Cuban Junta

The main goal of the Junta was to free Cuba from the Spanish Empire by securing financial and military aid from the United States.

[1] The deciding factor that sent the United States into the Spanish-American War was the publication of the De Lôme Letter[2] by the revolutionaries of the Cuban Junta.

[3] The letter was written by the Spanish ambassador to the United States, Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, and was very critical of President William McKinley The publication of the letter heightened tensions between the United States and Spain, and President McKinley was forced to confront Spain; he did so in demanding that Cuba be granted independence, which resulted in the beginning of the Spanish-American War on April 21, 1898.

The headquarters, based at 71 Broadway in Manhattan, occupied a suite of three rooms on the second floor, overlooking Trinity Churchyard.

There were many critics of the Junta at this time that ultimately wanted "absolute independence"[6] for Cuba rather than being financially obligated to the United States.

[12] The Yellow journalism used by the Junta, bringing light to some of the worst parts of the Spanish rule of Cuba, also helped in gathering the support of American Citizens.

[1] The primary goal was to foster American humanitarianism in the general public, while publishing stories of Cuban success and the failure of the Spanish Government to rule fairly.

The United States did not approve of this practice as it violated international law, but was often unable to stop the ships, called filibusters, from leaving American ports and landing in Cuba.

[13] The large Cuban communities in Key West and Tampa, Florida, proved to be essential in the filibuster effort.

One of the factors that drove the United States to finally declare war on Cuba was the publication of the De Lôme letter, an international scandal.

De Lôme, Spanish ambassador to the United States, had written a private correspondence to a Spaniard stationed in Cuba insulting the leadership of President McKinley.