At the conclusion of the Spanish-American War, the United States
A. retreated from its efforts to gain control of overseas territories.
B. had gained an empire and new stature in world affairs.
C. was forced to give up control of Cuba.
D. agreed to return control of the Philippines to Spain.

Question

At the conclusion of the Spanish-American War, the United States
	A. retreated from its efforts to gain control of overseas territories. 	
	B. had gained an empire and new stature in world affairs. 	
	C. was forced to give up control of Cuba. 	
	D. agreed to return control of the Philippines to Spain.

anonymous · Answer

I'd go with (B) had gained an empire and new stature in world affairs. Spain was considered one of the "superpowers" of its day and the United States was still untested against the larger canvas of world affairs. When it actually defeated an old and powerful empire like Spain, forcing its collapse, the world sat up and took notice.

That's why (A) can't be true -- the US actually gained overseas territories spanning the world. It wasn't forced to give up control of Cuba -- Spain was. It also didn't agree to return control of the Philippines to Spain. That fell under the US flag which didn't sit well with a number of Filipinos, sparking the Philippine-American war shortly afterward.