The Spanish-American War

Hello bloggers! In this unit "Execute" we learned about the executive branch of federal and government in which is responsible for carrying out and/or executing the laws. We also learned the purpose and the powers of the executive branch, and how those powers are executed throughout history. For this second action project the class was given the choice to pick a war, researching it and deciding whether the war was unjust or just in your opinion. The war I chose for this action project was The Spanish-American War. The most challenging thing about this project was to find a war that I felt comfortable researching and learning more about. What I am most proud of is learning about the The Spanish-American War and knowing the history behind it and how it effects everything today.
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The Spanish American War, U.S. forces took place in 1898 in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guam. The war was fought between Spain and the United States of America. This war happened because a lot of people wanted Cuba to become an independent country but they refused and on along with that the Americans wanted a colonial empire for their country which lead to war between Spain and the United States of America. The Spanish-American war involved the Caribbean islands such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and Philippines because Spain lost the sea war in which they had to give up its colonies of Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and part of Guam. All of these colonies, except for Cuba, would become U.S. colonies at the end of the war. Although the main issue was Cuban independence.

The Spanish-American War went on from April 25, 1898 – August 12, 1898 (3 months, 2 weeks and 4 days). The ten-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. The United States of America joined because Americans wanted a colonial empire for their country. They wanted to take control of other lands and that’s when they decided to fight against Spain. One of the unique features of this war was that this was a U.S. occupation during the larger, ongoing. American troops were soon in route to Spain’s other important Caribbean possession, Puerto Rico, and landed on the island’s southern coast on July 25th. The invasion was in keeping with the U.S. strategy to intensify pressure on Spain’s possessions until Madrid sued for peace. Spain began to realize they couldn’t anymore but to ask the Americans for peace terms. By then, U.S. ground forces had swept across southern and central Puerto Rico, where inhabitants received them warmly.

This war was fought because Cuba wanted to become an independent country but the Americans wanted a colonial empire for themselves. The Cubans were wary of the United States' intentions, the overwhelming support from the American public provided the Cubans with some peace of mind, because they believed that the United States was committed to helping them achieve their independence.

 Immediate Causes:

•  Cuba’s Independence 
• The Unites States wanted control over land and more territory.

 Underlying Causes:

•  Demands by Cuban patriots for independence.

 Overall, I think that this was unjust because the United States of America really didn't have to control any land or territory. They were already big enough, it was just unnecessary to have a war over colonizing other peoples countries and land.

Citations:

"Puerto Rico Invaded." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.

"Spanish–American War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.

"The Spanish-American War, 1898." Milestones: 1866–1898. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.

"Where Did The Spanish American War Take Place." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.

Sexual Equality In Sports

For this action project, In Policy I was assigned to write a letter discussing about a topic that I am most concerned about and write it to someone that will read this letter and make a change. I decided to choose Gender Equality on sports because I experience a lot of this when I play sports that mainly have only males. What I learned in this unit was about the three branches of government. I am most proud of choosing this topic and being able to express myself the way I want to and being able to let someone know what I think and what should be done and changed. The most challenging thing was researching and finding both sides of the stories.

April 25, 2015
The Honorable Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

What is it like to be a female who views herself as both a student and an athlete in the U.S.? Let me tell you, although their are plenty of sports to choose from, depending on the school you attend, there are still a lot of challenges and restrictions.I am asking you to craft a bill that will make all school sports (from elementary through college) on the same level of equity. Although, I do know the disadvantages that it takes upon females and males playing together in a sport. I know that it can be tough and frustrating for some males playing with females because some sports can be very aggressive and violent, in which some males wouldn’t like to hurt or play with a female because the sport is too aggressive.

As I was researching, Debates.org came up when I asked about “coed sports in high school”. The debate is whether “sports should be co-ed?” Yes or no. 63% voted yes and for 37% for no. This all depends on how females would feel in being a “male” sport, even having the privilege to play and experience. Boy and girls might be more comfortable with playing in the same sport. Boys tend to be afraid of hurting the female in the game. As a female I have experienced a lot of personal issues playing in a all male sports, like American Football. I love football and I like playing it but I have had issues where I got judged because I am a female and because I might just seem weak to them and not good enough.

I understand that this is a hard decision because males would prefer to play with their own gender because it might work best in their opinion. Despite the fact that males would prefer to play with the same gender I still think that Title IX plays a huge part in the United States. Us women have the right to participate and be in all types of activities no matter what gender, age and color you are. Women may get discouraged because on average they perform poorly in comparison with men; and that female sports are different from male sports. It is argued that all of these arguments are flawed. This decision will be up to all the females if they want to join a sport that they know mainly males play and that it might be aggressive.