The Glorious Statue of the Spanish American War

Right off Columbus Circle is a statue to celebrate our victory in the Spanish-American War. It is the most beautiful statue for the most unjust wars we ever started.

Winged Victory high atop the Monument (they weren't subtle back then)

In case you don't know, there was no reason for the Spanish-American war except that we wanted an empire and were fairly powerful, and Spain was losing her empire and was pretty week.

We used an attack on the Maine as an excuse. It was an accident and Spain all but begged us not to attack, but attack we did. In order to "gain freedom for the people of Cuba", which then became a US vassal state for the next 60 years or so.

We won the war in moments; we took Puerto Rica, Philippines, Guam and a few other islands in the Pacific. And we built this beautiful monument. We still have Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Marianas islands and this monument.

With water, in all but winter, this side represents the Atlantic fights.

Here is American setting forth on the High Seas!

He sits on the Pacific (west) side of the monument. Names of those lost are chiseled above him.

The inscription calls out "The Free Men that Died in this War with Spain so We Could Remain Free" which really does sound better than "Those Free Men that Died so We Could Have Our Own Empire"