Causes Of The Spanish American War

The Spanish-American War was fought in 1898 between Spain and the United States. The Spanish-American War ended Spain’s colonial rule in the Americas. The war began when Cuba tried to achieve independence from Spain in February of 1895. The United States officially declared war on Spain in April, after the USS Maine battleship exploded in Havana, killing 266 American sailors. It was never proven that Spain was actually responsible for the battleship sinking, but the US newspapers battle cry became “Remember the Maine.”

Some background information tells us that in 1492, Spain was the first country to sail to the western hemisphere or across the Atlantic Ocean to colonize American land. At the peak of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, their

Spain announced that they were going to limit Cuba’s self-government, but the United States responded by declaring that Cuba had the right to independence and demanded the withdrawal of Spanish forces from Cuba. For economic and strategic reasons, the United States had the public’s support of this war. The US people embraced the idea of freeing an oppressed population of people controlled by Spain. The United States was also interested in the sugar industry in Cuba. Cuba actually traded more with the United States than with Spain.

On May 1st, 1898, Commodore George Dewey destroyed the entire Spanish fleet at Manilla Bay with no American casualties. Then Commodore Winfield Schley blockaded the harbor.

The Spanish Caribbean fleet which was lead by Admiral Pascual Cervera was located by United States intelligence at the Santiago harbor in Cuba. An army of troops and volunteers that was lead by General William Shafer, which included Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders cavalry, docked at Santiago and slowly made their way to the city trying to force Cervera’s troops out of the city and out of the harbor. On July 3, Cervera led his troops out of Santiago and led them westward along the coast. All of Cervera’s ships were beached by United States guns. Cervera surrendered to the United States and Shafer on July 17, ending the war. The US military was in rough shape

In the treaty, Spain agreed to recognize Cuba 's independence. The United States helped Cuba set up a military government to help restore order, rebuild the nation, and protect American business interests. The United States also helped Cuba form a government elected by the people .Spain also ceded Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States in the treaty. Spain also transferred sovereignty of the Philippians for $20,000,000 to the United States. The Spanish-American War was a key turning point in history. Spain’s defeat made the country focus on its domestic needs rather than their colonial adventures. On the other hand, the United States got many oversea possessions that were taken from