For four centuries after the arrival of Christopher Columbus, Spain ruled Cuba as its main colony in the Caribbean, but the U.S. long coveted the island just off its southern coast. America provided major markets for Cuba’s sugar, tobacco, rice and coffee exports, while the island played a key role in the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans.
The USS Maine’s mysterious explosion in Havana Harbor led to the Spanish-American War. The tragedy fueled calls for the U.S. to liberate Cuba militarily and protect American business interests.
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