Platt Amendment Theme of Freedom

Oh yeah: this is a biggie. After all, the Platt Amendment is all about Cuba's freedom.

Cuba technically became independent just as soon as the Treaty of Paris in 1898 told Spain they no longer had a claim on Cuba. But America had a thing or two (or seven) to say about that. Cuba's freedom is brought up often in this Amendment, both in terms of the U.S. wanting Cuba to have its independence and the U.S. wanted to restrict it.

Talk about a split personality issue.

1. Considering the rules of the Platt Amendment, was Cuba truly a free country with these regulations in place?
2. Why does a country's freedom have to depend on what other countries have to say about it?
3. Did the Platt Amendment make Cubans feel less free, or did it make them feel more protected?
4. What are major reasons why the U.S. might have wanted to restrict Cuba's freedom, given the connection to America's own history of fighting for independence?

Thanks to the Platt Amendment, Cuba went from one overlord (Spain) to another (United States) without ever experiencing true freedom.

The United States knew that without its help Cuba would be overrun by another European nation, therefore the Platt Amendment helped preserve Cuba's freedom.