How it Affected the United States

The United States was in an era of isolationism. They did not want to get involved in world affairs because foreign countries were not in their domain and therefore not their concern. However, the United States have been expanding their power during the first century and has now become a major economic power. As more power grew in the U.S., so did their views about taking a more active role in world affairs. When news about Cuba fighting for independence from Spain spreaded throughout the U.S., this provided the U.S. the opportunity to be involved in world affairs for the first time. The Spanish American war finally ended with Cuba's independence and the annexation of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines into the U.S.