(A) ** The sinking of the USS Maine
(B) The election of Francisco Franco
(C) Yellow Journalism
(D) The Cuban Revolution
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -On February 15, 1898, an explosion of unknown origin sank the battleship U.S.S. Maine in the Havana, Cuba harbor, killing 266 of the 354 crew members. The sinking of the Maine incited United States’ passions against Spain, eventually leading to a naval blockade of Cuba and a declaration of war.
Concept note-2: -The reasons for war were many, but there were two immediate ones: America’s support the ongoing struggle by Cubans and Filipinos against Spanish rule, and the mysterious explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor.
Concept note-3: -In 1897, newly elected President William McKinley cautioned patience, but the explosion of the Maine shattered U.S. relations with Spain and led to a declaration of war on April 25, 1898. War with Spain caused the U.S. to rethink its long-held principle of anti-colonialism.
Concept note-4: -In 1898, a U.S. Navy board of inquiry ruled that the ship had been sunk by an external explosion from a mine. However, some U.S. Navy officers disagreed with the board, suggesting that the ship’s magazines had been ignited by a spontaneous fire in a coal bunker.
Concept note-5: -U.S. victory in the war produced a peace treaty that compelled the Spanish to relinquish claims on Cuba, and to cede sovereignty over Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. The United States also annexed the independent state of Hawaii during the conflict.