Spanish American War Summary

Most of us relate to the rise of United States to the landslide victories secured by the allied forces in World War II and the subsequent cold war. But, at the same time, we forget some other landmark events that shaped the American destiny in the 18th and 19th century. The American revolution of 1776, or assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and other likewise events come to our minds first. Does anyone recollect 1898? What happened that year? The year holds significance for the four month conflict between United States and the Kingdom of Spain. The Spanish American War, as it is called, refers to the armed US intervention in the turmoil in four Spanish colonies - Cuba, Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico - in the late 19th century. To make sure that we do not undermine this significant event of American history, here is a complete summary of the war between the US and the kingdom of Spain, more commonly known as the Span-am war.

Spanish American War Timeline: Run-Up to the War

Following a string of American victories over European colonizers in the early 19th century, there was a bitter taste in trans-Atlantic relationships. In the early days of the US, territorial expansion had become a vital component of its national character. Further, in 1832, the Monroe Doctrine declared that any further effort by a European government to colonize or interfere in any country in the western hemisphere would be treated as an act of aggression and would be followed by the US intervening militarily. The doctrine, however, failed to mention any of the still colonized nations, like occupation of Cuba by Spain. This is considered as one of the main reasons amongst the several Spanish American War causes.

Also, in 1868, there was a serious bid for independence in Cuba, which was successfully defeated by the Spanish forces after ten years of bloodshed. To please the advocates of freedom, Spain put forth a reforms pact, known as the Pact of Zanjon. But, even after such reforms were being implemented, some revolutionaries in Cuba, led by the exiled leader Jose Marti, continued to press for complete independence. In early 1895, Marti decided to launch a three pronged invasion of Cuba to free the island, one being from Florida. This attack from the US coast was thwarted by the US officials and this resulted in the full-fledged planned attack getting converted in to a mere guerrilla warfare which did not have the desired intensity.

This was followed by a slew of atrocities by the Spanish forces led by General Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau. Weyler's brutalities did not go down well with the US, the people and the press in particular. This was followed by a small riot ignited by some Spanish officers in Havana, who were not happy with the criticism of Spain in US newspapers. The neighborhood targeted had a substantial American populace. To ensure the safety of US nationals, President McKinley ordered the deployment of a naval ship, USS Maine in Havana. The tension escalated when Spain deployed an armored cruiser, the Vizcaya, off the coast of New York city.

In Feb 1898, the Spanish sunk the USS Maine orchestrating an explosion in its base, an allegation denied by Spain. 266 navy sailors perished and there was wide scale outrage across the US and demands were raised to chuck out the Spanish beyond the Atlantic. Cries like "Remember the Maine, To Hell with Spain!" echoed in every newspaper and fueled tremendous public anger. McKinley soon requested the Congress to allocate an additional 50 million dollar to refurbish the armed forces, to which the Congress instantly obliged. The size of the army was rapidly expanded from a mere 28,183 men to a humongous 250,000 men within months.

War Declared

On April 11 1898, President McKinley requested Congress for complete authority to ship American troops to Cuba with a motive of ending persisting civil war there. The resolution that was finally passed by the Senate and the House demanded complete Spanish withdrawal from Cuba and authorized McKinley to make use of as much military as he thought necessary to liberate Cuba from Spain's clutches. In response, Spain broke off all diplomatic and trade ties with the US and declared war on April 25th.

A war started on the south-east US coast, soon took a global form when it spread to other Spanish colonies like Guam and Philippines. On the Filipino frontier, this war eventually led to the Philippine Revolution, which got the backing of United States. On May 1, 1898 the first battle broke off between American and Spanish forces at the Manila Bay. Commodore George Dewey, commanding the USS Olympia, defeated a Spanish naval squadron within a matter of hours. In the June of that year, US along with the Filipino troops had taken control of a chunk of the islands from Spain. On June 12, 1898, independence of the Philippines was proclaimed.

On the Guam front, a US fleet commanded by Captain Henry Glass aboard USS Charleston flanked by three transports carrying soldiers to the Philippines entered Guam's Apra Harbor on June 20 1898 and the war in Guam was won without much of a bloodshed. The island of Guam was later annexed to the US and it is now an integral part of the states.

After overwhelming the Spanish in Cuba, the American forces started to leave Cuba on August 7, 1898. The evacuation, however, was not complete and the army decided to keep back the Ninth Infantry Regiment in Cuba to defend the occupation.

So, as an outcome of the war, the US won a temporary occupation of Cuba and colonial authorities over Puerto Rico, Guam and Philippines through the Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898. This war also laid a firm foundation for America's immense military strength and a naval capability that could span almost all oceans. For Spain, the war proved to be disastrous and further contributed to Spain's military and economic insignificance in the twentieth century.

After incurring heavy losses, Spain initiated a peace process which was accepted by the US on its own terms. This concludes the summary of the Spanish American War, and I hope you enjoyed a trip down the American history lane.