The makeup of Cuba in the late

nineteenth century is much the same as it is today. Nearly

66% of the population are white and of Spanish descent.

About 22% are of mixed racial heritage, and 12% of the

populace is black. Cuba lies to the south of the United

States, and is most easily accessible by boat from the

Florida region. It is this naval quality that encompasses the

island. During the Ten Years War, between 1868-1878,

the Cubans fought against Spanish rule in their country.

Rebellion broke out around the island, and the rebels

joined under a united leader, Carlos de Cespedes, a

wealthy planter, who proclaimed independence from Spain.

Nearly 200,000 lives were lost, until the Treaty of El

Zanjun was signed. This agreement promised the

government would reform and abolish slavery and the

tyrannical rule it held over the Cubans. The treaty was not

honored however, and resistance was again put up in

1885. The Spanish king at the time Alfonso XIII,

encouraged the use of concentration camps for

revolutionaries caught in battle. The Cuban Revolution

became extremely bloody due to the use of Guerrilla

warfare. This military operation, conducted on its home

terrain, consisted of inhabitants fed up with oppressive rule.

The men involved operated from bases located deep in the

jungle, dense forests, and high rocky elevations. Guerrillas

depended on natives for food, shelter, and useful

information. While striking swiftly was a must, the bands of

men were specialized in the undetected raiding of enemy

camps. They could ambush a patrol, kill the soldiers, and

supply their entire company in a matter of hours. Cutting

communication between enemy lines became a prime

target, once severed from the army, a battalion could be

attacked, disarmed, and their reserves used for the

revolutionaries. It was the unfortunate, destitute populace

that rebelled. Having little to lose they could fight on home

turf and soon, much to there delight had help from the

United States. While in port in Havana on February 15,

1898 the U.S. Battleship Maine was sunk by a large

explosion. The Americans declared war on Spain

immediately, attacking all Spanish naval vessels in the area,

marking the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

Finally on July 18, 1898, George Dewey, a U.S. naval

officer commanded the fleet that destroyed Spanish vessels

in Manila. Upon being defeated once again, Spain

surrendered, giving up Cuba and the Philippines as free

countries. Therefore with the help of the United States, and

there own fighting rebellion within the country the

inhabitants of Cuba gained freedom from Spanish

dictatorship, becoming the Cuban Republic in 1901 and

electing Tomas Estrada Palma as president in 1902.