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Summary of American Humanitarianism During the Cuban War for Independence
During the Cuban War For Independence, Cuban noncombatants were forced into highly unfortunate circumstances. The island was ravaged and destroyed by both the Spanish and insurgent armies. Property was destroyed, crops were ruined, the Cuban economy was on the verge of collapse, and the Cuban people were involuntarily removed from their native communities by Spanish authorities. News of the Cuban plight reached the United States, and Americans were horrified at the reports. As a result of this information, Americans were motivated to intervene and assist the Cuban people by sending them humanitarian aid and charity. The American government would also advocate humanitarian causes in Cuba. The American government attempted to improve the lives of Cuban citizens through new policy and rhetoric that pressured Spain to fix the situation it had caused.

Spanish Mistreatment of Cubans Distinct from the Reconcentrado System
Native Cubans were suffering mistreatment from the Spanish that was independent of the terrible conditions found in reconcentration camps. After their initial removal from their native communities, some native Cubans were able to live on American sugar estates before they were forcibly relocated once again to the reconcentration camps. Cubans were forced to relocate because of the reconcentrado (reconcentration) system even though the relationship between the natives and estate owners was fairly affable. The pacificos (Cuban non-combatants) had renewed their agricultural work by raising crops and had been provided materials by the estate owners such as lumber to create shelter for themselves. The Cuban people had finally become accustomed to their new living situation, but they were removed from these stable communities by the Spanish authorities. Once again, they would be forced to relocate and abandon the fruits of their labor. The disruption of their normal lives caused by this forcible removal was not the only difficulty Cubans faced as they were also mistreated by Spanish soldiers. Spanish troops used their power to persecute and take advantage of the Cuban people by means of theft or using humiliation tactics such as stabbing the hate of unassuming Cubans and laughing about it afterwards. In some ways, the Spanish soldiers abdicated their responsibilities as soldiers by antagonizing the native population instead of protecting them. Unfortunately, the situation for pacificos would worsen in the reconcentration camps.

The Devastation of the Cuban Working Class
The poor conditions and poor management of reconcentration camps devastated the native population of Cuba. Reconcentration was a policy instituted by Valeriano Weyler, and it forced native citizens out of their communities and into towns that were placed under the supervision of the Spanish military. Cuba’s economic system was primarily based on agriculture, so the forced relocation of native citizens such as agrarian workers away from their crops was obviously devastating. Reconcentration ruined harvests because there were no field hands present for the cultivation process. Even so, the conditions of the reconcentration camps made agrarian workers unable to perform the physical tasks necessary for work in agriculture anyway. Native Cubans became so malnourished and disease ridden that they could no longer perform their former duties in the fields. The reconcentrado system effectively destroyed Cuba’s economy because crops were neglected, and former fieldhands lacked the physical strength and nourishment to harvest and cultivate them. Reconcentration camps became so unequipped and mishandled that the appearance of dead bodies became a common occurrence in some towns. For example, Spanish authorities began to assign regular officers to dispose of leftover corpses in Havana City where the appearance of ten or twelve dead citizens on a plaza became an ordinary occurrence. The appointment of these officers to dispose of human corpses is simply one instance of the immense devastation caused by the reconcentration program.

The Spanish Inability to Distribute Charity
Any hopes of alleviation in reconcentration camps was through charity. Unfortunately, inefficient management and bureaucratic processes quelled any chance of deliverance because of the manner in which the distribution of charity was handled. The Spanish’s lack of a streamlined distribution process likely resulted in the unnecessary suffering and deaths of Cubans who were in dire need of relief supplies.

Cubans No Longer Have Means of Production
The Cuban economy was adversely affected because of reconcentration as well as the destruction caused by the insurgent and Spanish armies. Reconcentration caused harvests to be ruined not only because farmhands were forced to live in highly concentrated towns, but also because they lacked the physical tools needed for agricultural work. The equipment Cubans had for agriculture was taken away or discarded as a result of the reconcentrado system. Agriculture could not occur without these tools and appliances needed to till the lands and cultivate the crops no matter the physical capabilities of the farmhands. These tools included horses (for ploughing), seed, and machetes to name a few of the tools needed for agriculture. Basically, reconcentration had eliminated any chance of self-preservation.

The Joint Destruction of Cuba by the Insurgent and Spanish Armies
The result of the fighting between the Spanish and Insurgents was not the only way each faction contributed to the destruction of Cuba and its economy. Initially, it was the rebellion in Cuba that actively sought the destruction of the island’s economy. The insurgent army saw the destruction of Cuba’s economy as a way to incentivize the Spanish to leave the island through the artificial creation of a poor state of affairs by burning sugar cane fields, destroying railroads, destroying telegraph lines, and other forms of private and public property. The insurgent strategy was ineffectual, and it did nothing to make the Spanish leave the island. Ironically, the Spanish would replicate the insurgent method of destruction in an effort to cut off all supply chains to the Cuban militia through means such as burning villages, razing crops, and killing cattle. The Spanish were also unable to subdue their military opponent, so the only product of this joint destruction was the enhanced misery of the Cuban people. The joint destruction of the Cuban economy amid reconcentration and the other unfortunate circumstances faced by the native population finally motivated them to appeal to an outside entity to alleviate their suffering.

The Cuban People Appeal for Aid
Reconcentrados wanted the United States to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis that had emerged in Cuba as a result of reconcentration and warfare. Natives in Cuba had witnessed the destruction of their home through warfare, and they had been forced to witness the imposition of their human rights through reconcentration and Spanish oppression. A feeling of helplessness began to take form among the native population, so they turned to the United States for assistance. Grassroots campaigns in Cuba began to form. For example, one hundred people in the city of Matanzas signed a petition asking the United States government for assistance and attempted to convince it to intervene by portraying the dire circumstances they faced as a result of the Cuban War for Independence and the Spanish’s inability to assuage the situation. The petition highlighted Spanish indifference and willingness to assist the Cuban people even though they were still expected to pay taxes under their colonial rulers. The only way to receive assistance would be to look beyond the Cuban border since the pacificos had no reason to believe their grievances or appeals for aid would be taken seriously by Spanish authorities. The peasant class was not the only social class that appealed to the United States for support. The religious community in Cuba would also ask the United States for assistance. The situation became so dire that some members of the clergy such as Senor Santender y Frutos, bishop of Havana (head of the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba) refrained from promoting a call to religious duty. The bishop took a different approach and asked for assistance from any American citizen based on a secular appeal to general humanity regardless of religious affiliation. American calls to action to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Cuba began as a result of the pleas its people made for help and the depictions of Cuban suffering under the Spanish.

Americans Desire to Donate and Encouragement of Fellow Citizens
The American people began to actively contribute to Cuba, so it would pacify the situation. The miserable circumstances of the Cuban people became so renowned that Americans began to send individual donations of supplies such as canned goods or whatever was within their means to purchase and donate. Americans started to believe that it was their responsibility to aid the Cuban people, so they began to actively encourage other U.S. citizens to donate. Active persuasion of fellow Americans to donate began to arise alongside the promotion of individual donations. Individual advocacy only went so far, so news publications also began to encourage Americans to donate to the Cuban relief effort. One of the ways in which newspapers encouraged Americans to donate was highlighting the fact most people in the United States had enough financial resources and spare income to send some form of aid. News outlets were effective because of their ability to reach large swaths of people and their ability to provocatively demonstrate the tragic circumstances in Cuba.

America’s Official Humanitarian Policies
The American people did much to help Cuba, but the major developments in battling the country's humanitarian crisis would come as a direct result of American foreign policy. The government hoped to alleviate worry about how American donations would reach Cuba. Donations were able to be sent expeditiously because the assistance of government authorized transportation that was supplied by the Department of State with the employment of steamers for sea based travel to Cuba and railroads that were used to carry goods to the seaboard. Americans would become more encouraged to donate knowing that their donations were being sent straight to Cuba. The President would also advocate for Cuba in a personal manner. The diplomatic goal of the Mckinley administration in regards to Cuba was to assuage the humanitarian crisis that was ravaging the island. President Mckinley was an adamant critic of the Cuban reconcentration system. The President’s criticism of reconcentration was so potent that he openly lobbied the Spanish government to eliminate the system altogether or find a means of improving it. One of the concessions that he demanded was for Spain to grant the pacificos the ability of pacificos to return to their agricultural duties and till the land in order to avoid starvation. President Mckinley thought it was unjust that normal citizens were being forcibly concentrated in towns because the Spanish thought it would weaken the insurgent army. The Mckinley administration further attempted to mollify the suffering of Cuban reconcentrados by convincing Spain to allow the American consulate to distribute relief supplies directly. The Spanish authorities in Cuba had become known for their lack of efficiency in administering donations. The Spanish agreed to cooperate, and it allowed the American consulate to assume the responsibilities of distribution instead of the normal Spanish authorities. President Mckinley had indirectly criticized the Spaniards’ competency to disseminate relief supplies by making this request, but he successfully convinced them to abdicate the responsibility to the American consulate. The administration’s ability to openly criticize the Spanish was an example of the respect commanded by America on the world stage and an example of President Mckinley’s willingness to use it. President Mckinley even stated that he was prepared to sacrifice American economic advancement if it meant bettering the status of the reconcentrados in Cuba. The Mckinley administration was clearly suggesting to the Spanish government that it needed to improve its treatment of the reconcentrados or the United States would not be pleased. American anger at Spanish barbarism was well noted, and this dissatisfaction would likely lead to intervention if the United States did not see improvement in Cuba. As a result, the Spanish began to take steps to rectify the situation in an effort to avoid a military conflict with the United States.