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What did the Teller Amendment say about U.S. plans for Cuba?
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Spanish-American War
Theodore Roosevelt leading the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War, 1898; print created by Kurz & Allison.
The Teller Amendment was a resolution proposed by Senator Henry M. Teller of Colorado during the lead-up to the Spanish-American War. It explicitly renounced any intention on the part of the United States to acquire Cuba for itself.1
By adopting this amendment, the U.S. Congress formally declared that the people of Cuba were, and of right ought to be, free and independent, and it demanded that Spain relinquish its authority over the island. This stood in contrast to the later Platt Amendment, which established conditions for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and placed significant limitations on Cuban sovereignty, including the right of the United States to intervene in Cuban affairs.12