This week, In the Past Lane explores the fascinating and little-known story of an American colony that developed on a small island off Cuba following the Spanish American War of 1898.  The Isle of Pines attracted some 2,000 American settlers in the early 20th century. Many of them viewed the island in the same way earlier generations of Americans saw the trans-Mississippi west -- as a place brimming with opportunity for adventure, self-reinvention, and economic advancement.  At the heart of their ambitions was the hope that the United States would annex the island.  To tell us all about this colony and its rise, transformation, and fall in the 20th century, I speak with historian Michael Neagle about his new book, America's Forgotten Colony: Cuba's Isle of Pines (Cambridge University Press, 2016).

About Michael Neagle – web Further Reading Michael Neagle, America's Forgotten Colony: Cuba's Isle of Pines (Cambridge University Press, 2016).

Steven Kinzer, The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire (Henry Holt, 2016) Jane McManus, Cuba's Island of Dreams: Voices from the Isle of Pines and Youth (2000)

Louis A. Perez, Jr. Cuba Under the Platt Amendment, 1902-1934 (Pittsburgh, 1986)

Louis A. Jr. Perez, The War of 1898: The United States and Cuba in History and Historiography (UNC, 1998)

Evan Thomas, The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 (Little, Brown and Company, 2010)

Music for This Episode

Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (JayGMusic.com)

Kevin McCleod, “Impact Moderato” (Free Music Archive)

The Womb, “I Hope It Hurts” (Free Music Archive)

Jason Shaw, "Acoustic Meditation"

The Bell, “I Am History” (Free Music Archive)

Production Credits

Executive Producer: Lulu Spencer

Technical Advisors: Holly Hunt and Jesse Anderson

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