Does the U.S. still own Cuba? How did the embargo against Cuba begin?

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Michele A

In 1898, after the USS Maine sunk in Havana Harbor on February 15 due to an explosion of undetermined origin, the United States entered the conflict. In December of that year Spain relinquished control of Cuba to the United States with the Treaty of Paris. On May 20, 1902, the United States granted Cuba its independence but retained the right to intervene to preserve Cuban independence and stability under the Platt Amendment. In 1934, the amendment was repealed, and the United States and Cuba agreed to continue the 1903 agreement that leased the Guantanamo Bay naval base to the United States.

A U.S. arms embargo had been in force since March 1958 when armed conflict broke out in Cuba between rebels and the Batista government. In July 1960, in response to the nationalizations and expropriations by the Castro government, the United States reduced the Cuban import quota of sugar by 700,000 tons and diplomatic relations were broken on January 3, 1961â€”two years after Castro's rise to power. In response to Cuba's alignment with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, President John F. Kennedy extended Eisenhower's measures by Executive Order, first widening the scope of the trade restrictions 1962.
Kennedy imposed travel restrictions on February 8, 1963, and the Cuban Assets Control Regulations were issued on July 8, 1963

yankee_sailor

Michele A has it 100% right.

buster5748

the USA does not own Cuba.....the embargo began in 1962 when Russia installed missiles in Cuba

ian s

No the USA does not own Cuba. Cuba is an independant country. The embargo begun quite simply becayuse the Americans did not like Castro. The whole idea was to apply pressure on Castro so the government would fall. In reality the opposite happened and the embargo became a rallying point for the people of Cuba and an excuse for the government for poor economic performance.

Most people feel the embargo will be lifted when Castro dies - in reality it is cruel, stupid and should have been removed years ago. Especially after the collapse of the USSR.

Deasel98

No the US does not "own" Cuba. Cuba is an independant country.

The embargo started when the communist party took control of Cuba, and the US didn't like the fact that the Cubans were no longer free. The US however, has no problems with China, who are notorious for their human rights violations...but thats a whole different issue

none

President Eisenhower broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961. Every US President since then has kept Cuba isolated and punished them for no good reason.
To make Matters worse for the Cuban people, President Clinton signed the Helms Burton Act into law, making the embargo even more strong.

No, the US does not own Cuba.

boy_jam_arch

The US never own Cuba, They lease a section for X amount of years.I cant give the full story without speculation.

Chocolit B

well the US never own or will ever own Cuba that the only country they cant get they hands on ..... why do u think Americans have to sneak into CUBA so much?

No...
U.N. resoundingly rejects U.S. embargo against Cuba:
For the 12th straight year, the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to end Washington's four-decade old economic embargo against Cuba, which Havana has called tantamount to genocide.
The annual roasting of the United States by friends and adversaries alike was approved by a record vote of 179 to 3 with two abstentions. Opposing the resolution were the United States, Israel and the Marshall Islands.

Cuba has been under a U.S. trade and travel embargo since Fidel Castro defeated the CIA-backed assault at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. But this year, the Bush administration's criticisms were more strident and answered in kind by Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque.

``Cuba's best day is when the Cuban people have terminated Castro's evil Communist dictatorial regime and said to him, 'Hasta la vista, baby,''' U.S. representative Sichan Siv said. California's Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger uttered the oft-quoted line in the film``Terminator 2: Judgment Day.''

Angry at the insult to President Fidel Castro, Perez shot back: ``it is the people of Cuba who say 'Hasta la vista to the blockade, Hasta la vista to genocide.'''

Here is the web site: http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/cuba/uscuba/1274.html

old lady

US does not own Cuba, it owns a small piece of property at Guantanamo Bay. The embargo began with the Bay of Pigs fiasco. It hasn't worked very well and it's hard to understand why it is still maintained.
If you want to convince a people that democracy is better than communism, you have to let them see democracy in action. Because of the embargo and the prohibition against Cuban visitors, the citizens of that country aren't able to visit the US and see what citizens in that country have, the rights they have, and the material goods they enjoy, so the Cubans have no basis for comparison.

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