Scattered across the globe you'll find American Overseas Territories. More than just partners but not normally actually part of the United States, these territories have a very interesting relationship with their motherland.
1 -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guano_I... .
2 -
https://www.britannica.com/place/Guam... .
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https://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/ameri... .
4 -
https://www.britannica.com/place/Unit... .
5 -
https://www.britannica.com/place/Nort... .
6 -
https://constitutingamerica.org/terri... .
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https://sannicolas.house.gov/financia... .
The
Spanish–American War (
Guerra hispano-estadounidense or
Guerra hispano-americana;
Filipino:
Digmaang Espanyol-Amerikano) was an armed conflict between
Spain and the
United States in
1898. Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of
USS Maine in
Havana Harbor in
Cuba, leading to U.S. intervention in the
Cuban War of Independence. The war led to the U.S. emerging predominant in the
Caribbean region, and resulted in
U.S. acquisition of Spain's Pacific possessions. That led to U.S. involvement in the
Philippine Revolution and later to the
Philippine Insurrection.
The
main issue was Cuban independence. Revolts had been occurring for some years in Cuba against
Spanish colonial rule. The U.S. backed these revolts upon entering the Spanish–American War. There had been war scares before, as in the
Virginius Affair in
1873. But in the
late 1890s, American public opinion swayed in support of the rebellion due to reports of concentration camps (death estimates range from 150,000 to 400,000 people) set up to control the populace.
Yellow journalism exaggerated the atrocities to further increase public fervor, and to sell more papers.
The business community had just recovered from a
deep depression and feared that a war would reverse the gains. Accordingly, most business interests lobbied vigorously against going to war. President
William McKinley ignored the exaggerated news reporting and sought a peaceful settlement. However, after the
United States Navy armored cruiser Maine mysteriously exploded and sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, political pressures from the
Democratic Party [Republican values] pushed McKinley into a war that he had wished to avoid.
On
April 20, 1898, McKinley signed a joint Congressional resolution demanding Spanish withdrawal and authorizing the President to use military force to help Cuba gain independence. In response,
Spain severed diplomatic relations with the United States on
April 21. On the same day, the
U.S. Navy began a blockade of Cuba. Both sides declared war; neither had allies.
The
10-week war was fought in both the
Caribbean and the
Pacific. As U.S. agitators for war well knew, U.S. naval power would prove decisive, allowing expeditionary forces to disembark in Cuba against a Spanish garrison already facing nationwide Cuban insurgent attacks and further wasted by
yellow fever. The invaders obtained the surrender of
Santiago de Cuba and
Manila despite the good performance of some Spanish infantry units, and fierce fighting for positions such as
San Juan Hill.
Madrid sued for peace after two Spanish squadrons were sunk in the battles of
Santiago de Cuba and
Manila Bay, and a third, more modern fleet was recalled home to protect the Spanish coasts.
The result was the
1898 Treaty of Paris, negotiated on
terms favorable to the U.S. which allowed it
temporary control of Cuba and ceded
ownership of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine islands. The cession of the Philippines involved payment of $20 million ($610 million today) to Spain by the U.S. to cover infrastructure owned by Spain.
The
defeat and loss of the Spanish Empire's last remnants was a profound shock to Spain's national psyche and provoked a thorough philosophical and artistic reevaluation of Spanish society known as the
Generation of '98. The
United States gained several island possessions spanning the globe, which provoked
rancorous debate over the wisdom of expansionism.
