Platt Amendment

The Platt Amendment was officially approved on May 22, 1903, it served as a treaty between Cuba and The United States of America in order to protect the freedom of Cuba from other foreign intervention and affairs. The amendment allowed the United States involvement in the domestic and international concerns; this was all in place for the implication and enforcement of Cuban independence. This was a condition the U.S. placed on Cuban to end the occupation of their country, they took this deal seeing that it was better than no freedom at all (1). Senator Orville Platt of Connecticut authored the document. This gave the U.S. the right to intervene in the Cuban government, and Cuba had to have the consent of the United States before making any trade agreements or treaties. The Platt Amendment was somewhere in between complete imperialism and Cuba’s freedom, a compromise for both sides. Cuban wanted freedom and the U.S. wanted naval and coaling stations, to earn profit as well as security from the bases. As Cuban nationalism rose and the great depression was occupying the attention of the U.S. the Americans agreed to sign a treaty repealing the Platt Amendment, with one exception. The naval base of the Americans in Guantanamo Bay stayed in tact, and under control of the U.S. being “retained” by the U.S. forces (2).

_____________________________________________________

(1) John H. Barnhill, "Platt Amendment," In Ackermann, Marsha E., Michael Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, and Mark F. Whitters, eds. Encyclopedia of World History: Crisis and Achievement, 1900 to 1950, vol. 5. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Modern World History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com (accessed May 21, 2013).

(2) “Ibid”