Which event involved a conflict between the United States and Spain over Cuban independence?

Which event involved a conflict between the United States and Spain over Cuban independence?

• A. World War I
• B. Treaty of Versailles
• C. League of Nations
• D. Spanish-American War

Answer: (D)

The event tests understanding that the conflict between the United States and Spain over Cuban independence is the Spanish-American War. In the late 19th century, Cuba was fighting to throw off Spanish rule, and American interests—economic stakes in Cuban sugar and a desire for regional influence—made many in the United States want to intervene. Sensational newspaper reporting helped sway public opinion, and the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor became the tipping point that pushed Congress to declare war in 1898. The war itself was quick and decisive, with key battles in both the Caribbean and the Pacific, and it ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1898. Spain relinquished its long-standing control over Cuba and ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. While Cuba moved toward formal independence, American influence remained strong in the island’s affairs for years afterward. The other events listed—World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, and the League of Nations—occurred later and deal with different global issues and conflicts, not a direct US-Spain war over Cuban independence.

The event tests understanding that the conflict between the United States and Spain over Cuban independence is the Spanish-American War. In the late 19th century, Cuba was fighting to throw off Spanish rule, and American interests—economic stakes in Cuban sugar and a desire for regional influence—made many in the United States want to intervene. Sensational newspaper reporting helped sway public opinion, and the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor became the tipping point that pushed Congress to declare war in 1898.

The war itself was quick and decisive, with key battles in both the Caribbean and the Pacific, and it ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1898. Spain relinquished its long-standing control over Cuba and ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. While Cuba moved toward formal independence, American influence remained strong in the island’s affairs for years afterward.

The other events listed—World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, and the League of Nations—occurred later and deal with different global issues and conflicts, not a direct US-Spain war over Cuban independence.