Question

What territories did the U.S. gain as a result of Spanish American War?

Answer 1

Hint:
- In 1895, the Cuban independence revolution from Spain received a lot of assistance from the United States. When the USS Maine sank, the U.S. assumed it was due to sabotage by the Spanish and declared war on them.
-The Spanish-American War lasted just six weeks and concluded with the United States declaring a decisive victory.

Complete answer:
In 1895 Cuban people revolted against Spain which controlled the island nation since the 1500s. In order to suppress the revolt, Spain started sending people revolting to reconcentration camps. These reconcentration camps had poor sanitation and diseases which killed thousands of people in these camps. American newspapers to sell more copies of their newspaper started printing spiced up stories of the Cuban revolution. They believed that the Cubans were struggling at the hands of European tyrants in the same way that the United States had before the American Revolution.

In order to protect the American people in Cuba, America sent USS Maine to Havana harbor but just after nine days of its arrival USS Maine exploded killing 260 American sailors. The U.S. assumed that USS Maine sank due to sabotage by the Spanish but Spain stated correctly that it had been a malfunction aboard the ship.

The U.S. declared war on Spain on 11 April 1898 after certainly failed mediation between the U.S and Spain. The war lasted for only six weeks and concluded with the United States victory. Diplomats from Spain and the United States met in the fall and winter of 1898 to discuss the terms of peace.

Spain promised to liberate Cuba and hand over the islands of Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States in the Treaty of Paris. In addition, the U.S. agreed to pay Spain $20$ million in compensation for the Philippines.

Note:
- The war marked the United States' foray into international relations. Since then, the United States has played a major part in a variety of diplomatic disputes and has ratified several treaties and agreements.

-The war helped to mend relations between the North and South in the United States. For the first time after the Civil War ended in 1865, the war gave both sides a mutual adversary, and several friendships were created between soldiers from northern and southern states during their tours of duty.