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Senator Henry M. Teller of Colorado proposed the amendment to ensure that the United States would not establish permanent control over Cuba following the cessation of hostilities with Spain. The McKinley administration would not recognize belligerency or independence as it was unsure of the form an insurgency government might take. Without recognizing some government in Cuba, Congressmen feared McKinley was simply priming the island for annexation. The Teller clause quelled any anxiety of annexation by stating that the United States"... hereby disclaims any disposition of intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction, or control over said island except for pacification thereof, and asserts its determination, when that is accomplished, to leave the government and control of the island to its people."[3]

The Senate passed the amendment, 42 to 35, on April 19, 1898, and the House concurred the same day, 311 to 6. President McKinley signed the joint resolution on April 20, 1898, and the ultimatum was forwarded to Spain.

The Spanish-American War lasted from April 25 to August 12, 1898, and it ended with the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. As a result, Spain lost control over the remains of its overseas empire consisting of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippine islands, Guam and other islands.

After Spanish troops left the island in December 1898, the United States occupied Cuba until 1902, and as promised in the Teller Amendment did not attempt to annex the island. However, under the Platt Amendment, crafted in 1901 by U.S. Secretary of War Elihu Root to replace the Teller Amendment, important decisions of the government of Cuba remained subject to override by the United States. This suzerainty bred resentment toward the U.S.

According to Gregory Weeks, author of US and Latin American Relations (Peason, 2008, p. 56), "The Teller Amendment, authored by a Colorado Senator who wanted to make sure that Cuba's sugar would not compete with his state's crop of beet sugar, prohibited the president from annexing Cuba."

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Related Questions

What amendment specified that the US had no intention of annexing cuba?

teller amendment


Amendment to the declaration of war with Spain that stated the US would grant Cubans their independence after the war?

The Teller Amendment


Did the Spanish American War happen first or the Teller Amendment?

The Teller Amendment came before the War.


What amendment would support Cuban independence?

Teller Amendment


What did Teller Amendment state?

The Teller Amendment stated that the United States would not, under any circumstances, obtain juristiction over Cuba


What was the purpose of the teller amendment?

The amendment stated that the United States would not annex Cuba after the war.


What did the teller amendment state?

The Teller Amendment stated that the United States would not, under any circumstances, obtain juristiction over Cuba


What did cuba become under the teller amendment?

not annexed by the u.s


What document provided the terms for US intervention in Cuba?

Teller amendment?


What gave president McKinley authorization to act in Cuba?

Teller Amendment


What did cuba become under teller amendment?

not annexed by the u.s.


How did the Platt Amendment differ from the Teller Amendment?

The Platt Amendment and the Teller Amendment differed primarily in their implications for U.S.-Cuba relations following the Spanish-American War. The Teller Amendment, passed in 1898, declared that the U.S. would not annex Cuba and would respect its sovereignty after the war. In contrast, the Platt Amendment, enacted in 1901, imposed conditions on Cuba's sovereignty, allowing the U.S. to intervene in Cuban affairs and establishing a naval base at Guantanamo Bay, effectively giving the U.S. significant control over Cuban governance.