Spanish–American War

The Spanish–American War was a war fought between Spain and the United States in 1898, partly because many people in Cuba, one of the last parts of the Spanish Empire, wanted to become independent. Many Americans also wanted their country to get a colonial empire.

Spain lost the sea war and so had to give up its colonies of Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.  All of those colonies, except for Cuba, became US colonies after the war.

Causes 
Following reports of Spain abusing and killing Cubans, the United States sent warships to Cuba. Spain was losing control of Cuba and so put Cubans into concentration camps. The US sent ships to Cuba to try to make Spain to give up Cuba. The USS Maine (ACR-1) exploded in Havana harbor, killing about 260 people on board. "Remember the Maine" became a common wartime saying. US newspapers blamed Spain for the explosion without proof. Spain tried to avoid going to war, but pressure from US newspapers, called "yellow journalism," and ordinary people persuaded the US government to go to war. Some of them wanted Cuba to become independent, but others hoped that the US could build a colonial empire overseas since many European countries had already done so.

War
Volunteers throughout the country signed up for the war. Future US President Theodore Roosevelt raised troops and became famous by leading the Rough Riders during the Battle of San Juan Hill. 

In a big naval battle in Manila Bay, an American fleet, commanded by George Dewey, destroyed the Spanish fleet. Ground battles took place in Cuba and Puerto Rico.

The US won the war and soon began to occupy and to take control of the colonies after Spain had surrendered. Almost 400 American soldiers died during fighting, but more than 4000 Americans died from diseases such as yellow fever, typhoid, and malaria.

End
The war stopped when the Treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, 1898 by the United States and Spain. The United States became the owners of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, Later, it also got the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

Notes

References

Sources

 
 {{citation|last=Bailey|first=Thomas Andrew|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnRGAAAAMAAJ|title=The American Pageant: A History of the Republic|year=1961|publisher=Heath|access-date=August 18, 2020}
 
 . An encyclopedia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Cervera Y Topete, Pascual. Office of Naval Intelligence War Notes No. VII: Information From Abroad: The Spanish–American War: A Collection of Documents Relative to the Squadron Operations in the West Indies, Translated From the Spanish. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1899
 
 
 
 
  (full text available here )
 
 
 . short summary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Nofi, Albert A. The Spanish–American War, 1898. Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: Combined Books, Inc., 1996. 
 
 
 
 Pérez, Louis A. Cuba and the United States: Ties of Singular Intimacy. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2003. Print
 
 
 
 
 
 Santamarina, Juan C. "The Cuba Company and the Expansion of American Business in Cuba, 1898–1915". The Business History Review 74.01 (Spring 2000): 41–83. Print
 
 Smith, Mark. "The Political Economy of Sugar Production and the Environment of Eastern Cuba, 1898–1923". Environmental History Review 19.04 (Winter 1995): 31–48. Print
 
 Tone, John Lawrence. War and Genocide in Cuba 1895–1898 (2006) online review 
 
 
 
 

1898 in the United States
Wars involving Spain
Wars involving the United States
19th-century conflicts
Spanish Empire