The Cuban War of Independence<span> (</span>Spanish<span>: </span>Guerra de Independencia cubana<span>, 1895–98) was the last of three liberation wars that </span>Cuba<span> fought against </span>Spain<span>, the other two being the </span>Ten Years' War<span> (1868–1878) and the </span>Little War<span> (1879–1880). The final three months of the conflict escalated to become the </span>Spanish–American War<span>, with United States forces being deployed in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the </span>Philippine Islands<span> against Spain. Historians disagree as to the extent that United States officials were motivated to intervene for humanitarian reasons but agree that </span>yellow journalism exaggerated atrocities attributed to Spanish forces against Cuban civilians.
Booker T. Washington believed that blacks should accommodate to racial prejudice and focus on self-improvement through hard work. The quote mentions the importance of "merit" or hard work in determining the value of a person in society. This therefore supports his idea that blacks should focus on an economic skill and not focus on the separation and prejudice in society.
In Washington's famous "Atlanta Compromise" speech, he outlines his theory of accommodation. He essentially argued that blacks must find their place in society, a place that whites did not want to occupy. In doing this you accept the segregation law by achieving economic success in your area. He believed in vocational studies for blacks to find their economic success. In his speech he refers to the country as a hand and that each group were the fingers. African Americans could successfully work to support the hand while not interfering with other groups.
