The Platt Amendment allowed the US to withdraw troops from Cuba after the Spanish-American War, but gave them control over Cuba’s political and economic affairs. It was passed to replace the Teller Amendment, which required the US military to relinquish control of the island to the Cuban people. The Platt Amendment disenfranchised much of the Afro-Cuban population and remained in effect until 1934, when the Treaty of Relations was adopted. The treaty removed Cuba from direct American influence, except for continued control of Guantanamo Bay.
The Platt Amendment was a major piece of legislation that impacted relations between the United States and Cuba for decades. Passed in 1901 in the Army Appropriations Act, the law was knighted by Senator Orville Platt because it most likely would not have passed on its own. In its most basic sense, the Platt Amendment was about the withdrawal of American troops from the island nation after the end of the Spanish-American War. The law gave the United States the right to engage in Cuba’s political and economic affairs domestically and with foreign powers. It also provided a permanent military base for the US Navy at Guantanamo Bay.
The legislation required by the Platt Amendment replaced the laws established by the Teller Amendment of 1898. This earlier bill required the US military to relinquish control of the island to the Cuban people after the resolution of the conflict with Spain. It was passed in response to President William McKinley’s push for Cuban independence after the sinking of the USS Maine while in Havana harbor. Congress has called on the US government to give up on annexing the country after the end of hostilities. After the war, a new push for continued control over the nation led to the need for the Platt Amendment to revise previous policy.
After the long conflict with Spain drew to a close, US military and industrial interests wanted to maintain influence in Cuba. The US military found itself occupying the nation, and many businesses required protection from domestic dissidents and foreign intervention. Spain lost control of much of its world empire during the conflict, resulting in an expansion of power for the United States due to Cuba’s proximity to the mainland. American interests changed from the concerns of the Teller amendment to the concepts that would eventually find their way into the Platt amendment.
Essentially founding Cuba as a colony, albeit with self-governing authority, the United States instituted a variety of controls to maintain power over the country. He created a national police organization made up of ex-rebels known as the Rural Guard. American businesses under the authority of US General Leonard Wood began to industrialize the island by building new roads, establishing an education system, and creating modern sanitation infrastructure. In an effort to limit the population’s influence on its future, only adult males with property values equal to or greater than $250 US Dollars (USD) or more were allowed to vote. This disenfranchised much of the Afro-Cuban population, which the Americans viewed as a threat to their control.
The Platt Amendment and its policy of control over Cuba remained law until 1934, when the Treaty of Relations was adopted. President Franklin Roosevelt established the Good Neighbor Policy with both the Caribbean and Latin America in an effort to gain economic and military support from the region during the Great Depression. The 1934 Treaty of Relations removed Cuba from the direct sphere of American influence with one exception; it allowed continued control of Guantanamo Bay by the US military.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
