Spanish American War

On April 25, 1898 the United States proclaimed war on Spain after the sinking of the Battleship Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. The war concluded with the ratification of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. As a consequence, Spain lost its influence over the remains of its overseas territory -- Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines Islands, Guam, and other islands. The USS Maine had gone to Cuba to safeguard American citizens whilst Cuban revolutionaries were battling to achieve sovereignty from Spain. The United States endorsed their reasoning, and after the Maine exploded, ordered that Spain give Cuba freedom. Instead, Spain proclaimed war, and America swiftly followed suit. Although the United States alleged it had no designs on Cuba, several considered the war would be an opportunity to confiscate other overseas possessions and start constructing an American territory. Papers published maps to aid Americans follow the war. The United States now entered an era of overseas growth (Library of Congress, 2011). The Spanish-American War of 1898 halted Spain's colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and ensured the status of the United States as a Pacific authority. Delegates of Spain and the United States signed a peace treaty in Paris on December 10, 1898, which instituted the independence of Cuba, relinquished Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States, and authorized the triumphant power to procure the Philippines Islands from Spain.

Glackens, William J., Artist. Troops on the march, Spanish American War. , 1898. [?] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010716240/.

Troops on the march, Spanish American War.

Library of Congress. “The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War.” Introduction - The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress), 2011. https://loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/intro.html.

Details surrounding the armed conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898.