The Spanish-American War: Conflict Between The USAd Spain

The Spanish-American War was a conflict between the U.S. and Spain. It resulted in the end of the Spanish Colonial rule in the Americas and in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. The war started because of the struggle Cuba was having, to get independence from Spain. It began in February 1895. The demand for U.S. intervention became an insistent chorus when the battleship USS Maine was sunk in Havana Harbor, but nobody knew how. The battleship USS Maine had been sent to protect the U.S. citizens and property after anti-Spanish rioting in Havana. On April 9th Spain announced an armistice and speeded up its new program to grant Cuba limited powers of self-government. Soon after, the U.S. congress issued resolutions
design for annexing Cuba. On April 24th, Spain declared war on the United States. Then, on April 25th, the U.S. declared war on Spain, which was made retroactive to April 21st. The war was one-sided because Spain hadn’t readied its army or navy for a distant war with the formidable power of the U.S. A United States naval squadron was led into Manila Bay by Commander George Dewey, on May 1st, 1898. It destroyed the anchored Spanish fleet and only seven American seamen were wounded. Manila was occupied by U.S. troops by August. The Spanish Caribbean fleet, which was under Adm. Pascual Cervera, was located in Santiagio Harbor in Cuba by U.S. reconnaissance. Regular troops and volunteers under General William Shafter, including Theodore Roosevelt and the “Rough Riders”, landed on the coast of east Santiago. They slowly advanced on the city, trying to force Cervera’s fleet out of the harbor. On July 3rd, Cervera led his squadron out of Santiago while trying to escape westward along the coast. All of his ships came under heavy fire from the United States and were beached in a burning condition. On July 17th, Santiago surrendered to Shafter, and that ended the
Americans had an enthusiastic spirit but lacked military strength. What made America’s problems more manageable was one thing. Spain was even less ready for the war than the United Sates.
The Platt