The Spanish – American War 1898 

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• Fought between Spain and America over the INDEPENDENCE OF CUBA

• Major battles fought in Spanish colonies of Cuba and Phillippines.  

• April 25, 1898 to August 12, 1898 ( 13 Weeks)

• The United States declared war on Spain after the sinking of The Main. 

• Yellow Journalism inspired America to declare war on Spain 

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                Cuban revolutionaries had been fighting for the independence of Cuba for many years. They first fought the Ten Year's War between 1868 and 1878. In 1895, Cuban rebels rose up again under the leadership of Jose Marti. Many Americans supported the cause of the Cuban rebels and wanted the United States to intervene.

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What brought America into the war?  The sinking of the Battleship Maine cause America to declare war.

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                When conditions in Cuba worsened in 1898, President William McKinley sent the U.S. battleship Maine to Cuba to help protect American citizens and interests in Cuba. On February 15, 1898, a huge explosion caused the Maine to sink in Havana Harbor. Although no one was sure exactly what caused the explosion, many Americans blamed Spain. They wanted to go to war. Historians are still not convince that Spain was responsible for the sinking of the Main. Some American newspapers at the time used "yellow journalism" to sensationalize the war and the sinking of the Maine. They had little research or facts to back up their claims.

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                President McKinley resisted going to war for a few months, but eventually public pressure to act became too great. On April 25, 1898, the United States declared war on Spain and the Spanish American War had begun.

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                The first action of the United States was to attack Spanish battleships in the Philippines to prevent them from going to Cuba. On May 1, 1898, the Battle of Manila Bay occurred. The U.S. navy led by Commodore George Dewey soundly defeated the Spanish navy and took control of the Philippines.

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                The Rough Riders, which included cowboys, ranchers, and outdoors men were led by Theodore Roosevelt, future president of the United States joined the fight. Their horses could not be transported to Cuba so many Rough Riders were on foot during this battle.

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                 One of the more famous battles between Spain and the U.S. Army was the Battle of San Juan Hill. In this battle, a small Spanish force on San Juan Hill managed to hold off a much larger U.S. force from advancing. Many U.S. soldiers were gunned down trying to take the hill. Finally, a group of soldiers led by the Rough Riders charged up nearby Kettle Hill and gained the advantage the U.S. needed to take San Juan Hill.

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                After the Battle of San Juan Hill, the U.S. forces moved on to the city of Santiago. Soldiers on the ground began a siege of the city while the U.S. navy destroyed the Spanish warships off the coast in the Battle of Santiago. Surrounded, the Spanish army in Santiago surrendered on July 17.

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                With the Spanish forces defeated, the two sides agreed to stop fighting on August 12, 1898. The formal peace treaty, the Treaty of Paris, was signed on December 19, 1898. As part of the treaty, Cuba gained its independence and Spain gave up control of the Philippine Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the U.S. for $20 million.

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                 In 1903, the new government in Cuba agreed to lease the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to the United States (sometimes called "Gitmo"). Today, it is the oldest overseas U.S. naval base.