Reference
- TREATY OF PARIS (1898)In the Caribbean, Spanish warships slipped into the safety of the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, where, however, they were blockaded by the U.S. Navy in May. American troops landed in Cuba late in June (including such volunteer regiments as Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders) and won victories at the battles of El Caney and San Juan Hill (July 1). The Spanish admiral Pasqual Cervera attempted on July 3 to break out of the blockade holding his ships. Within four hours, most of his outnumbered and outgunned fleet was sunk. On July 17, the city of Santiago and Cuba's 24,000 Spanish troops surrendered, and Spain sued for peace nine days later. A protocol embodying the terms for peace was concluded on August 12, 1898, and the Treaty of Paris was signed on December 10.
Spain relinquishes all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba. And as the island is, upon its evacuation by Spain, to be occupied by the United States, the United States will, so long as such occupation shall last, assume and discharge the obligations that may under international law result from the fact of its occupation, for the protection of life and property.
However, at the insistence of President McKinley, United States negotiators secured Spanish cession of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands.
Clearly, imperialism so blatant did not sit well with many in the United States, and the Senate fight over ratification of the treaty was intense. Apologists for U.S. imperialism argued that the United States had an international duty to function as an agent of civilization; moreover, these Pacific holdings would give the nation a crucial threshold for trade with China. The treaty was ratified by a margin of 57 to 27, just two votes more than the number required.
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The Treaty of Paris - National Museum of American Diplomacy
- The Treaty of Paris - After the SimulationMatthew Regan of the Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State explains the consequences of the quick defeat that the Spanish suffered and the treaties that were created thereafter. In diplomatic negotiations, Cuba continued to be the center of conversations as it had been in the lead up to the war, while the Philippines fell to the wayside.
Perspectives
A treaty of peace between the United States and Spain
Message from the President of the United States transmitting a treaty of peace between the United States and Spain, signed at the city of Paris on December 10, 1898. [With accompanying papers and map]
History up to date
A concise account of the war of 1898 between the United States and Spain; its causes and the treaty of Paris
Websites
- Treaty of Paris ends Spanish-American War - HISTORYIn France, the Treaty of Paris is signed, formally ending the Spanish-American War and granting the United States its first overseas empire.
- Treaty of Paris of 1898Commissioners from the United States and Spain met in Paris on October 1, 1898 to produce a treaty that would bring an end to the war after six months of hostilities. The American peace commission consisted of William R. Day, Sen. Cushman K. Davis, Sen. William P. Frye, Sen. George Gray, and the Honorable Whitelaw Reid. The Spanish commission was headed by Don Eugenio Montero Rios, the President of the Senate. Jules Cambon, a French diplomat, also negotiated on Spain's behalf. The American commissioners negotiated in a hostile atmosphere because all Europe, except England, was sympathetic to the Spanish side.
- Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain (Treaty of Paris), signed in Paris, December 10, 1898Treaty of Peace Between the United States of America and
the Kingdom of Spain (Treaty of Paris)*
By the President of the United States of America. [Signed in Paris, December 10, 1898].