Teller Amendment

(1898)

   Part of a Joint Resolution of the United States Congress authorizing President William McKinley to use force to secure the independence of Cuba from Spain. The Teller Amendment disclaimed “any disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction, or control over said Island [Cuba] except for the pacification thereof, and asserts its determination, when that is accomplished, to leave the government and control of the Island to its people.” The resolution came in response to McKinley’s message to Congress on April 11, 1898, in which he requested permission to forcibly intervene in Cuba to stop the fighting between Spain and its rebellious colony. Congressional opponents of the McKinley administration feared that intervention would lead to annexation and wanted to restrict the president’s actions by recognizing the Cuban Republic. McKinley opposed the action but submitted to the Teller Amendment as a compromise measure.

   See also <>; <>.

   FURTHER READING:

    Healy, David. The United States in Cuba, 1898–1902: Generals, Politicians, and the Search for Policy . Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1963.

   JAMES PRUITT