THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR: THE BATTLE FOR CUBA, LATIN AMERICA AND WESTERN PACIFIC U.S. Admiral George Dewey, who became a national hero after defeating the Spanish during the Battle of Manila +11 U.S. Admiral George Dewey, who became a national hero after defeating the Spanish during the Battle of Manila The Spanish-American war was a conflict in 1898 that ended Spain’s rule of several countries in the Americas but resulted in the United States acquiring territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. In the build-up to the conflict, Cubans were struggling for independence from Spain and American sympathy for the Cuban rebels began to grow. On February 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship the USS Maine sunk in Havana harbour with no explanation after being sent to the Cuban capital to protect U.S. citizens. Two months later, the Spanish announced an armistice but the United States then declared that Cuba had a right to independence. Spain then declared war on the U.S on April 24, with America making the same declaration a day later. With an army and navy said to be unready for war, Spain crumbled due to the strength and power of the U.S. On May 1, 1898, Admiral George Dewey led a U.S. naval squadron into Manila Bay in the Philippines, destroying the Spanish fleet there. The Spanish Caribbean fleet, under Admiral Pascual Cervera was found in Santiago harbour in Cuba and U.S. forces landed to begin slowly advancing on the city. The Spanish tried to escape and in the battle that ensued, nearly all of the Spanish ships were destroyed. Santiago then surrendered to the U.S. on July 17, 1898, ending the war. Later that year, Spain renounced all claim to Cuba, and the U.S. took control of Guam and Puerto Rico, former Spanish colonies. The sovereignty of the Philippines was also transferred to America for $20million. A year later, the Philippine-American war began after Filipino revolutionaries refused to recognise U.S. sovereignty. The conflict lasted until 1902, when provincial governments were set up in the country.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 02:54:50 +0000
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