Spanish-American War 1898

The Spanish-American War ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in US 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. American sympathy for the rebels grew as a result of the widely publicized and frequently sensational newspaper coverage of the repressive measures Spanish authorities employed to halt the rebellion. The growing popular demand for US intervention became incessant after the unexplained explosion and sinking of the American battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. The ship had been sent there to protect American interests in Cuba and to put diplomatic pressure on Spain; its loss was popularly blamed on the Spanish though the cause was never definitively determined. In response to the growing American diplomatic pressure, Spain agreed to an armistice with the Cuban rebels on April 9th. The US now demanded Cuba be granted independence and the complete withdrawal of Spanish armed forces from the island. Spain declared war on the United States on April 24, 1898 and the US responded the following day with a declaration made retroactive to April 21st.

Spain had not prepared its army or its navy for a distant war with a formidable power like the United States. The first action of the war took place in the Philippines where an American naval squadron destroyed the anchored Spanish fleet in Manila Bay on May 1st; US troops landed on June 30th, encountering minimal resistance (Manila was occupied on August 14th). Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, the fighting in Cuba – the casus belli of the war – centered on Santiago. The Spanish Caribbean fleet was located in Santiago harbor; American troops landed nearby and slowly advanced on the city in an effort to force the fleet out. On July 3rd the Spanish squadron attempted to break out of Santiago Harbor and escape westward along the coast. The American fleet destroyed the entire Spanish fleet. On land the siege of Santiago continued until the garrison surrendered on July 17th, effectively ending Spanish resistance on Cuba. Puerto Rico was invaded by American forces on July 25th and Spanish forces were almost defeated when an armistice was concluded on August 12, 1894.

By the Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, 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. After its defeat, Spain turned 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 an imperial world power with far-flung overseas colonies and a new stake in international politics that would soon lead it to play an important role in the affairs of Europe.

References

Clodfelter, 443-6; COW79; EB - Spanish-American War; Kohn, 461.

Category

Inter-State War

Region

Caribbean, Oceania

Belligerents

Spain, USA

Dispute

Territory

Initiation Date

April 24, 1898

Termination Date

August 12, 1898

Duration

111 days

Outcome

Imposed Settlement
(American victory)

Fatalities

Total: 3,685
Spain: 2,910
USA: 775

Magnitude

3.6