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America buys Alaska from the Russians.
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José Martí founds El Partido Revolucionario Cubano (the Cuban Revolutionary Party) in an attempt to gain independence for Cuba.
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In the small town of Baire near the city of Santiago de Cuba, Martí issues the Grito de Baire, igniting the Cuban War of Independence.
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William McKinley defeats William Jennings Bryan to become President of the United States.
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The USS Maine arrives from Key West at Havana Harbor.
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The Spansh ambassador to the US is forced to resign after the De Lôme Letter is published in the New York Journal.
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The USS Maine explodes. About 274 of the ship's roughly 354 crew die. A naval court of inquiry led by Captain William T. Sampson is inconclusive, but the American press and most members of Congress conclude that the Maine struck a naval mine laid by the Spanish.
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President McKinley establishes tariffs on all foreign goods.
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Spain severs all diplomatic relations with the United States, leading to the US Navy beginning a blockade of Cuba.
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Congress votes to go to war with Spain, leading to the Spanish-American War.
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The US Asiatic Squadron attacks Manila, the capital of the Philippines and a territory of Spain, resulting in an American victory.
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A multitude of battles between the Spanish and the US.
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he U.S. Navy Flying Squadron, commanded by Commodore Winfield Scott Schley, arrives off Santiago de Cuba alongside the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry — better known as the "Rough Riders" led by Theodore Roosevelt.
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US Marines land at Guantánamo Bay, beginning the invasion of Cuba.
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An Amendment is established, formally explaining that the US would not establish permanent control over Cuba.
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The last battle of the Spanish–American War occurs off Caibarién, Cuba, when the armed supply ship USS Mangrove fires on two Spanish Navy gunboats. The Spanish surrender, and explain that an armistice has been signed.
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The Treaty of Paris is signed in Paris. Spain cedes Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. Spain turns administration of Cuba over to the United States. The United States agrees to pay Spain $20 million in return for American possession of the Philippines.
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The US annexes Hawaii.
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A note given by the US proposing foreign affairs with China.
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The US establishes its presence in the Philippines after gaining it from Spain following the war.
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The Panama Canal is constructed over a period of 10 years.
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A treaty establishing the Panama Canal Zone, leading to the construction of the Panama Canal.
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An addition to the Monroe Doctrine that stated that the US would be able to intervene in any social affairs as a last resort in the Western Hemisphere