At the turn of the 20th Century, the United States was on the rise.
Spain was the last remaining European power in the Western Hemisphere and the US was eager to prove it was top dog.
So, it went to war to kick Spain out of the Western Hemisphere.
It was very much looking for an excuse to fight Spain.
True, Robert Smalls was born into slavery in South Carolina and was hired out to work on steamboats as a youth. He was born an African-American slave, and during and after the Civil War became a ship's pilot, sea captain, as well as a politician. He freed himself, his family and other slaves and convinced Lincoln to let African-American soldiers fight during the war.
