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Teller Amendment
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| Long title | Joint Resolution For the recognition of the independence of the people of Cuba, demanding that the Government of Spain relinquish its authority and government in the Island of Cuba, and to withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters, and directing the President of the United States to use the land and naval forces of the United States to carry these resolutions into effect. |
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| Enacted by | the 55th United States Congress |
| Effective | April 20, 1898 |
| Citations | |
| Statutes at Large | 30 Stat. 738, Resolution 24 |
| Legislative history | |
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The Teller Amendment was an amendment to a joint resolution of the United States Congress, enacted on April 20, 1898, in reply to President William McKinley's War Message.The amendment was introduced after the USS Maine exploded in February 1898, an event that heightened tensions occurring between the United States and Spain. This eventually led Congress to declare war on Spain in April and demand the Spanish relinquish control of Cuba. To make clear that the United States had no colonial ambitions, Congress approved an amendment proposed by Colorado Senator Henry M. Teller, affirming Cuba's right to independence.[1] The amendment aided in placing a restriction on the United States military's presence in Cuba. Accordingly, the United States in the amendment commanded that the government of Spain expel its land and naval forces from Cuba and its waters. According to the clause, the U.S. could not annex Cuba but only leave "control of the island to its people." In simple terms, the United States would recognize the Cuban people as "free and independent." However, the United States would not depart from the country until it had helped to pacify it. In order to pacify it, they would be permitted to employ land and naval forces as necessary to complete the objective at hand. Once pacified, the United States would have relinquished authority of Cuba's government to its people. [2]
- ^ "H.J. Res. 233, Teller Amendment, April 16, 1898 | U.S. Capitol - Visitor Center". www.visitthecapitol.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ Valone, Stephen J., ed. (1995). Two centuries of U.S. foreign policy: the documentary record. Westport, Conn: Praeger. ISBN 978-0-275-95325-6.
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