To understand the that exists today, one must understand the history of the island, and of its people. American involvement began long before the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Yet it seems that American opinion about Cuba is shaped by these two events. A better understanding of the past is necessary to fully grasp our involvement with Cuba. The colonization of Cuba began in the first half of the 16th century. The native population was essentially wiped out and replaced with Spanish settlers in the following years. Because th ....