Brief Summary
The Set-Up
"A resource-rich island just off the coast of Florida is now independent? Yeah, we're going to have to set some rules for them." That's what Congress probably said right before writing the Platt Amendment, the official legislation that ended up placing Cuba's fate almost entirely in America's hands.
The Text
After a bit of rambling in the beginning, Congress gets to the point—well, seven points to be exact—telling Cuba what they can and can't do with their new independence. The basic idea of these rules can be boiled down to two themes:
- Cuba can't let any countries other than the U.S. help them, trade with them, or make alliances with them.
- Cuba has to let the U.S. get involved on the island whenever they want, for either resource-gathering or placing military forces.
As should be painfully obvious, the Platt Amendment's purpose was to completely restrict Cuba's actions on the world stage and let the U.S. control the island in almost every way.
Was America being a brutal bully or a wary caretaker? Only time would tell.
TL;DR
Too close and too full of resource goodies to be left alone, America sets seven restrictive rules for newly independent Cuba.