Foraker Amendment

(1899)

   An amendment to an army appropriations bill adopted by the U.S. Congress prohibiting the granting of “property franchises, or concessions of any kind whatsoever” in Cuba during the American occupation following the Spanish- American War. Senator Joseph Foraker of Ohio, an opponent of President William McKinley’s policies in Cuba, introduced the measure in response to efforts by the War Department to grant public franchises during the American military governance of Cuba. Foraker feared that American economic penetration of Cuba would commit the United States to remain in the island indefinitely. Despite opposition from supporters of the McKinley administration, the Senate passed the amendment by a vote of 47 to 11. Although the measure hindered large-scale economic penetration of the island, it had the unintended consequence of hindering efforts by the military government to harness foreign investments to rebuild the Cuban infrastructure.

   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