Photos from Banana Wars Exhibit at Delco Museum

You have now seen and enjoyed the photos of the Gen. Smedley Butler Detachment’s exhibit at the Delaware County Historical Society Museum in Chester. Now see the Babana Wars exhibit in person. The Museum is located at 408 Avenue of the States.

The Banana Wars were a series of occupations, police actions, and interventions involving the United States in Central America and the Caribbean between the Spanish American War (1898) and the inception of the Good Neighbor Policy (1934). The military interventions were most often carried out by the United States Marine Corps. The Marines were involved so often that they developed a manual, “The Strategy and Tactics of Small Wars”, in 1921. On occasion, the Navy provided gunfire support and Army troops were also used.

The objective of the Banana Wars was to protect the United States interests in Central America. Reason for these conflicts was varied but largely economic in nature. They were called “Banana Wars”, a term that arose from the connections between these interventions and the preservation of American business interests in the region.