Eyes on Cuba from the Start
Cuba is seen as an opportunity for expansion of the North American continent, even before U.S. independence from England. Colonists visit Cuba in 1741 with an eye on Cuba as an access point for controlling trade and traffic on the Atlantic coast. The U.S. states its intent to annex or at least control Cuba as early as 1783 when President John Adams says the island is a natural extension of the North American Continent and continuation of the United States made annexation necessary. In 1848 and again in 1854, the U.S. attempts to buy Cuba from Spain. However, being rejected when offering to buy Cuba did not stop the U.S. Efforts to control Cuba and other Latin American Republics continue through concepts of U.S. destiny:
- Monroe Doctrine: The U.S. has the right to “protect” emerging Latin American republics against any interference by European powers.
- Manifest Destiny: The United States is destined to expand across the continent.
- Theory of the Ripe Fruit (stated by John Quincy Adams): Laws of politics are similar to physical gravitation: “if an apple apple severed by its native tree cannot choose but fall to the ground, Cuba, forcibly disjoined from its own unnatural connection with Spain, and incapable of self-support, can gravitate only towards the North American Union.”
The Cuban War of Independence from Spain is the opportunity the U.S. is looking for.
