The Spanish-American War Ends Spain's Empire in the Americas and the Pacific
An explosion aboard a battleship in Havana harbor gives the United States its pretext, and four months of war costs Spain Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines
Quick facts
- USS Maine sinks
- 15 February 1898, Havana harbor
- Treaty of Paris signed
- 10 December 1898
- Spain cedes
- Guam and Puerto Rico
- Philippines
- Sold to the U.S. for $20 million
What happened
By early 1898, tensions between the United States and Spain had been mounting for months over Spain's brutal suppression of the Cuban independence movement. After the U.S. battleship Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor under mysterious circumstances on 15 February 1898, U.S. military intervention became likely. President William McKinley asked Congress on 11 April 1898 for authorization to intervene, and Congress passed a joint resolution shortly after. The war lasted only months: Spain's Pacific and Caribbean fleets were destroyed, and at Spain's request the French ambassador arranged a cease-fire signed on 12 August 1898. The war officially ended when the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris on 10 December 1898. The treaty guaranteed Cuban independence, forced Spain to cede Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States, and required Spain to sell the Philippines to the United States for twenty million dollars; the U.S. Senate ratified it on 6 February 1899 by a single vote.
Why it matters
The war ended nearly four centuries of Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and the Pacific in a matter of months, closing the story that began with Columbus's 1492 voyage under Ferdinand and Isabella. Spain retained no significant overseas empire afterward, while the United States emerged from the war holding its first substantial overseas colonies.
How we know
The Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State documents the Maine's sinking, McKinley's request to Congress, the cease-fire, and the Treaty of Paris's terms including the cession of Guam and Puerto Rico and the sale of the Philippines, and HISTORY.com's independent account confirms the same causes and outcome.
Sources
- Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. The Spanish-American War, 1898 · Primary source (author-declared)history.state.gov · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- HISTORY.com. Spanish American War · Reputable sourcehistory.com · The domain "history.com" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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