What Happened Next?
On April 24, 1898, Spain declared war against the U.S. The U.S responded by declaring war back on them the next day. Finally on the 27th of April, plans were made for war. On May 1st, the U.S sailed to Manila Bay, Philippines to destroy the Spanish fleet there. They destroyed the fleet in less than 10 hours. Then on the third of July, U.S forces destroyed the Spanish's fleet in Santiago Bay, Cuba. Finally, 14 days later on July 17, the Spanish surrendered at Santiago, Cuba. On December 10th, the Treaty of Paris was signed. The Treaty of Paris resulted in Spain handing over Cuba, Puerto Rico, parts of Guam and the Philippines. The U.S had also annexed Hawaii, Wake Island and several of the Samoan Islands. While Spain's colonial empire was gone, the U.S became a major military power with a two-ocean navy.