Sunday, January 26, 2020
Contribution of right hemisphere to language
Contribution of right hemisphere to language THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION OF THE RIGHT HEMISPHERE TO LANGUAGE 10 The Important Contribution of the Right Hemisphere to Language Cheimonidou Panagiota ELTE Abstract Does the right hemisphere of the brain have any contribution to linguistic function? The argument of this research paper is that it does. Language is not lateralized only to the left hemisphere of the brain. Although this thesis is challenged, it can be proved by the fact that damage to it can cause language impairment, affect our understanding of the context of speech (oral and written), disable our comprehension of linguistic prosodic features. Moreover, supporting evidence substitutes the fact that linguistic function can completely switch itself to the right hemisphere of the brain, when the left one is damaged. This is only part of the argumentation that could be made to support the important role of the right side of the brain. Still, it proves adequately that language has to do with both sides of the brain, and that the right one should not be overlooked. The Important Contribution of the Right Hemisphere to Language The point of this study is to discuss the important contribution of the right cerebral hemisphere to language. It will be very interesting to support this view with evidence, since many arguments have been made against it, stating that language locates itself only on the left side of the brain and the right hemisphere has nothing to do with it. In order to highlight the importance of the right side of the brain for language, the structure of this research is based on facts (mostly on what follows right hemisphere damage) and on previous work in the field (e.g. , Field, 2003; Beeman Chiarello, 1998; Cook, 1984). To begin with, before starting talking about the important role of the right hemisphere to language, I believe I should first be more specific about the term lateralization. Brain or cerebral lateralization focuses on the fact that our brain is divided in half: the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. As most of us know, our brain is such uniquely complex that it is hard to know all its specific functions with every little detail; but what we do know for sure is that our brain is so efficient that does the remarkable job of carving out specialties, dividing tasks: The left side of the brain specializes in one set of tasks, while the right side specializes in another. On a broad level, we can say that the left hemisphere deals with linear, structured, analytical, rational, logical and sequential tasks, while the right hemisphere focuses on big-picture thinking, on tasks that are about the whole, the context of a situation rather than the explicit detailed text, about holistic way of perception, dealing with things all at once, visualizing, synthesizing and not analyzing. So, lateralization deals with the two sides of the brain and the distinct functions that are allocated to each one of them. The interesting part in lateralization, is attempting to track in what way the two sides of the brain contribute to language. Indeed, this is a controversial issue that has long been under debate and is questioned until now. The long-held view is that linguistic function has to do only with the left side of the brain and nothing to do with the right one. Luckily, over the course of the years, this view is questioned. Many linguists and scientists have carried out important research which shows that the right hemisphere of the brain should not be overlooked in terms of language. One of them, Mark Beeman (1998), argues that the right hemisphere (RH) processes language (p. ix) and admits that this view still causes intense discussions which often conclude to the argument that the right hemisphere has only paralinguistic function (p. ix). The same view is shared by Terrence Deakon (1997) who says that [t]he right side of the brain is not the non-language hemisphere. It is critically and intimately involved in language processing at many levels during both development and maturity (154). Holding the same view, I believe that the linguistic function is not completely gathered in the left hemisphere. The left side of the brain may play an important role for language- perhaps the most important- but it is not sufficient without the right side. It is like a puzzle with some pieces missing. The importance of the right hemisphere is further discussed below. Perhaps one of the most convincing and strong arguments in favor of the significant contribution of the right hemisphere to language, is that it affects the understanding of stories and jokes. This conclusion came from the fact that patients who had their right side of the brain damaged, experienced the same symptom: basically they could not comprehend the context of a narrative or a joke. Diana S. Woodruff- Pak (1997) says that people with their right prefrontal lobe damaged, usually cannot make successful jokes and puns or tell meaningful stories (147). Dennis Coon and John O. Mitterer (2007), based also on results of patients with their right side of the brain damaged, prove that these people fail to understand the overall context of what is said and therefore can no longer comprehend other nuances of language, namely jokes, irony, sarcasm, implications. The same symptom is highlighted by Terrence Deakon (1997) who argues that right hemisphere damage results in failure to gras p the logic of the whole (164). Norman D. Cook (1984) also argues that [t]he understanding of short stories requires one to grasp [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the consistency, overall coherence and sequence of events (32), but when right hemisphere damage takes place, these abilities are lost and the coherence of verbal output is degraded, leading to unwitting humor, paramnesias and an inability to carry a train of thought to its logical conclusion (32). All the above converge to the fact that basically the right hemisphere helps us realize the overall context of language, without which the complete meaning of language cannot be transferred. Therefore, a person with right hemisphere damage will not be able to realize the complete components of a story (for example if part of the story is missing), or appreciate a joke, since s/he takes everything literally and misses the bigger picture. In relation to the connection between the right hemisphere and story and joke comprehension, there could also be made an interesting combination with autism. It has been proved that right hemisphere lesion can result in autism. Cecil R. Reynolds and Elaine Fletcher- Janzen (2009), talked about the finding that individuals with autism had a left ear preference for dichotic listening for both verbal and musical stimuli (p.775). Having in mind that the left hemisphere controls the right part of the body while the right hemisphere controls the left, we can realize that, here, it is the right hemisphere that has to do with verbal stimuli, with speech. So, it is not just the left part of the brain that has to do with language impairment. But what has this to do with the understanding of stories and jokes? Well, Ozonoff and Miler (as cited in Field, 2003) proving with their experiments that patients with autism and right-hemisphere patients have symptoms in common, said that these people fo und it hard to understand the correct ending of a joke and that both groups might have similar problems in cognitive flexibility (775). Concerning story comprehension they moved on saying that these people face difficulties when it comes to understand details of a short story by using context and meaning (775). This again shows how damage to the right side of the brain causes loss of the ability to understand the overall context of language, and also underlines the importance of the right hemisphere since it proves that lesions to it can result in language impairment. Moving on to another reason why the right hemisphere of the brain plays an important role for language, we should consider its relation to the prosodic parts of language. Merely understanding the meaning of words and the syntax of sentences does not lead to adequate mastering of language. Language as a whole, consists of prosodic and gesture features too, and this is what the right hemisphere is responsible for. Kolb and Whishaws statements (as cited in Woodruff-Pak, 1997) were very interesting, since they were the first to conclude that the frontal lobes and the right hemisphere appear more involved in the mediation of emotion than the left hemisphere (147). When we hear someone speaking, we must be able to understand the tone of his voice, the pitch of his speech. Without this ability, we would not be able to interpret the meaning and intentions of the speaker. Indeed, when the right hemisphere is damaged, people lose this ability. Danny D. Steinberg (1993) illustrates that these p eople seem to have difficulties in processing speech as a prosodic syntactic distinction (249), while Dennis L. Molfese and Sidney J. Segalowitz (1988) similarly say that these people find it hard to express and understand the prosodic feature of language ( namely the emotional tone and the pitch alterations of speech)(484). What is also interesting is the fact that apart from the disability to understand a speakers tone, emotion and pitch, a person with RH damage will also be unable to understand the other peoples reactions to his own speech. As Molfese and Segalowitz (1988) say, such a person will have difficulty comprehending others emotional reaction to his or her behavior, and also his/her speech will be monotonous and lack emotional changes in pitch and tone (484). Consequently, these studies prove that language would not be conveyed sufficiently without the right side of the brain. Furthermore and most importantly, I want to talk about another phenomenon which I believe gives convincing evidence for the active role that the right hemisphere plays in linguistic functions: the ability of the right hemisphere to take over language function when the left hemisphere is damaged. As Steinberg and Sciarini (1993) point out, the right hemisphere has some language functions and can take over the complete language functioning of the left hemisphere when that hemisphere has been surgically removed or damaged (249). This phenomenon is usually observed at an early age. It refers to the equipotentiality theory about which Bruce E. Murdoch (2010) states that it is the analogous capacity of the two cerebral hemispheres to subserve language functions subsequent to unilateral brain damage, so that a shift from language competency from one hemisphere to the other is easily accomplished at a young age (162). This young age is referred to as infancy by Lenneberg (as cited by Field, 2003) who states that if necessary, language can place itself on the right side of the brain due to the flexible relationship which exists between the two hemispheres. But although most cases- where language can develop as well in the right as in the left hemisphere- take place at a young age, we have not reached to a certain conclusion. Until now, there is no evidence that the brain stops to be flexible at an older state. For instance, there was the case of a woman above 50 years old, who suffered left hemisphere damage and managed to recover until a stroke damaged her right side of the brain, too. Either the case, the point is that the right hemisphere of the brain has the ability to replace the linguistic function of the left hemisphere. The important contribution of the right hemisphere to language is an issue that surely can be further discussed, since research is carried out every day in order to reach a more solid view of what is happening in our brain. Nonetheless, I believe that all the cases mentioned above, give pretty clear evidence that the right side of the brain is not merely a silent viewer in terms of language. It plays an active role since we saw how it a) affects our understanding of the overall linguistic context, b) damage to it can cause inability to understand the prosodic features of language or even result in language impairment, c) lateralization can be switched in order to adapt to loss or damage. As far as language is concerned, the significance of the right side of the brain should not be overlooked, and we should understand that left hemisphere alone could not be sufficient in appropriate language production. References Beeman, M., Chiarello, C. (1998). Right Hemisphere LanguageComprehension:              Perspectives from cognitive Neuroscience. Retrieved from              http://books.google.com/books?id=3zwOmRAc43gCprintsec=frontcoverdq=the+i             mportance+of+right+hemisphere+to+languagehl=elcd=1#v=onepageq=the%20i             mportance%20of%20right%20hemisphere%20to%20languagef=false Cook, D. N. (2002). Tone of Voice and Mind. Retrieved from              http://books.google.com/books?id=eE47oz78XhMCpg=PA32dq=jokes+and+RH+d             amagehl=elcd=1#v=onepageq=jokes%20and%20RH%20damagef=false Coon, D., Mitterer, O. J. (2007). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind              and Behavior. Retrieved from              http://books.google.com/books?id=V6EHmNCmEWQCpg=PA67dq=right+hemisp             here+and+jokeshl=elcd=2#v=onepageq=right%20hemisphere%20and%20jokes             f=false Deacon, T. (2003). Lateralization as Competition. In J. Field (Ed.), Psycholinguistics: A             resource book for students (p.155). New York: Routledge. (Reprinted from The              symbolicspecies, pp 311-315, 1997, London: Penguin) Field, J. (2003). Language and the brain. In Psycholinguistics: A resource book for              students (p.7). New York: Routledge. Molfese, L. D. Segalowitz, J. S. (1998). Brain Lateralization in Children: Developmental              Implications. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=un-             AIyRU328Cpg=PA485dq=lateralization+and+jokeshl=elcd=2#v=onepageqf=             false Murdoch, E. B. (2010). Acquired Speech and Disorders:A Neuroanatomical and Functional Neurological Approach. Retrieved from              http://books.google.com/books?id=PplrjvH8Zb8Cpg=PT160dq=the+importance+             of+right+hemisphere+to+languagehl=elcd=2#v=onepageq=the%20importance             %20of%20right%20hemisphere%20to%20languagef=false Reynolds, R. C., Fletcher- Janzen E. (2009). Handbook of Clinical Child Neuropsychology.              Retrieved from              http://books.google.com/books?id=w1YrFypvmn8Cpg=PA775dq=lateralization+a             nd+jokeshl=elcd=6#v=onepageqf=false Steinberg, D. D., Sciarini, V. N. (1993). An Introduction to Psycholinguistics. Retrieved from              http://books.google.com/books?id=P5ZTXnzSCBYCpg=PA248dq=lateralization+ps             ycholinguisticshl=elcd=4#v=onepageq=lateralization%20psycholinguisticsf=fal             se Woodruff- Pak, S. D. (1997). The Neuropsychology of Aging. Retrieved from              http://books.google.com/books?id=qHLua6dOYvwCpg=PA147dq=lateralization+a             nd+jokeshl=elcd=3#v=onepageq=lateralization%20and%20jokesf=false
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Are Concerns over Immigration to Do with Culture of Economic Reasons Essay
Almost all economists are in agreement that immigration has positive economic effects. Indeed in the United States it â€Å"provides natives with a net benefit of at least $80,000 per immigrant, or as much as $10 billion annually†(Bolin, 2006). However despite this there are huge numbers of advocacy groups pushing the pros and cons immigration to the populations of the host countries, with natives having negative views towards immigration (McLaren & Johnson, 2007). Through the course of this essay I will examine whether the root cause of these often xenophobic views towards immigration have root causes in economic reasons (immigrants taking jobs from natives, and leading to lower wages) or symbolic reasons, where the natives are fearful that the immigrants will bring their culture to the host country and cause change. Enoch Powell, the Conservative British politician, gave a warning that immigrants were causing such strife that â€Å"like the Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber foaming with much blood†(Powell, 1969). This turned out to be nonsense, and his advice that immigrants should be encouraged to leave, would have left Britain, and many other countries that rely on cheap foreign labour in a horrific state of affairs. Immigrants are now taking far longer to integrate into their host country and this is upsetting many natives. â€Å"In the past a third-generation migrant, for example in America, would have been expected to have shed much of his grandparents’ identity†(The Economist, 2008), not speaking his mother tongue and having little loyalty to the country his family originated from. This is changing â€Å"as migrants feel loyalty to more than one country†(The Economist, 2008). For example, Moroccans in Europe, even fourth generation, are encouraged by the Government to identify with the African country, and are granted Moroccan citizenship under the constitution. As many source countries such as India and China grow intent on gaining remittances from their emigres, â€Å"migrants even several generations on may come under great pressure to retain some of their old identity†(The Economist, 2008). This can all lead to immigrants never becoming fully integrated into the host country, causing social problems such as immigrants bunching together in the same place. Due to globalisation and time-space compression, it has become far easier for migrants to emigrate further away from their own country, this causes problems as they subsequently have little in common with their host country and find it harder to integrate into the community. Traveling long distances to emigrate is no longer a problem and in the future there will be the problem of â€Å"people moving greater distances and settling among different ethnic, religious and cultural groups†(The Economist, 2008), meaning they will have problems integrating. â€Å"Danes in Sweden or Albanians in Greece have little trouble integrating into the relatively familiar societies next door. Even Poles in Ireland prosper, perhaps thanks to the incomers’ good standard of education and skill and the shared Catholic faith. But Iraqis in Sweden, Somalis in Canada or Pakistanis in Norway typically find integration harder†(The Economist, 2008). Samuel Huntington blames this on the â€Å"great divisions among humankind†(Huntington, 1993) that are the differences between civilisations. He believes that immigration will ‘intensify civilization consciousness and awareness of differences between civilizations and commonalities within civilizations’ (Huntington, 1993). This leads to a ‘them versus us’ attitude, with the natives having the xenophobic view that the immigrants are qualitatively different from themselves. As the natives of the host country would have spent time constructing â€Å"discursive practices that attempt to fix meanings which enable the differentiation between the inside and the outside to be made†(Doty, 1996), they will resent immigrants not properly integrating themselves into the community. Research on social identity appears to conclude that identity is highly important to individuals, with individuals protecting these identities even if they have no realistic meaning (Monroe, et al. , 2000). People use these identities to provide a sense of self (Sniderman, et al. 2004), partly in order that they may distinguish between those similar to themselves and those different. The ‘identities tend to have their basis in perceptions of differences’ (McLaren & Johnson, 2007)with those viewed as outsiders thought to have radically different values and approaches to life. â€Å"The threat posed by minorities and immigrants may be symbolic in nature and may stem from concerns about the loss of certain values or ways of life†(McLaren & Johnson, 2007), due to immigrants having a significant presence in the host country. Immigrants also often congregate in areas of the host country, London for example has a huge immigrant and minority presence with only 44. 9% classing themselves as ‘White British’ (Gye, 2012), in the 2011 census. This all means that natives are fearful that immigrants will cause them to adapt or change their ways of life. Migrants who preserve â€Å"a strong religious sense that cuts across any national loyalty may be the hardest of all to assimilate into broadly secular Western societies†. In the post-9/11 world Muslims are often seen as being the greatest cultural threat to Western societies. In a recent survey McLaren and Johnson measured anti-Muslim feeling in the United Kingdom. They found that 62% of people agreed with the statement that British Muslims are more loyal to Muslims around the world, than to other Britons, only 12% disagreed. Only 30% of Britons felt that Muslims living in Britain were committed to Britain, with 47% feeling that they could never be committed to Britain. 52% of people thought that Britain would begin to lose its identity if more Muslims came to live there. Clearly there is considerable anti-Muslim feeling in Britain and concern that British-Muslims pose a threat to the identity and culture of Britain (McLaren & Johnson, 2007). Most economists are in agreement that immigration has very little effect on native’s wages; this should mean that natives won’t oppose immigration based on the misbelief that immigrants lower wages. Although conventional economic wisdom states that an increase in supply of labour will lead to a decrease in price, this doesn’t happen. Friedberg and Hunt conclude that a 10% increase in immigrant levels in the population, decreases wages by 1% (Friedberg & Hunt, 1995). Economist Francisco Revera-Batiz came to the same conclusion, noting that although immigration has increased the supply of low skilled workers into the United States, there has been very little impact on the wages of high school dropouts, the lowest skilled people in America (Rivera-Batiz, 1998). One of the most influential studies is Card’s 1990 study on the Miami Labour market after the sudden influx of 125,000 Cuban immigrants in 1980 due to a sharp downturn in the Cuban economy. Surprisingly the arrival of so many immigrants didn’t affect native wages, although it did lower the overall wage level in Miami; due to the immigrants being employed in low-wage jobs (Card, 1990). This tallies with the outcomes of other natural experiments in recent history such as the homecoming of 600,000 Portuguese after the collapse of their empire in Africa in 1974-76, the return of 900,000 Frenchmen from Algeria in 1962 (The Economist, 2008) or the influx of 610,000 Russian Jews into Israel 1990-94, increasing the labour force by 12%; all had negligible effects on native wages. Immigrants don’t decrease wages because as well as increasing the supply of labour, they become a domestic consumer for goods as well as services, they â€Å"create jobs as consumers and fill jobs as producers†(Bolin, 2006). A higher total population, ceteris parabus, will lead to the production of more goods and services, boosting the host countries gross domestic product (GDP). In some rare cases immigrants can even boost native’s wages. Illegal Mexican immigrants, who are â€Å"predominantly low skilled†(Bolin, 2006), have a positive effect on other workers’ wages (Bean, et al. 1998). This is due to immigration increasing the productivity of native workers by â€Å"taking low-skilled jobs, freeing higher-skilled workers to work in higher-skilled employment where they can be more productive†(Bolin, 2006). Based on the results of a range of economists, using results based on a â€Å"range of methodologies†(Bolin, 2006), it can be seen that immigrants have a small negative impact on native wages, although mainly low-skilled workers. Based on this, natives shouldn’t be concerned over immigration levels based on their own wages falling. The popular theory that immigrants ‘come over here and take our jobs’, has been shown to hold very little truth, as most studies â€Å"find no or negligible effect[s]†(Bolin, 2006) on employment rates. The ‘lump of labour fallacy’ is the mistaken idea that there are a set number of jobs in the economy, and when an immigrant takes one of those jobs, it is a job lost for a native. This is incorrect for three reasons. Firstly, by coming to a country â€Å"immigrants increase the supply of labour and hence reduce wages. In turn, cheaper labour increases the potential return to employers to build new factories or expand their operations. In so doing, they create extra demand for workers†(Grinda, 2006), and more jobs are created. Secondly, immigrants are consumers as well as producers. When there is a large influx of immigrants such as the 610,000 Russian-Jews into Israel in the early 1990’s, they are in need of goods and services. People are employed to provide these goods and services, meaning more jobs added to the economy, and immigrants simply enlarge the economy. Thirdly, immigrants are 10 to 20 percent more likely to become entrepreneurs and start their own business than natives (Briggs & Moore, 1994). In 1999, The Wall Street Journal reported that â€Å"Chinese and Indian immigrants run nearly 25% of the high-companies started in [Silicon] Valley since 1980†¦The 2,775 immigrant-run companies had total sales of $16. 8 billion and more than 58,000 employees†(Thurm, 1999). â€Å"Immigrants not only take jobs, they make jobs. They open new businesses that employ natives as well as other immigrants and themselves. And they do so in important numbers†(Simon, 1999). Similarly, the findings by Friedberg and Hunt discovers â€Å"no evidence of economically significant reductions in native employment†. Card, as well as examining the impact of the Muriel boatlift on wages also examined the impact of it on employment. Even though Miami’s workforce was increased by 7%, virtually overnight, with an influx of relatively unskilled Cuban workers he finds â€Å"no evidence of an increase in unemployment among less skilled blacks or other non-Cuban workers. Rather the data analysis suggests a remarkably rapid absorption of the Muriel immigrants into the Miami labour force†(Card, 1990). Again with immigrant’s impact on wages, the evidence seems to suggest that a lack of evidence that immigration causes native unemployment. This should mean that concerns over immigration should not be linked to worries over employment. Due to immigrants being â€Å"disproportionately low-skill[ed]†(Bolin, 2006) they tend to have lower wages than natives. It is often assumed therefore that they depend more upon the welfare system than natives. The level of benefits are often higher in the host country than the source country, and it is often suggested that it is this difference that brings in migrants. Borjas coined the term â€Å"welfare magnet effect†(Borjas, 1999), making the point that immigrants are drawn to the country with the highest benefits. This however has all been shown to be completely false, and many economists believe that over the long term immigrants more than pay for the public services they use (Simon, 1999). In the United States â€Å"most immigrants, including Mexicans, are usually less likely than comparable natives to receive welfare†, with the per capita cost of social welfare for immigrants being 8% less than the per capita cost for natives (Bean, et al. 1998). It is plain to see that objections to immigration come from those who are worried about the identity and culture of their nation being eroded, rather than for economic reasons. Immigrants are solving many problems for the host countries, such as the problems of aging populations and those participating in the workforce being increasing choosy about the jobs they do. Immigrants have few economic disadvantages, although high immigration may bring about a small decrease in jobs for the natives, the tax revenue that they bring in more than displaces this negative effect. As the immigrants have little impact on jobs, and simply create more jobs in the economy, disproving the lump of labour fallacy, they don’t have a negative impact on wages which is a positive for the economy as a whole. The argument that immigrants have a negative impact on the identity and culture of a nation holds some truth. Due to the fact that a nation’s identity is made up of what its inhabitants believe it to be, immigrants having different views, can water this identity down.
Friday, January 10, 2020
Cronica de Una Muerte Anunciado
Society should not be blamed for the antisocial behaviour of some individuals. Every society is made up of individuals with different values, preferences, goals and personalities. It is therefore not surprising to learn that some people feel that society should be blamed for any antisocial behaviour the individual might display. Before considering both sides of this issue we will define what is meant by the term antisocial behaviour. Behaviour that goes against what is considered acceptable by the norms opf society is said to be antisocial.Therefore, in most modern societies, murder, drug-abuse, violence and rape are among the behaviours that are antisocial. Should the society really be held accountable for the misconduct of its citizens? Some feel that it is unjust to blame the society because, as a free moral agent, the individual is responsible for his/her own decisions and actions. For instance in Cronica de una muerte anunciada by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Vicario brothers kil l Santiago Nasar to avenge the family's honour.It is a death that is foretold because they have already made their intentions known to most people i the society. As a result, there are those who blame the society for not having done anything to prevent the murder. In fact, many citizens feel guilty for having remained silent over the matter. However, who made the decision to comit this antisocial act? Who actually committed it? The truth is, the Vicario brothers are the ones who made this decision and committed the act. So should the society be held accountable?One might consider the events leading up to the murder and say that Angela, her parents, and her friends were all equally accountable. Even though she was not in love with Bayardo, her parents were taken in by his wealth. Moreover, her mother assured her: â€Å"el amor se aprende. †Her friends too, discouraged her from any thought of revealing that she was not a virgin. They also assured her that her husband would not be aware of her state, and they encouraged her to deceive him: â€Å"Lo unico que creen es lo que vean en la sabana, le dijeron. â€Å"All these factors led to her being returned to her parents in a state of disgrace, thus prompting her brothers to seek out and kill Santiago Nasar. In addition to this, the societal traditions that led the brothers to feel the need to avenge the family's honour could be blamed for the fateful events. As we have seen, even though the Vicario brothers must bear the responsibility for their actions, there is overwhelming evidence that the society, through its silence, its traditions, its deceit, and its greed, is to be blamed for the antisocial behaviour of Angela's brothers.
Thursday, January 2, 2020
The Spanish American War Essay - 894 Words
The Spanish American War, also known as â€Å"The Splendid Little War,†was a short-lived conflict between the United States and Spain in 1898. This war was a pretext for the Philippines War. During this time period Spain had control over several territories within the Caribbean because they were still a colonial power. Although Spain had control of the territories of Cuba and the Philippines, the inhabitants began to grow more and more rebellious as time passed. With the tension building between Spain and its territories, the United States was in a position to become their ally and help them fight to win their independence and gain territory within the Caribbean and Pacific at the same time. United States involvement is said to have risen†¦show more content†¦Wetzel (2012) contends that by 1898 some observers thought that 400,000 Cubans had died in these camps. (p. 408) Because of the reconcentrado policy in Cuba, U.S. public opinion of war was aroused and war s entiment rose. Regardless of the armistice McKinley proposed to Spain in Cuba and although McKinley was informed that the queen of Spain ordered hostilities be suspended, he asked Congress for authority to intervene in Cuba. Soon after, Congress passed resolves to demand that Spain withdrawal from Cuba. The U.S. also set terms that they will not withdraw from this island until independence was assured in Cuba, also known as the Teller Amendment. Congress declared war on Spain by authorizing the enlistment of volunteer troops and the U.S. instituting a blockade of Spanish ports. (Key Events in the Spanish-American War, 2013, p. 1) As previously mentioned, once the war began, the warfare was very short-lived and one-sided. When George Dewey’s squadron defeated a Spanish fleet in four hours in the harbor of Manila, Philippine Islands, this marked one of the first incidents in this war. From this thorough victory, Dewey became a renowned hero within the United States. It was evident that t he Spanish forces during this engagement were very weak, but during heavy fighting at San Juan Hill Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders gained a reputation. (Key Events in the Spanish-American War, 2013, p. 2) The efficacious land and sea assault of Cuba resulted in SpanishShow MoreRelatedSpanish American War1254 Words  | 5 PagesSpanish American War Essay Clara Barton: Her Opinion on the Spanish American War Clara Barton October 1st, 1901 Glen Elcho, Maryland Dear Teddy Roosevelt, I would like to congratulate and acknowledge you for you becoming President of the United States of America. You proved your worthiness and dedication when you made life-risking decisions on the battlefield for the Spanish American War. You volunteered as part of the cavalry and broughtRead MoreThe Spanish American War in 18981256 Words  | 5 Pages The quote A Splendid little war by Secretary of State John Hay summarizes the Spanish American War in 1898. 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The Spanish coloniesRead MoreTaking a Look at the Spanish American War Essay945 Words  | 4 Pages During his presidency William McKinley said, â€Å"War should never be entered upon until every agency of peace has failed.†His message never fully reached the American people because in the late 19th century the people were longing for an opportunity to keep up with other empires and they took the first chance they approached. They saw war with Spain as a quick way to prove supremacy and saw plenty of benefits. The Spanish American war was inevitable for America because the people had a strong driveRead MoreEssay on The Cause And Effect Of The Spanish American War953 Words  | 4 PagesAmerican imperialism in 1898 was not a sudden abandonment of anti-colonial tradition but was a logical extension of commercial expansion, somethi ng the US had been doing throughout its history (SparkNotes: The Spanish American War, 1898-1901,: Effects of the Treaty). President McKinley was not interested in wars of conquest or of territorial aggression. His interest in expansion was to make the United States first in international commerce and as a means to implement its humanitarian and democraticRead MoreSpanish American War : The Spanish War720 Words  | 3 PagesSpanish-American War The Spanish-American War was in 1898. It was an issue between the United States and Spain. The war began in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, which began in February 1895. Spain’s harsh measures to stop the rebellion were represented for the U.S. public by many newspapers, and American sympathy for the rebels rose. Spain announced an armistice on April 9 and speeded up its new program. Spain declared war on the United States on April 24, followed by a U.S. declarationRead MoreThe Spanish American War965 Words  | 4 PagesThe Spanish-American War was the event that placed the United States of America on the world stage. It showed the world the United States militaries might and strength and proved that the United States could back up their beloved Monroe Doctrine. It placed America as an Imperialistic Nation, which was one idea looked down upon by so many of its citizens. This war and its effect on the world had its pros and cons, but one thing is unarguably for certain, this event changed the way America has beenRead MoreSpanish-American War2219 Words  | 9 PagesThe Spanish-American War was fought between the United States, and Spain. Sadly it’s not a popular subject in high schools these days, so most students don’t know anything about this war. The Spanish-American War marked a new beginning for the United States, Cuba and Spain. These cou ntries where affected by the war because the Spanish American war would end the Spanish Empire, create a new one, and give a colony its independence. WHAT STARTED THE WAR The Spanish American war was about Cubin IndependenceRead MoreThe American Of The Spanish American War1630 Words  | 7 PagesFrom the time of the Spanish American War to the current conflict in the Middle East, the United States went from relative isolation to increased global involvement because of their urge for humanitarianism, economic self-interest, and the search for Manifest Destiny. The consequences of this increased global involvement on American society were the increase of immigrants, increase in resources and â€Å"Yellow Press†media. The United States were the helping hand to Cuba during when America was movingRead MoreThe American Of The Spanish American War Essay1301 Words  | 6 PagesIn 1898 the Spanish American War or nicknamed â€Å"The Splendid Little War,†began and was short lived lasting roughly four months forever changing our country for the better and the worse. Although the war might have seemed focused on freeing Cuba from Spain and gaining independence for Cuba and the Philippines, it was actually stimulated by nationalism and commercialism. Commercialism was a major factor when declaring war because the United States depended on Cuba and the Philippines for trade and
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