Teller Amendment

Teller Amendment
Long title	Joint Resolution For the recognition of the independence of the people of Cuba, demanding that the Government of Spain relinquish its authority and government in the Island of Cuba, and to withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters, and directing the President of the United States to use the land and naval forces of the United States to carry these resolutions into effect.
Enacted by	the 55th United States Congress
Effective	April 20, 1898
Citations
Statutes at Large	30 Stat. 738, Resolution 24
Legislative history
	Introduced in the House as H.J.Res. 233 by Henry M. Teller (R-CO); Passed the House on April 13, 1898 (324-19); Passed the Senate on April 16, 1898 (51-37, in lieu of S.J.Res. 149); Reported by the joint conference committee on April 18, 1898; agreed to by the House on April 18, 1898 (311-6) and by the Senate on April 18, 1898 (42-35); Signed into law by President William McKinley on April 20, 1898;

The Teller Amendment was an amendment to a joint resolution of the United States Congress, enacted on April 20, 1898, in reply to President William McKinley's War Message. It placed a condition on the United States military's presence in Cuba. According to the clause, the U.S. could not annex Cuba but only leave "control of the island to its people." In short, the U.S. would help Cuba gain independence and then withdraw all its troops from the country.