Splendid Liberators The Spanish-American War and the Pursuit of Empire

In 1898, the United States gained an empire, allegedly losing its soul. In a decisive few weeks, U.S. forces wrested Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines from Spanish rule, but their “brilliant little war” had long and arduous effects, as the “liberators” faced resistance and resentment, and their country drifted behind imperial ambitions.In his book The Wonderful Editors, award-winning historian Joe Jackson offers an epic account of the Spanish-American War, a conflict that did not receive enough attention but nevertheless laid the groundwork for subsequent failed adventures and adventures abroad. Jackson salutes our first major military intervention abroad, offering vibrant portraits of his many main characters, among them José Martí, William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Clara Barton, and Mark Twain.On his journey, Jackson explores the heroic battle theaters of San Juan Hill and Manila Bay, disease-stricken camps, and smoke-filled halls of Congress, where politicians have debated the ethics of the concept of fatalism. The book, The Wonderful Editors, in which a tremendous research effort has been made, draws on American, Cuban, and Filipino sources to uncover the truth of the conflict. The result is an important non-fiction narrative work assessing the consequences of a pivotal war.