Revolutionary Cuba and Philippines collection, 1849-1925 (majority within 1895-1903)

Summary

Creator:

Diamond, J. Leonard (James Leonard)

Abstract:

This collection consists of 883 letters, documents, an orderly book, printed items, and other materials concerning revolutionary conflicts in Cuba and the Philippines, American involvement particularly, dating largely from the 1890s-1900s. This collection's contents include detailed information from Cuban and Philippine revolutionaries at home and in exile; U.S. Army activities related especially to the Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and postwar occupations; American, Cuban, Filipino, and Spanish consular and governmental officials; and civilians (including families of U.S. Army soldiers' and sailors' family members) involved in the events.

Extent:

2.75 linear feet

Language:

English
Spanish
Tagalog
German

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Jamal Dillman-Hasso, May 2024

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection consists of 883 letters, documents, an orderly book, printed items, and other materials concerning revolutionary conflicts in Cuba and the Philippines, American involvement particularly, dating largely from the 1890s-1900s. This collection's contents include detailed information from Cuban and Philippine revolutionaries at home and in exile; U.S. Army activities related especially to the Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and postwar occupations; American, Cuban, Filipino, and Spanish consular and governmental officials; and civilians (including families of U.S. Army soldiers' and sailors' family members) involved in the events.

Please see the box and folder listing in this finding aid for extensive, detailed descriptions of items and groups of items in the Revolutionary Cuba and Philippines Collection.

Biographical / Historical:

Before 1898, Cuba and the Philippines were both Spanish territories. Cuba, while not the first Spanish overseas territory, had become the significant enough to Spain that its independence in 1898 helped generate an existential cultural crisis in Spain (the "generación del 98") as many Spaniards grappled with the loss of their once-sprawling empire. Throughout most of the 19th century, Cuba was a brutal slave colony, primarily exporting sugarcane to other areas both within and without the Spanish Empire.

Abolitionist, radical, and independentist groups in Cuba had been mobilizing for decades prior to 1898. In 1868, a large-scale criollo (white and colonial-born) revolt involved an international mobilization from across Latin America and a diplomatic crisis between Spain, the U.S., and the United Kingdom. The revolt failed; however, it provided Cuba a gradual path towards the abolition of slavery and some greater representation in the Cortes, or Spanish Parliament. Slavery would be nominally abolished in 1886.

In February 1895, a Cuban insurgent army led by the liberal revolutionary José Martí, attempted another wide-scale revolt across the island, pushing for independence and racial equality. The initial revolt failed disastrously, and Martí was killed in action within weeks. The revolt opened up a wide and low-level insurgency, in Spanish called the Guerra Necesaria, or "Necessary War" (an appellation first devised by Martí). The U.S. offered to purchase the island in 1896, but Spain rejected the offer. The Spanish government did, however, replace some of its more brutal viceregal and military authorities on the island in a futile attempt to quell the uprising. The Cuban revolutionaries, meanwhile, were led after Martí's death by the heavy-handed and efficient officer Máximo Gómez, the brothers Antonio and José Maceo, Serafín Sánchez, and Francisco Carrillo.

Similar events were fomenting in the Spanish Philippines, which were administratively attached to Mexico before 1821, but then brought under direct Spanish rule with Mexican independence. Throughout the following decades, and accelerating with the opening of the Suez Canal, politics in the Philippines were increasingly dominated by tensions between criollos (or insulares "islanders"; Philippine-born white subjects, typically middle- or upper-class) and peninsulares (Iberian-born whites who typically filled elite roles in the government and military). By the 1870s, a combination of political events in Spain and the increasingly liberal and pro-independence bent of the insulares led to the formation of a secret Philippine-independence society, the Katipunan (often referred to by its Tagalog abbreviation KKK). In August 1896, the KKK launched a revolt in the Philippines, but--as in Cuba--it was repressed and instead entered a phase of low-level insurgency.

American fascination with Cuba stretched back many years before 1898, driven not only by lurid journalism or imperialist jingoism but also by memories of the Spanish executions of American and British sailors aboard the USS Virginius in 1873, by religious prejudice, and by concerns over slavery. Before the American Civil War (and in particular after the Compromise of 1850), slave interests in the U.S. considered annexing Cuba as a slave state to allow for strengthening of slaving interests and to relieve pressure on free states being admitted into the Union; whereas abolitionists were disgusted by the slavery and post-slavery systems of economic oppression and wanted the U.S. to act to halt it. In early 1898, American supporters of intervention in Cuba were given a pretext to declare war on Spain when a U.S. Navy armoured cruiser, the USS Maine, exploded in port in Havana soon after a Spanish loyalist riot. Interventionists, driven by the U.S. consul to Cuba Fitzhugh Lee, wasted no time in turning the explosion into a casus belli, leading the U.S. under a reluctant William McKinley to declare war on Spain on April 21, 1898.

When the U.S. declared war on Spain, Spanish authorities realized that victory and retention of Cuba would be nearly impossible and sought to preserve domestic stability in defeat to the extent they could. The U.S., meanwhile, activated its recently expanded navy, whose leaders were eager to challenge British naval dominance by demonstrating their ability to conduct a multi-ocean war. U.S. forces seized Cuba and Puerto Rico with relative ease while simultaneously dispatching a large naval task force towards the Philippines. By July 1898, the U.S. had taken Santiago de Cuba, effectively ending the war in the Caribbean. A U.S. occupation of Cuba and Puerto Rico followed; Cuba was gradually phased into independence, albeit with a remaining U.S. military garrison stationed at Guantánamo Bay; while Puerto Rico was gradually brought towards--but, as of this writing in 2024, without--statehood.

While the Cuban and Puerto Rican theatres of the Spanish-American War saw the U.S. align--albeit often uncomfortably--with local independence movements, the U.S. military was far more suspicious of the Katipunan, and informally worked with the Spanish military to ensure that Spain could surrender to the U.S. rather than the Philippines. Spanish viceregal authorities would have preferred a military victory, but in the knowledge that such a victory over the U.S. in the Pacific would be nearly impossible, many of the Philippine battles in the Spanish-American War (particularly the Battle of Manila Bay) were designed to showcase American military strength and rescue Spanish reputations. Spanish defeat at the hands of the Katipunan and its allies would have been humiliating, but defeat by an increasingly powerful and white-ruled country was tolerable to the Spanish viceregal authorities, if not ideal. These complex relationships continued after the war. After 1898, the U.S. implemented a military occupation of the Philippines. This allowed the Katipunan, led by Emilio Aguinaldo and a tight coterie of fellow liberal revolutionaries, to direct a new insurgency against the U.S. The ensuing Philippine-American War (whose most violent episodes occurred during the "Moro Rebellion" of insurgent Muslim Filipinos in rural areas of the country) resulted in widespread Filipino disillusionment with American governance. The U.S., through a combination of persistent military action and the blockade of the Philippine Republic, dissolved Aguinaldo's government and enforced military rule throughout the islands. The Philippines remained a protectorate for decades.

Acquisition Information:

2023. M-7990 .

Custodial History:

This collection was compiled by collector J. Leonard Diamond over the course of decades. He acquired materials in various ways, such as through auction, sale, and trade. Portions of his collections were sold through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc., in 2013 and 2014. The Clements Library's Revolutionary Cuba and Philippines Collection is largely materials sold at the Siegel auction of July 26, 2023, sale number 1291.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged largely as it was on arrival at the William L. Clements Library. The materials seemed to be in groupings that reflected the collector's areas of interest as well as groupings he acquired as lots in auction and sale catalogs. In some cases, letters found in miscellaneous parts of the collection belonged to small collections; Library staff re-united them. The collection is arranged into the following series and sub-series:

• Revolutionary Cuba
  • Filibustering in Cuba and Ten Years' War Correspondence and Documents
  • Cuban War of Independence Correspondence and Documents
  • Spanish-American War in the Caribbean: Small Collections
  • Spanish-American War in the Caribbean: Correspondence, Documents, Photographs, and Printed Items
  • Antolin Martínez Cambón Orderly Book
• Revolutionary Philippines
  • Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War: Correspondence, Documents, Photographs, and Other Items
  • Spanish-American War in the Philippines: Small Collections
  • Spanish-American War in the Philippines: Correspondence and Documents
  • English Language Newspapers

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Alternate Locations

The following item is located in the William L. Clements Library's Book Division: Barclay, George L. Little Cuba; or, Circumstantial Evidence. Philadelphia: Barclay & Co., 1882. Original purple paper covers.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

African American soldiers.
Ammunition.
Battle estrays.
Cubans--New York (State)--New York--History--19th century.
Filibusters--Cuba--History--19th century.
Firearms.
Guantánamo, Battle of, Guantanamo, Cuba, 1898.
Irregular warfare--Caribbean Area.
Irregular warfare--Cuba.
Irregular warfare--Philippines.
Journalists.
Manila Bay, Battle of, Philippines, 1898.
Military bands.
Military occupation--Cuba.
Military occupation--Philippines.
Military occupation--Puerto Rico.
Mothers and sons.
Musicians.
Noncitizens.
Pacifism.
Postal service.
Prisoners of war.
Revolutionaries--Cuba.
Revolutionaries--Philippines.
Santiago, Battle of, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 1898.
Siblings.
Slavery--Cuba--19th century.
Smuggling--Cuba--History--19th century.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Blockades.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Campaigns--Caribbean area.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Campaigns--Cuba.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Campaigns--Philippines.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Campaigns--Puerto Rico.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Cuba--Diplomatic history.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Economic aspects.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Finance.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Health aspects.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Naval operations, American.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Naval operations--Cuba.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Naval operations--Philippines.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Naval operations--Puerto Rico.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Participation--Female.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Peace.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Periodicals.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Philippines.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Postal service.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Puerto Rico.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Social aspects.
Spanish-American War, 1898--United States.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Women.
Typhoid fever.
War crimes.
Yellow fever.
Manuscript maps.
Maps.
Portraits.
Sailors.
Soldiers.

Formats:

Advertisements.
Bean.
Bonds (negotiable instruments)
Broadsides (notices)
Clippings (information artifacts)
Drawings (visual works)
Financial records.
Government records.
Invitations.
Labels (identifying artifacts)
Legal documents.
Letters (correspondence)
Lists.
Menus.
Military commissions.
Military records.
Money (objects)
Newspaper clippings.
Newspapers.
Notes (documents)
Orderly books.
Orders (military records)
Photographs.
Poems.
Printed ephemera.
Programs (documents)
Receipts (financial records)
Ribbon (material)
Snapshots.
Song sheets.
Telegraphs.
Tickets.
Visiting cards.

Names:

Aglipayan Church (Philippines)
Catholic Church.
Cuban Revolutionary Party.
Ejército Libertador de Cuba.
Katipunan (Philippines)
Maine (Battleship)
Philippine Liberation Army.
Spain. Ejército--Colonial forces--Cuba.
Spain. Ejército--Colonial forces--Philippines.
Spain. Ejército--Colonial forces--Puerto Rico.
United States. Army.
United States. Army. Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 20th.
United States. Army--Military life.
United States. Navy--Military life.
Virginius (Steamer)
Atkinson, Pearce, 1868-1896.
García Iñiguez, Calixto, 1839-1898.
Hawley, Joseph R. (Joseph Roswell), 1826-1905.
Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905.
López, Narciso, 1797-1851.
McDermott, James.
McKinley, William, 1843-1901.
Wood, Oliver E.
Aglípay y Labayán, Gregorio, 1860-1940.
Aguinaldo, Emilio, 1869-1964.
Atkinson, George W. P.
Atkinson, Margaret Pearce.
Bennett, Kenneth W.
Bennett, Thomas M.
Besby, Edward.
Besby, William.
Bestor, Odin.
Bowditch, Joseph.
Briggs, George.
Bryan, Jim.
Cambón, Antolin Martínez.
Chapman, William.
Cheatham, Benjamin Franklin.
Del Pilar, Pio, 1860 or 1865-1931.
Díaz, Pedro.
Estrada Palma, Tomás, 1835-1908.
Gómez, Máximo, 1836-1905.
Gómez, Victoriano.
Gray, Harry.
Hernández, Adriano.
Hobson, Richmond.
Hogan, Charles J.
Humpton, Harry Edgar.
Lawton, Henry Ware, 1843-1899.
Lawton, Mary Craig, 1855-1934.
Legaspi, Silvestre.
Leiper, Edward F.
Maceo, José, 1846-1896.
Maceo, José M.
Marshall, Doug.
Masó, Bartolomé.
McCaskey, Douglas.
McCaskey, William.
Miles, Matthew P.
Miles, Nelson Appleton, 1839-1925.
Morales, Francisco Carrillo.
Nudd, Frederick.
Royce, Elmer Edwin.
Ryan, James.
Quesada y Aróstegui, Gonzalo de.
Ramos, Joaquín.
Schenk, Robert C.
Sims, Jay.
Steever, E. Z.
Studebaker, George M.
Trías, Mariano.
Vibora, Artemio Ricarte.

Places:

Caribbean Area--History--19th century.
China--History--Boxer Rebellion, 1899-1901.
Coamo (P.R.)
Cuba--Foreign relations--Mexico.
Cuba--Foreign relations--United States.
Cuba--History--1810-1899.
Cuba--History--1878-1895.
Cuba--History--1899-1906.
Cuba--History--Insurrection, 1868-1878.
Cuba--History--Insurrection, 1868-1878--Social aspects.
Cuba--History, Military--19th century.
Cuba--History, Naval--19th century.
Cuba--History--Revolution, 1879-1880.
Cuba--History--Revolution, 1895-1898--Campaigns.
Cuba--History--Revolution, 1895-1898--Economic aspects.
Cuba--History--Revolution, 1895-1898--Equipment and supplies.
Cuba--History--Revolution, 1895-1898--Participation, Female.
Cuba--History--Revolution, 1895-1898--Participation, Foreign.
Guantánamo Bay (Cuba)
Philippines--Foreign relations--United States.
Philippines--History--Philippine American War, 1899-1902--Atrocities.
Philippines--History--Philippine American War, 1899-1902--Campaigns.
Philippines--History--Philippine American War, 1899-1902--Naval operations, American.
Philippines--History--Philippine American War, 1899-1902--Political aspects--United States.
Philippines--History--Philippine American War, 1899-1902--Participation, Chinese.
Philippines--History--Philippine American War, 1899-1902--Postal service.
Philippines--History--Philippine American War, 1899-1902--Social aspects.
Puerto Rico--History--1898-1952.
Spain--Foreign relations--United States.
United States--History--1876-1912.
United States--Foreign relations--Cuba.
United States--Foreign relations--Philippines.
United States--Foreign relations--Spain.