AMERICAN IMPERIALISM 1890 1919
THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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The Middle Passage and the Atlantic Slave Trade
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The sinking of the Titanic
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The U-boat attack on the Lusitania
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The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
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Detailed explanation-1: -USS Maine, a second-class battleship built between 1888 and 1895, was sent to Havana in January 1898 to protect American interests during the long-standing revolt of the Cubans against the Spanish government. In the evening of 15 February 1898, Maine sank when her forward gunpowder magazines exploded.
Detailed explanation-2: -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.
Detailed explanation-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.
Detailed explanation-4: -In 1976, a team of American naval investigators concluded that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage.