Spanish-American War Timeline

  • General Veleriano Weyler is sent to Cuba

    General Veleriano Weyler is sent to Cuba
    He was captain general of the Canary Islands (1878–83), of the Balearic Islands (1883), and of the Philippines (1888), where he helped suppress native uprisings. Eight years later he was sent to Cuba, also to quell insurgency.
  • De Lome letter is published

    De Lome letter is published
    The De Lôme letter, a note written by Señor Don Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, to Don José Canalejas, the Foreign Minister of Spain, reveals de Lôme’s opinion about the Spanish involvement in Cuba and US President McKinley’s diplomacy.
  • Explosion of the U.S.S. Maine

    Explosion of the U.S.S. Maine
    U.S.S. Maine was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor in February 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April. American newspapers, engaging in yellow journalism to boost circulation, claimed that the Spanish were responsible for the ship's destruction.
  • The Teller Amendment

    The Teller Amendment
    The Teller Amendment was an amendment to a joint resolution of the United States Congress, enacted on April 20, 1898, in reply to President William McKinley's War Message. It placed a condition on the United States military's presence in Cuba.
  • President McKinley addresses Congress on Cuba

    President McKinley addresses Congress on Cuba
    President William McKinley asks Congress to declare war on Spain.
  • U.S. declares war on Spain

    U.S. declares war on Spain
    On 25 April 1898, the United States Congress declared war upon Spain. The ensuing Spanish–American War resulted in a decisive victory for the United States, and arguably served as a transitional period for both nations. Spain saw its days of empire fade, as the United States saw the prospect of overseas empire emerge.
  • Battle of Manila Bay

    Battle of Manila Bay
    The Battle of Manila Bay, also known as the Battle of Cavite, took place on 1 May 1898, during the Spanish–American War. The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey engaged and destroyed the Spanish Pacific Squadron under Contraalmirante Patricio Montojo.
  • Battle of Guantanamo Bay

    Battle of Guantanamo Bay
    The Battle of Guantánamo Bay was fought from June 6 to June 10 in 1898, during the Spanish–American War, when American and Cuban forces seized the strategically and commercially important harbor of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
  • Battle of San Juan Hill

    Battle of San Juan Hill
    Battle of San Juan Hill, (1 July 1898), also known as the Battle of San Juan Heights, the most significant U.S. land victory, and one of the final battles, of the Spanish-American War.
  • 1898 Treaty of Paris

    1898 Treaty of Paris
    The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was a treaty signed by Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, that ended the Spanish–American War. Under it, Spain relinquished all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba and also ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.