very great and the distinction between the whites and blacks is very sharply drawn. One had only to step into a barber shop or to board a street car or railroad train to find the whites had nothing in common with the colored population."

John E. Lewis of the 10th Cavalry described an incident that took place in a Lakeland drugstore. When some black soldiers asked to buy sodas, "the druggist refused to sell them, stating he didn't want their money, to go where they sold black's drinks."

Ninth United States Cavalry training horses for Spanish-American war

10th U.S. Cavalry embarking for Cuba: Port Tampa, Florida

Cooking for the Ninth U.S. Cavalry

Scene from the Battle of Quasimas showing the 9th and 10th Cavalries in support of Rough Riders

Major Frederick E. Pierce's observations of Lakeland, Florida

John E. Lewis in Lakeland, Florida

Some Useful Questions to Ask:

• Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?
• How were the Buffalo Soldiers connected to Florida?
• What role did the Buffalo Soldiers play in the Spanish-Amerian War?
• How did the accounts of racial prejudice in Lakeland differ between the two letters? How were they similar?

Use to Illustrate:

• The life of a soldier during the Spanish-American War.
• The role of Florida in the Spanish-American War.

Sunshine State Standards

• SS.4.A.1.1: Analyze primary and secondary resources to identify significant individuals and events throughout Florida history.
• SS.4.A.6.4: Describe effects of the Spanish-American War on Florida.
  Examples are Rough Riders, cigar industry.
  
• SS.912.A.4.3: Examine causes, course, and consequences of the Spanish-American War.
• SS.912.A.1.1: Describe the importance of historiography, which includes how historical knowledge is obtained and transmitted, when interpreting events in history.
• SS.912.A.1.2: Utilize a variety of primary and secondary sources to identify author, historical significance, audience, and authenticity to understand a historical period.

Florida Standards

• LAFS.4.RI.1.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• LAFS.4.RI.1.2: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
• LAFS.4.RI.1.3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
• LAFS.4.RI.3.9: Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
• LAFS.4.RI.1.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• LAFS.K12.R.1.1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
• LAFS.68.RH.1.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
• LAFS.68.RH.1.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
• LAFS.910.RH.1.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
• LAFS.910.RH.1.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
• LAFS.1112.RH.1.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
• LAFS.1112.RH.1.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
• LAFS.1112.RH.2.6: Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.
• LAFS.1112.RH.3.8: Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
• LAFS.1112.RH.3.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.