How we cite our quotes: (Section)
Quote #1
[…] the President is hereby authorized to "leave the government and control of the island of Cuba to its people" so soon as a government shall have been established in said island under a constitution which […] shall define the future relations of the United States with Cuba, substantially as follows: (Intro)
Things get confusing right off the bat—is Cuba actually free? Or does the U.S. control it? The first part of this quote sounds like the U.S. is formally transferring all power to the Cubans, and the second part sounds like "Oh yeah, but you have to follow these rules." The bigger issue here is whether Cuba really feels like it has freedom with the Platt Amendment weighing it down.
Quote #2
That the government of Cuba shall never enter into any treaty or other compact with any foreign power or powers which will impair or tend to impair the independence of Cuba […] (I)
This is the first of the seven rules in the Platt Amendment, and notice how two-sided it feels. One the one hand, the U.S. sounds like a bully—no allies for you, Cuba! That doesn't sound like true freedom. Yet on the other hand, the U.S. seems like they have Cuba's best interests at heart with the whole "impair the independence of Cuba" bit. What is America's true intention here? To restrict Cuba from making deals with other countries, or to protect Cuba's freedom from nations that might take advantage of the small island? Crafty writing here, Congress.
Quote #3
That the government of Cuba consents that the United States may exercise the right to intervene for the preservation of Cuban independence […] (III)
Again we have a conflicting sense of things—this quote says that Cuba must allow the U.S. to get involved in the island whenever they want, yet it's all about the "preservation of Cuban independence." Is America being a bully and throwing its weight around on this resource-rich island, or is it genuinely concerned with Cuba's freedom? You have to hand it to Congress—this writing leaves the door wide open for the U.S. to stay involved with Cuba yet not look like a bad guy.