William McKinley: Message to Congress about Cuban Intervention

Impact

McKinley's Message to Congress did not satisfy members of either house who were eager for war with Spain. They believed that McKinley should have sought a declaration of war. Democrats who favored war were critical. Public opinion, however, was more favorable to the administration. The measured tone of the message and the moderation of McKinley's language buttressed his prestige at a decisive moment. The president had also set the terms of the debate that would lead to war with Spain in the ensuing weeks.

In the House, the Democrats offered a resolution that would have recognized the Cuban republic. The Republican majority voted that idea down. The lawmakers then endorsed the president's policy by a vote of 325 to 19. The road was more difficult in the Senate, however. Backers of Cuban independence offered an amendment to a draft resolution that would have recognized the Cuban republic as the legitimate government of the island. The amendment was adopted. A second amendment, introduced by Henry M. Teller of Colorado, disavowed an intention of annexing Cuba after the projected fighting had ended. The Senate resolution contained both of these amendments.

McKinley exercised his influence with the Republicans on Capitol Hill to obtain the defeat of the resolution recognizing Cuban independence. He could live with the Teller amendment. The president signed the resolution on April 20, and Spain immediately broke diplomatic relations. The United States imposed a naval blockade on April 22, and Spain declared war two days later. McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war on April 25, and Congress compiled with a resolution that said war had existed since April 21. The fighting between the United States and Spain soon began.

McKinley's Message to Congress about Cuba remains one of the most controversial actions of his presidency. Although modern scholars no longer believe that the president submitted a war message, criticism of McKinley's language has focused on whether a peaceful settlement of the differences with Spain could have been achieved. A close examination of the situation between the two countries in April 1898 indicates the implausibility of such an outcome. But because the war with Spain led to the acquisition of the Philippine Islands and an American overseas empire, the prospect that such results could have been avoided heightens the significance of what McKinley wrote.