Cuban War of Independence

The Cuban War of Independence (Spanish: Guerra de Independencia cubana), also known in Cuba as the Necessary War (Spanish: Guerra Necesaria), fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Little War (1879–1880). During the war, Spain sent 220,285 soldiers to Cuba—according to the Library of Congress, the largest army to cross the Atlantic until World War II. The final three months of the conflict escalated to become the Spanish–American War, with United States forces being deployed in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines against Spain. Historians disagree as to the extent that United States officials were motivated to intervene for humanitarian reasons but agree that yellow journalism exaggerated atrocities attributed to Spanish forces against Cuban civilians.

During the years 1879–1888 of the so-called "Rewarding Truce", lasting for 17 years from the end of the Ten Years' War in 1878, there were fundamental social changes in Cuban society. Cuba had maintained slavery and was still under colonial control while most countries in the Americas were gaining independence throughout the nineteenth century. The island received economic benefits from keeping their connections with the Spanish because of their supply of sugar. Additionally, the white upper-class minority in Cuba had concerns that the island would follow Haiti's footsteps after their revolution, which caused them to maintain their support for Spanish rule. With the abolition of slavery in October 1886, freedmen joined the ranks of farmers and the urban working class. The economy could no longer sustain itself with the shift and changes; therefore, many wealthy Cubans lost their property and joined the urban middle class. The number of sugar mills dropped and efficiency increased: only companies, and the most powerful plantation owners, remained in business followed by the Central Board of Artisans in 1879, and many more across the island.

Jose Marti was a significant figure in the Cuban War of Independence and has a legacy that is still prominent to this day. After his second deportation to Spain in 1878, José Martí moved to the United States in 1881. There he mobilized the support of the Cuban exile community, especially in Ybor City (Tampa area) and Key West, Florida. Cuba Libre became a popular movement in these areas, especially in Ybor City, where nearly every facet of society supported this cause.

His goal was revolution to achieve independence from Spain. Martí lobbied against the U.S. annexation of Cuba, which was desired by some politicians in both the U.S. and Cuba. His political orientation was more democratic than it was socialist, and these beliefs shaped the fight for Cuban freedom. However, the changes that Marti pushed for never occurred in Cuba because the Americans gained a powerful position over the island after the revolution.

After deliberations with patriotic clubs across the United States, the Antilles and Latin America, "El Partido Revolucionario Cubano" (The Cuban Revolutionary Party) was in a state of pendency and was affected by a growing fear that the U.S. government would try to annex Cuba before the revolution could liberate the island from Spain. Marti contributed to the creation of the party, which was based on his nationalist views, and he empowered the Cuban people with this party. The party also helped him patch up relations with other significant revolutionary leaders, such as Maximmo Gomez and Antonio Maceo. Additionally, a new trend of aggressive U.S. "influence" was expressed by Secretary of State James G. Blaine's suggestion that all of Central and South America would someday fall to the U.S.:

"That rich island", Blaine wrote on 1 December 1881, "the key to the Gulf of Mexico, is, though in the hands of Spain, a part of the American commercial system ... If ever ceasing to be Spanish, Cuba must necessarily become American and not fall under any other European domination". Because the US also had economic interests in Cuba, he also once stated that "our great demand is expansion; I mean expansion of trade with countries where we can find profitable exchanges."

On December 25, 1894, three ships – the Lagonda, the Almadis and the Baracoa – set sail for Cuba from Fernandina Beach, Florida, loaded with soldiers and weapons. Two of the ships were seized by American authorities in early January, but the proceedings went ahead. Marti himself did not leave for Montecristi until January 31; it was on this trip that he would meet with General Maximo Gomez to finalize another invasion plan of Cuba.

The insurrection began on February 24, 1895, with uprisings all across the island. Marti and Gomez had planned a well-organized uprising that would work to eventually remove Spain from the island nation, though progress would be slow and cost many lives. Word of the beginning of the revolution reached Marti and Gomez by the end of February.