The Spanish-American War (21 April 1898 – 13 August 1898) was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. The war originated in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, which began in February 1895.

     In January 1898, the U.S. Navy armored cruiser USS Maine was sent to Havana to provide protection for U.S. citizens. The Maine was sunk by a mysterious explosion in the harbor on 15 February 1998. On 9 April 1898 Spain announced an armistice to speed up its new program to grant Cuba limited powers of self-government. But the U.S. Congress soon afterward passed resolutions that declared Cuba’s right to independence, demanded the withdrawal of Spain’s armed forces from the island, and authorized the use of force by President William McKinley to secure that withdrawal while renouncing any U.S. design for annexing Cuba. On 21 April 1898 the United States began a blockade of Cuba.

     Spain then declared war on the United States on 24 April 1898, followed by a U.S. declaration of war on 25 April 1898, which was made retroactive to 21 April.

     The Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish-American War was signed on 10 December 1898. In it, Spain renounced all claim to Cuba, ceded Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States and transferred sovereignty over the Philippines to the United States for $20 million

     The Spanish American War was an important turning point in the history of both antagonists. Spain’s defeat decisively turned the nation’s attention away from its overseas colonial adventures and inward upon its domestic needs, a process that led to both a cultural and a literary renaissance and two decades of much-needed economic development in Spain. The victorious United States, on the other hand, emerged from the war a world power with far-flung overseas possessions and a new stake in international politics that would soon lead it to play a determining role in the affairs of Europe and the rest of the globe.

Source: History.com and Wikipedia (28 August 2025)