The Spanish-American War: Should One Intervene In Another's Affairs?

The Spanish-American War, which began on Monday, April 25, 1898 and ended on Friday, August 12, 1898, was a conflict between the United States and Spain. It ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas, and the result was the United States acquiring territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. It was the result of American intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. U.S. attacks on Spain's Pacific possessions headed us towards involvement in the Philippine Revolution and then, in turn, to the Philippine–American War.

Founders vs Progressives
Should one intervene in another's affairs? That is a question posed by many and has several answers with various rationales. The two opposing views are those of the Founders and those of the Progressives. In the Monroe Doctrine, from President
Congress debated the issue, and on April 20th, following a brief weeklong series of consultations, they granted authority for the United States to declare war. The Spanish mistakenly assumed that the United States would invade Cuba. This was not the case and the initial battle of the war transpired in the Philippine Islands (A Spanish colony). By August, Spanish troops in Manila surrendered to the United States. The war also took place in the Caribbean beginning with a naval blockade of Cuba. The Spanish-American War was brief in that the fighting lasted only 15 weeks. On August 12th, the United States and Spain signed a cease-fire agreement. Then on December 10th, the Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed between the United States and Spain. As a result, Spain finally yielded and freed Cuba. They also turned over the Islands of Guam in the Pacific and Puerto Rico in the West Indies, and placed them under American control. The United States ultimately paid Spain twenty million dollars for the possession of the Philippines.

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