The 1898 Spanish-American War transformed the United States from a continental nation into a global power, a central shift in To Rescue the American Spirit’s portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt’s ascent. The conflict began with Cuba’s revolt against Spain and escalated after the USS Maine exploded in Havana. Rapid US victories in the Philippines and Cuba led to the Treaty of Paris, which reshaped the geopolitical landscape. As one historical summary explains, “The Spanish-American War ended Spain’s colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and secured the position of the United States as a Pacific power” (Office of the Historian, “The Spanish-American War, 1898.”  US Department of State, 2018). By acquiring sovereignty over Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines while establishing a protectorate over Cuba, America forged a durable global footprint while raising arguments around expansionism, or the process of gaining power through military empire-building.

American interests in expansionism, which had long been justified through westward settlement and the ideology of Manifest Destiny, extended beyond the continent as the nation projected its influence overseas. Leaders and policymakers framed territorial growth as a moral and political responsibility, presenting it as a means of spreading democracy and stability—even as critics argued it often relied on military dominance and exploited smaller nations for strategic or economic gain. In the case of Cuba, widespread reports of Spanish atrocities stirred public sentiment and provided justification for intervention, reflecting a combination of humanitarian concern and strategic calculation. By ending Spanish rule in the Caribbean and Pacific, the United States not only dismantled the remnants of Spain’s empire but also established direct control over Cuba’s protectorate and formal sovereignty over Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. These actions exemplified the complexities of American expansion: While framed as liberation and moral duty, they also entrenched US influence abroad and set the stage for debates over the limits and legitimacy of its growing empire.

Nonetheless, Baier’s biography notes the Spanish-American War as the hinge on which both Roosevelt’s and America’s destinies turned. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt advocated preparedness and issued contingency orders for Commodore Dewey’s Pacific fleet. Naval victories, combined with the land assault on the San Juan Heights, created overwhelming momentum. The text describes the famous charge as “a miracle of self-sacrifice, a triumph of bull-dog courage, which one watched breathless with wonder” (156). This battlefield success, driven by Roosevelt’s on-the-ground leadership, translated directly into diplomatic leverage. Public acclaim for his heroism propelled him to the New York governorship and, ultimately, the presidency, where his wartime credibility underwrote his authority to expand American influence. Through control over islands from Puerto Rico to the Philippines, he promoted US naval power and political strength, which he continued to prioritize throughout his career.