Which nation was caught off guard by the aggression of the
United States during the war that
liberated Cuba?

Spain

Explanation:

Spain had been the ruler of Cuba and the Philippians and desperately wanted to hold onto Cuba because this was their last major colony in the Americas and reminded them of the glorious and powerful Spanish empire of years past.

They did not however, anticipate the strong support the U.S. had for the people of Cuba who were seeking independence from Spain. When the USS Maine (1889) was blown up in Cuba, the U.S. used this as justification to go to war with, and defeat the Spanish who were shocked at how fast things escalated.

3)Congress did not have the power to tax the people.  

Explanation:

Patriots were the pro-independence inhabitants of the Thirteen American Colonies who rebelled against British control of their country during the American Revolution.

The patriots began the war with great disadvantages compared to the situation of the British. They had no national government structure, no professional army or navy, no formal funding system, no bank, no credit line, no government department, no treasury. Congress tried to take some administrative action through legislative committees, which proved to be inefficient because Congress could not tax people. State governments were new too, and leaders did not have much management experience. In times of peace, the colony depended on ocean travel and transportation, but now the routes were closed due to British naval blockade and with that the Americans had to rely on slower land routes.