America at 250: The Spanish-American War, With H.W. Brands

The President’s Inbox

Council on Foreign Relations

Politics, News:politics, News

4.4 • 734 Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2026

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode unpacks the causes, key events, and consequences of the Spanish-American War, highlighting how it shaped U.S. foreign policy into the modern era. To mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaration of independence, CFR is dedicating a year-long series of articles, videos, podcasts, events, and special projects that will reflect on two and a half centuries of U.S. foreign policy. Featuring bipartisan voices and expert contributors, the series explores the evolution of America’s role in the world and the strategic challenges that lie ahead. Host: James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR Guest: H.W. Brands, Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History, The University of Texas at Austin We Discuss: What drove the United States toward assertive foreign policy in the 1890s. Who the "jingoes" were and how American leaders pushed for American power abroad. Whether access to China drove American interest in Spain's Pacific empire. Why the USS Maine explosion changed the political calculus for entering a war with Spain. What the Teller Amendment accomplished and what its drafters failed to anticipate. Whether the annexation of the Philippines was ultimately the least-bad option for the Filipino people. What the Spanish-American War's legacy reveals about how the United States became—and chose to remain—a global power. Mentioned on the Episode: Monroe Doctrine, December 2, 1823 McKinley's First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1897 Theodore Roosevelt, Naval War College Address, June 2, 1897 The Teller Amendment, April 19, 1898 For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/america-at-250-the-spanish-american-war Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's almost a perfect recipe for lining up all sorts of different groups behind the idea that a war against Spain, maybe started by Cuba, would be in the interest of the United States.
0:12.6	Rebels fighting to overthrow a tyrannical government, horrific stories of human rights abuses, calls for the United States to intervene.
0:20.6	Those sound like today's headlines, but they were also in the headlines of newspapers across
0:24.9	the United States 128 years ago as Spain sought to crush a rebellion in Cuba.
0:29.8	On April 25, 1898, the United States Congress responded to the calls for action and declared
0:35.9	war on Spain.
0:37.2	The decision changed the fate of nations.
0:39.8	What prompted the Spanish-American war? How did it change the course of U.S. foreign policy? In what lessons might it offer us today?
0:48.4	From the Council on Foreign Relations, welcome to the president's inbox. I'm Jim Lindsay. Today I am joined by Professor H.W.
0:56.6	Brands Jr., the Jack S. Blanton Senior Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin,
1:04.4	in a prolific author whose books have twice been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. Bill,
1:10.6	thank you very much for joining me.
1:12.4	Nice to be with it, Jim.
1:14.3	Bill, in recognition of the 250th anniversary of American independence, we are devoting one
1:21.1	episode of the President's inbox every month to a pivotal moment in the history of U.S. foreign policy. The Spanish-American War certainly
1:30.2	qualifies on that score. It marked the moment the United States emerged as a major world power,
1:38.1	gaining possessions not just in the Caribbean, but also in Asia. Now, most people, Bill, know that the war was fought over Cuba,
1:47.9	but perhaps you could start with you explaining exactly how things got to that point.
1:54.1	The underlying influence that shaped American policy during this time was the coming of age of the American economy.
2:02.5	The United States industrialized rapidly during and after the Civil War.
2:06.7	So by the beginning of the 20th century, which is the late 1890s, the United States was probably the most powerful country in the world economically.
2:17.3	The United States, however,
	...

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