Timeline of the Spanish – American War The timeline of events of the Spanish – American War covers major events leading up to , during , and concluding the Spanish – American War , a ten - week conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States of America . The conflict had its roots in the worsening socio - economic and military position of Spain after the Peninsular War , the growing confidence of the United States as a world power , a lengthy independence movement in Cuba and a nascent one in the Philippines , and strengthening economic ties between Cuba and the United States . Land warfare occurred primarily in Cuba and to a much lesser extent in the Philippines . Little or no fighting occurred in Guam , Puerto Rico , or other areas . Although largely forgotten in the United States today , the Spanish - American War was a formative event in American history . The destruction of the , yellow journalism , the war slogan " Remember the Maine ! " , and the charge up San Juan Hill are all iconic symbols of the war . The war marked the first time since the American Civil War that Americans from the North and the South fought a common enemy , and the war marked the end of strong sectional feeling and the " healing " of the wounds of that war . The Spanish - American War catapulted Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency , marked the beginning of the modern United States Army , and led to the first establishment of American colonies overseas . The war proved seminal for Spain as well . The loss of Cuba , which was seen not as a colony but as part of Spain itself , was traumatic for the Spanish government and Spanish people . This trauma led to the rise of the Generation of ' 98 , a group of young intellectuals , authors , and artists who were deeply critical of what they perceived as conformism and ignorance on the part of the Spanish people . They successfully called for a new " Spanish national spirit " that was politically active , anti - authoritarian , and generally anti - imperialistic and anti - military . The war also greatly benefited Spain economically . No longer spending large sums to maintain its colonies , significant amounts of capital were suddenly repatriated for use domestically . This sudden and massive influx of capital led to the development for the first time of large , modern industries in banking , chemicals , electrical power generation , manufacturing , ship building , steel , and textiles . The war led to independence for Cuba within a few years . The United States imposed a colonial government on the Philippines , quashing the young Philippine Republic . This led directly to the Philippine - American War , a brutal guerilla conflict that caused the deaths of about 4 , 100 Americans and 12 , 000 to 20 , 000 Filipino guerilla and regular troops . Another 200 , 000 to 1 , 500 , 000 Filipino civilian deaths occurred . However , the conflict brought William Howard Taft to the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt , and led to Taft ' s ascension to the U . S . presidency in 1908 . The American presence in the Philippines still existed at the beginning of World War II . Along with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , the American experience in the Philippines at the start of the war ( the Philippines Campaign , the Bataan Death March , the Battle of Corregidor ) became another formative episode in the American experience and rehabilitated the career of General Douglas MacArthur .