Florida and the Spanish-American War of 1898

Teacher's Guide for Spanish Citizens in Key West and Tampa

Background Information

Cubans were not the only people to emigrate from Cuba to the United States during the 19th century. Spaniards or Cubans of direct Spanish descent came also. As the Cuban struggle for independence became acute, tensions rose between the Spanish and Cubans in both Key West and Tampa.

These letters document Spanish reactions to growing anti-Spanish sentiment among ethnic Cubans in Florida. In Key West, public demonstrations against Spain led the Spanish consul there to complain to Governor Henry Mitchell that city officials were doing nothing to prevent insults to the Spanish flag and the staff of the consulate. In Tampa, business leaders such as attorney Peter Knight were worried that Spanish business owners might move their lucrative cigar factories away from the city for fear of trouble with their Cuban labor force.

These documents are useful for helping students distinguish between the Spanish and the Cubans in this conflict. Understanding the separation between them in the actual battles in Cuba is one matter; understanding that these two groups sparred in Florida as well is another. Use these documents to demonstrate that the Spanish and Cubans clashed politically in Florida before and during the Spanish-American War.

Consulado de España en Key West to Governor H.L. Mitchell

Attorney Peter Knight to Governor William D. Bloxham

Some Useful Questions to Ask:

• What happened in Key West that prompted the Spanish consul to write to the Governor of Florida?
• Why was Peter Knight concerned for the welfare of Spanish-American citizens in Tampa?
• How did the actions of the Key West demonstrators affect the relationship between the United States and Spain?

Use to Illustrate:

• The attitudes of Florida citizens toward the conflict between Cuba and Spain.
• The role of economics in Florida's response to 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.