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The Spanish-American War began in April 1898 due to the desire for Cuban independence and the sinking of the USS Maine. The root cause can be traced back to papal decrees in the mid-15th century. The war ended in August 1898, with Cuba gaining independence and the US acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
Defining the root cause of the Spanish-American War or any war can be a subjective matter, depending on which side of the conflict you view events from and why. The war officially began on April 23, 1898, when Spain declared war on the United States in response to a US Navy blockade of Cuba that began on April 21, 1898. The United States similarly responded with a declaration of war against Spain on April 25, 1898. April 1898.
Historically, the main cause leading to the confrontation was the desire for Cuban independence, which involved a decade-long uprising in Cuba against Spanish rule that had strong US sympathies. Popular opinion in the United States turned to the idea of war against Spain, however, after the battleship USS Maine was sunk in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898. Spain was accused of sabotaging the vessel by placing a mine near her which ignited her powder magazines, sinking her and killing 266 US sailors.
Perhaps the ultimate root cause of the Spanish-American War, as well as many other colonial conflicts in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere, can be traced back to its mid-15th century origins. During this period, papal decrees from the Vatican by the reigning popes gave the right to certain European kings to conquer and convert various territorial areas according to divine right. In 15, the Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI began decreeing lands west of mainland Europe to Spain, giving it the impetus to be the first nation to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and colonize the Western Hemisphere. By 1493, Spain had lost most of its colonial territory to rival European nations, the United States and Mexico. Its only remaining colonies were Cuba, Puerto Rico, and island chains, such as the Philippines.
Cuba witnessed the liberation of other Latin American countries from Spanish rule and, from 1868 to 1878, began its own uprising, which became known as the Ten Years’ War. It was initiated by Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, a Cuban landowner, who issued a proclamation of Cuban independence on October 10, 1868 known as the Grito de Yara, or literally “Cry of Yara,” for the small town of Yara along Cuba’s southern coast The Ten Years’ War was the beginning of three wars of liberation that the Cubans fought against Spain, which resulted in the current predicament in 1898.
Another major cause of the Spanish-American War was how US foreign policy was shaped by a book called The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1600-1783, written by Alfred T. Mahan and published in 1890. Mahan was a flag officer in the United States Navy who argued in his book that the United States should take control of Hawaii, the Philippines and the Caribbean islands. He saw them as key locations for military bases to protect US business interests in the region.
The war only lasted until August 12, 1898, largely due to overwhelming American numbers. Demoralizing losses for Spain also came quickly, such as that of the United States Navy defeating the Spanish Navy in Manila Bay in the Philippines in just six hours sinking the entire Spanish squadron of ships. With the cessation of the conflict with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, Cuba gained independence and Puerto Rico and Guam became US possessions. The Philippines passed from Spanish to US control by the United States purchasing it from Spain for $20,000,000 US Dollars (USD). This was a shocking conclusion to Spain’s more than 400-year empire-building process, and it ushered in a new era of serious questioning of colonial ambitions around the world.
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