Question

• explain the causes and the effects of the Spanish-American War? GET A MEDALL NOWWW!!

Answer 1

Well first off, and it's probably a bit cliche, the Cuban War for Independence was the point where America and Spain truly intersected. It was closer to America, so it was more of a potential asset to them and was somewhat critical to the American economy, considering that some shipping company had a lot of business that was effected by the Cuban Revolt. They pressed for Congress to get involved.

Congress did in fact get involved, and they came to a peaceful resolution. But the sinking of the USS Maine in the Havana harbor was a serious turning point for the causation of the war. It was no longer as much defending the economy as it was defending the Nation. A mere two months later, Congress declared war on Spain.

As a result of the war, the Spanish Empire had lost much of it's territory, including the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Cuba. As a more domestic effect, it helped meld Northern and Southern states again, because it was fighting against a common enemy, and not against each other like they did in the Civil War, 30-40 years prior.