Question: who did the united states defeat in a late-nineteenth century war
Answer: Spanish -- American War Part of the Philippine Revolution and the Cuban War of Independence Explosion of the USS Maine Date April 21 , 1898 -- August 13 , 1898 ( 3 months , 3 weeks and 2 days ) Location Cuba and Puerto Rico ( Caribbean Sea ) Philippines and Guam ( Asia - Pacific ) Result American victory Treaty of Paris of 1898 Territorial changes Spain relinquishes sovereignty over Cuba , cedes Puerto Rico , Guam and the Philippine Islands to the United States for $20 million Belligerents United States Cuban revolutionaries Filipino revolutionaries Spain Cuba Philippines Guam Puerto Rico Commanders and leaders William McKinley Nelson A.