Date of Award

8-31-2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Benjamin Johnson

Second Advisor

Jane Becker

Abstract

Edwin F. Atkins, a native of the Boston area and member of a well-known Brahmin family, was the largest and most powerful American property owner in Cuba at the turn of the twentieth century, overseeing a massive sugar plantation called Soledad in the southern port city of Cienfuegos. Atkins’ ownership of Soledad coincided with massive changes in Cuba’s colonial system of government, concluding with the Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898) and the War of 1898, which saw the United States defeat Spain, gain control of Cuba, and install a military government on the island. This thesis examines the attitudes and actions of Atkins in his attempts to protect his property during this period of upheaval. It argues that Atkins, despite his American citizenship and connections to high-ranking American politicians, did not always support his home country and did not follow a rigid ideological position regarding island governance but instead pursued a strategy of realpolitik, supporting either Spanish or American intervention and governance depending on how he felt they would directly impact protection of his property, often changing these opinions quite rapidly. Through this lens, Atkins is used as a case study in how powerful Americans outside of government influenced and reacted to the massive growth of American overseas colonial power at the turn of the century.

Comments

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