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February of 1898
*Some events that happened in this month led to the Spanish-American War, such as the sinking of the USS Maine.
*New York Journal published a copy of a letter from Spanish foreign Minister Enrique Dupuy de Lôme criticizing the American President (William McKinley) on February 9th 1898. -
USS Maine sinks
- Sinks in Havana (Cuba) Harbor
- 258 Sailors die *Later was discovered to have been caused by the spontaneous ignition of faulty ammunitions.
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President William McKinley asks congress to declare war with Spain
*Occurred mainly because of the USS Maine incident where Spain was blamed for it -
U.S. troops land in Cuba
*United States troops land in Cuba -
Battle of San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill
*Occurred near the Spanish stronghold of Santiago de Cuba
*Included Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders
*Victory allowed the U.S. to begin a siege of Santiago de Cuba -
The Battle of Santiago de Cuba
*Was a naval battle
*United States Navy decisively defeated Spanish forces, sealing American victory in the Spanish–American War.
*Resulted in achieving nominal independence for Cuba from Spanish Rule. -
The Spanish surrender at Santiago
*Created a landmark called the Santiago surrender tree (Where they surrendered at)
*Spanish surrendered to U.S. forces -
U.S. signs cease-fire agreement with Spain
*Officially ended the Spanish-American War -
Treaty of Paris signed by representatives from the U.S. and Spain
*After extensive debate, treaty was ratified by the U.S. senate on February 6th 1899.
*Under the treaty, the U.S. acquires control over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
