Platt+Amendment,+1903

Explain the Times: The American people felt bad for the Cubans because they did not have their freedom. Cuba was being controlled by Spain at the time. The Americans felt that they could relate to how the Cubans felt because they had once been ruled by the British. After the sinking of the USS Maine, the United States declared war against Spain and passed the Teller Amendment, which stated that after the war, the United States would give Cuba its independence. The United States won the war, but realized that they wanted to keep Cuba as a colony. The United States knew they could not go back on their word, so the government passed the Platt Amendment.

History: The Connecticut Republican Senator Orville H Platt presented the Platt Amendment to the United States Senate. 1903, it passed through Congress and replaced the Teller Amendment.

Controversy: The United States said that after the war, Cuba would receive its independence. The Platt Amendment went against what the United States said. The United States government realized that it had made a mistake when it passed the Teller Amendment because by staying in Cuba, the United States could profit greatly. The Cubans were furious when the United States said that the troops were not leaving Cuba. The Cubans felt that they deserved their independence especially because the United States promised it to them after the war.

Significance in American History: The Platt Amendment made sure that Cuba did not give any countries, except the United States, land. The United States leased Guantanamo Bay as a naval station in Cuba. In addition, the amendment allowed the United States to intervene in both the local and foreign affairs of Cuba when the United States felt it was necessary. Cuba was not allowed to make treaties with any nations except the United States and the amendment gave the United States the right to define land claims in Cuba. The amendment is significant because it kept the United States in Cuba even though technically it was not supposed to be.

Scale of 100-1?: I would place the Platt Amendment at number 40 on the list of important American documents. I would place it there because it is not an extremely important document like the Declaration of Independence, but it is somewhat important. It set the foundation for the United States’ poor relationship with Cuba and the United States still occupies Guantanamo Bay. That is why I would place the Platt Amendment at number 40 on the list of important American documents.

Compare and Contrast Platt Amendment with the Tennessee Valley Authority: Both the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Platt Amendment were instituted to help the country that was involved. In addition, the two documents both passed through the United States Congress with people voting both for and against it. Both documents had controversies surrounding them. The government to help get the United States out of the Great Depression created the Tennessee Valley Authority. Many people felt that the government should have a laissez faire attitude, but Franklin Roosevelt had other ideas. He created the Tennessee Valley Authority even though there were controversies. The controversies surrounding the Platt Amendment were that the United States had already told Cuba that it would get its independence after the Spanish American War but the Platt Amendment went against that. It allowed the United States to stay in Cuba. In addition, the two documents are related to two completely different events and do completely different things. The Platt Amendment was created during the Spanish American War and affected Cuba’s independence. The Tennessee Valley Authority was created during the Great Depression and helped provide cheap electrical power to people in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Kentucky. The Tennessee Valley Authority was more significant because it helped get the United States out of the Great Depression. It still functions today and produces a lot of cheap hydroelectric power for many of Tennessee’s neighboring states. Even though the Platt Amendment was important, I think the Tennessee Valley Authority was more significant in the history of the United States.