Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War for kids: Background History
The acquisition of island of Spanish owned Cuba, only ninety miles off the shore from Florida, had long been a goal of expansionists in the United States. The Spanish victory over Cuba in the Ten Years War (1868–1878) foreshadowed the Cuban rebellion that erupted between 1894-1898. During the Cuban rebellion Spain sent over an army to subdue the rebels and many Americans were highly  sympathetic to the Cuban cause.

Spanish-American War for kids: American Public Opinion
American public opinion was fuelled by anti-Spanish propaganda led by journalists such as William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer who used sensationalist 'yellow journalism' to emphasize the cause of the 'underdog' against the system and criticize Spanish administration of Cuba.

Spanish-American War for kids: President McKinley
Republican President William McKinley, wished to prevent war, and hoping to settle the Cuban question by peaceful diplomacy, proposed an armistice in Cuba. However, a series of incidents during the first months of 1898 intensified American feelings against Spain, the most important being the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine. These events, together with pressure applied by the public, the newspapers and the Democrats led to the Spanish-American War. The United States first sent the ultimatum to Spain demanding the Spanish surrender control of Cuba. Madrid responded by declaring war on America and Washington in turn declared war on Spain. The Spanish-American War began on April 25, 1898. In less than four months it ended in victory for the United States on August 12, 1898.

Causes of the Spanish-American War
The causes of the Spanish-American War were as follows:

Causes of the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War Causes: Demands by Cuban patriots for independence from Spanish rule

Spanish-American War Causes: American investments in Cuba, especially shipping and the sugar trade,  suffered during the Cuban rebellion

Spanish-American War Causes: Anti-Spanish Public opinion, fuelled by sensationalist journalism

Spanish-American War for kids
The info about the Spanish-American War provides interesting facts and important information about this important event that occured during the presidency of the 25th President of the United States of America.

Facts about the Spanish-American War: Facts and Timeline for kids
Interesting Spanish-American War Facts and Timeline for kids are detailed below. The history of the Spanish-American War is told in a factual timeline sequence consisting of a series of interesting, short facts providing a simple method of relating the history of the Spanish-American War for kids, schools and homework projects.

Spanish-American War Facts and Timeline for kids

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 1: 1868 - Spanish victory over Cuba in the Ten Years War (1868–1878)

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 2: April 10, 1892 - The Cuban Revolutionary Party, led by José Martí, was officially proclaimed

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 3: 1894 - The Cuban War of Independence (1894-1898) begins

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 4: 12 June, 1895 - President Cleveland issues a proclamation of neutrality during the Cuban rebellion

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 5: 1896 - Spanish General Valeriano Weyler (the "Butcher") arrives in Cuba and establishes the 'reconcentrado' policy (concentration camp system)

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 6: 1896 - The rural population in Cuba was forcibly confined to towns. Thousands of Cubans died from disease and starvation

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 7: 26 Aug, 1896 - Grito de Balintawak begins the Philippine Revolution

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 8: 1897 - General Weyler had relocated more than 300,000 into the "reconcentration camps" Weyler resigned his post in late 1897 and returned to Spain.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 9: 19 Jan, 1897 - Anti-Spanish sentiment in the United States is fuelled in the U.S. by Joseph Pulitzer's New York World newspaper and William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 10: March, 1897 - Theodore Roosevelt was appointed assistant U.S. Secretary of the Navy.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 11: 1 Nov, 1897 - The revolutionary constitution in the Philippines created the Biak-na-Bato Republic. Spain makes concessions ending the revolution.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 12: 1 Jan, 1898 - Spain grants limited autonomy to Cuba

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 13: January, 1898 - USS Maine sent to Cuba

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 14: Feb 8, 1898 - Enrique Dupuy de Lome, Spain's ambassador to the U.S., resigns

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 15: Feb 9, 1898 - William Randolph Hearst publishes Dupuy du Lome's letter insulting President McKinley.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 16: 15 Feb, 1898 - U.S.S. Maine explodes and is sunk in Havana Harbor, Cuba

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 17: 19 March, 1898 - The U.S.S. Oregon warship leaves the port of San Francisco to Cuba.

● The U.S.S. Oregon was one of the most renowned ships of the American Navy
● The battleship is famous for the run from San Francisco around Cape Horn to take part in the Battle of Santiago during which Cervera's fleet was destroyed

U.S.S. Oregon

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 18: Feb 25, 1898 - Theodore Roosevelt cables Commodore Dewey with a plan to attack the Philippines, if war with Spain breaks out

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 19: 4 April, 1898 - Hearst's New York Journal issues a million newspapers calling for the immediate U.S. entry into war with Spain.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 20: 20 April, 1898 - President McKinley issues an ultimatum to Spain demanding Cuban independence

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 21: April 20, 1898 - The Teller Amendment is passed which placed a condition on the United States military's presence in Cuba whereby the U.S. could not annex Cuba but only leave the "control of the island to its people."

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 22: 23 April, 1898 - President McKinley calls for 125,000 volunteers

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 23: April 24, 1898 - Spain declares war on the US

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 24: April 25, 1898 - US declares war on Spain

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 25: May 1, 1898 - Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines. U.S. Commodore George Dewey in defeats the Spanish fleet, under Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 26: May 10, 1898 - Secretary of the Navy, John D. Long, issues orders to Captain Henry Glass, commander of the cruiser U.S.S. Charleston to capture Guam on the way to Manila.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 27: 11 May, 1898 - Charles H. Allen succeeds Theodore Roosevelt as assistant secretary of the navy

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 28: May 25, 1898 - First U.S. troops were sent to the Philippine Islands

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 29: May 29, 1898 - The Rough Riders, the nickname of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, sailed from Tampa, Florida bound for Santiago de Cuba. The Rough Riders were under the command of Colonel Leonard Wood and the former assistant secretary of the United States Navy, Theodore Roosevelt was second in command

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 30: 10 June, 1898 - U.S. Marines, under Admiral William Thompson Sampson land at Guantanamo, Cuba.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 31: 20 June, 1898 - Spanish authorities surrender Guam to Captain Henry Glass on the U.S.S. Charleston

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 32: June 24, 1898 - US victory for the Rough Riders at the Battle of Las Guasimas in Cuba

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 33: July 1, 1898 - The Battle of San Juan Hill, the most famous battle of the War. The Rough Riders were led to victory under the command of Theodore Roosevelt

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 34: July 3, 1898 - Battle of Santiago in which Spain's Caribbean fleet was destroyed.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 35: July 7, 1898 - The Annexation of  Hawaii

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 36: July 17, 1898 - Spanish forces under General Toral capitulated to U.S. forces at Santiago de Cuba. The City of Santiago surrendered to General William Shafter. U.S. General Leonard Wood was named military governor of Santiago de Cuba.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 37: July 30, 1898 - General Shafter instructed to return troops immediately to the United States to prevent an outbreak of yellow fever.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 38: Aug 12, 1898 - Spain signs armistice (truce, peace agreement) that ended all hostilities between Spain and the United States in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 39: Aug 13, 1898 - US troops capture Manila. General Wesley Merritt established a military government in the city

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 40: Dec 10, 1898 - The Treaty of Paris is signed and the United States annexes Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Spain renounces all rights to Cuba and allows an independent Cuba. Spain also ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States, gave up its possessions in the West Indies, and sold the Philippine Islands for $20,000,000.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 41 1 Jan, 1899 - Spanish forces left Cuba

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 42: Jan 23, 1899 - The Philippines declares itself an independent republic, led by Emilio Aguinaldo. Emilio Auginaldo was captured in March 1901

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 43: April 12, 1900 - The Foraker Act was passed in which some elements of self-government was allowed in Puerto Rico.

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 44: March 2, 1901 - The Platt Amendment outlined the role of the U.S. in Cuba and the Caribbean. The Cuban-American Treaty leased to United States the southern portion of Guantanamo Bay, where a U.S. Naval Station had been established in 1898

Spanish-American War Timeline Fact 45: 1902 - US withdraws from Cuba

Spanish-American War Facts and Timeline for kids

Spanish-American War for kids - President William McKinley Video
The article on the Spanish-American conflict provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following William McKinley video will give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 25th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901.

Spanish-American War

● Interesting Facts about Spanish-American War for kids and schools
● Summary of the Spanish-American War in US history
● Summary of the Spanish-American War
● William McKinley from March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901
● Fast, fun facts about the Spanish-American War
● Foreign & Domestic policies of President William McKinley
● William McKinley Presidency and Spanish-American War for schools, homework, kids and children