Aug. 12, 1898 | Spanish-American War Ends

On Aug. 12, 1898, the United States signed a cease-fire agreement with Spain that brought an end to the Spanish-American War. Spain agreed to grant independence to Cuba and hand over Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the United States.The Spanish-American War originated with Cuba's fight for independence against Spain. The United States objected to Spain's actions å�—京兼è�Œ in suppressing the rebellion, which placed American economic interests at risk. The mysterious sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor — blamed on the Spanish, but probably caused by an accident onboard — was the final straw that persuaded the United States to go to war.The war was fought in the Spanish-controlled territories of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Most of the fighting occurred around Santiago de Cuba, a port city where the strongest Spanish forces were positioned.United States forces were able to start a siege of the city after victory in the Battle of San Juan Hill. The battle, the bloodiest of the war, was made famous by the participation of TheodoreÂ* Roosevelt's Rough Riders regiment. Spanish naval forces were then defeated å…¼è�Œç½‘ while trying to flee the city's harbor, which was being blockaded by the United States Navy.Santiago de Cuba surrendered on July 16, effectively ending the war. Sporadic fighting continued for weeks until the Aug. 12 cease-fire. Though United States forces sustained few casualties on the battlefield, many died of disease, particularly yellow fever.Though the Spanish-American War was a short, lopsided war that had only a few significant battles, it had far-reaching effects. It saw the end of Spain's Western empire and established the United States as an international military force. It was, according to Secretary of State John Hay, "a splendid little war."Connect to Today:Support for the Spanish-American War was stirred by sensationalist accounts of Spanish wrongdoing å¨�客兼è�Œ in the newspapers of Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer; according to legend, Hearst told an illustrator covering the war, "You furnish the pictures and I will furnish the war." This reporting is perhaps the most famous example of yellow journalism, which favors eye-catching headlines and lurid details over factual information.Recently, several executives of News International and its British tabloid The News of the World were arrested after it was revealed that News of the World reporters had hacked into the phones of a teenaged murder victim and the families of terror victims. Phone hacking is one of the many illicit tactics Mernas timberland uk » What Is The Nike Team Jordan Baseball ... commonly used by modern tabloid journalists to uncover news and gossip.How does the yellow journalism of the past compare with the tabloid journalism of today? Do you believe the tactics used by yellow or tabloid journalists are justifiable?Learn more about what happened in history on Aug. 12 »Learn more about Historic Headlines and our collaboration with Finding Dulcinea »