What caused the Spanish-American War, and how did it make the United States a world power?
Analyze the causes of the Spanish-American War, including yellow journalism and the USS Maine, the outcomes of the war, and its significance for American power (TEKS US History RC1 History; RC2 Geography and Culture).
A STAAR-level answer on the Spanish-American War for the Texas US History EOC: the role of yellow journalism and the USS Maine, the causes and short course of the war, the territories the United States gained, and why the war marked the country's arrival as a world power, with worked stimulus questions.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this topic is asking
The Spanish-American War of 1898 was short but transformative: it turned the United States into an empire with global reach. The TEKS want you to explain the causes (especially yellow journalism and the USS Maine), the outcomes, and the war's significance as the moment the United States became a world power. This is a Reporting Category 1 (History) topic with strong geography ties.
The causes of the war
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism is a favorite STAAR stimulus, because it shows how the media can shape public opinion and even policy, a theme that recurs across the course.
The war and its outcomes
The war lasted only a few months in 1898 and ended in a decisive American victory. Secretary of State John Hay called it a "splendid little war." Its outcomes:
- The United States gained Puerto Rico and Guam outright.
- The United States took the Philippines from Spain (then suppressed a Filipino independence movement to keep it).
- Cuba became formally independent but a US protectorate, with the United States claiming the right to intervene.
The significance
Try this
Q1. State two causes of the Spanish-American War. [2]
- Cue. Any two of: the Cuban revolt against Spain and American sympathy for it; American economic interests in Cuba; yellow journalism inflaming opinion; the explosion of the USS Maine blamed on Spain.
Q2. Explain why the Spanish-American War is seen as the moment the United States became a world power. [2]
- Cue. The United States quickly defeated a European power and acquired an overseas empire (Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines) reaching into the Caribbean and the Pacific, demonstrating military strength and joining the imperial world powers.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of TEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
STAAR (US History, style)1 marksNewspaper headlines in 1898 screaming REMEMBER THE MAINE and blaming Spain for the explosion are examples of yellow journalism. The main effect of yellow journalism was toShow worked answer →
A single-select item analyzing a stimulus headline (Reporting Category 1, History).
Correct answer: it stirred up public anger and pushed the United States toward war with Spain.
Markers reward the link between sensational, exaggerated reporting and public pressure for war. Distractors such as "it calmed tensions" or "it had no effect on opinion" contradict the role of yellow journalism in building war fever.
STAAR (US History, style)2 marksPart A: Identify ONE result of the Spanish-American War for the United States. Part B: Explain why historians say the war marked the arrival of the United States as a world power.Show worked answer →
A two-part item (Reporting Category 1, History; Category 2, Geography).
Part A (1 point): the United States gained overseas territory (Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines) and influence over Cuba.
Part B (1 point): explain that by quickly defeating a European power and acquiring an overseas empire stretching into the Caribbean and the Pacific, the United States demonstrated military strength and joined the ranks of the imperial world powers.
Markers reward a concrete result paired with an explanation linking the new empire and the defeat of Spain to the country's emergence as a world power.
Related dot points
- Analyze the causes of American imperialism, the acquisition of overseas territories, and the debate between imperialists and anti-imperialists (TEKS US History RC1 History; RC2 Geography and Culture; RC4 Economics).
A STAAR-level answer on American imperialism for the Texas US History EOC: the economic, strategic, and ideological causes of overseas expansion around 1900, the territories the United States acquired, and the debate between imperialists and anti-imperialists, with worked stimulus questions.
- Analyze the causes of World War I, US neutrality, and the reasons the United States entered the war in 1917, including unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram (TEKS US History RC1 History; RC4 Science, Technology, and Society).
A STAAR-level answer on US entry into World War I for the Texas US History EOC: the causes of the war, American neutrality, the role of unrestricted submarine warfare and the sinking of the Lusitania, the Zimmermann Telegram, and the decision to enter in 1917, with worked stimulus questions.
- Analyze the effects of World War I on the home front, including mobilization, propaganda, the Great Migration, opportunities for women, and limits on civil liberties such as the Espionage and Sedition Acts and Schenck v. United States (TEKS US History RC3 Government and Citizenship; RC2 Geography and Culture).
A STAAR-level answer on the World War I home front for the Texas US History EOC: economic mobilization and propaganda, the Great Migration and new opportunities for women and African Americans, and wartime limits on civil liberties including the Espionage and Sedition Acts and Schenck v. United States, with worked stimulus questions.
- Analyze Wilson's Fourteen Points, the Treaty of Versailles, the debate over the League of Nations, and the US return to isolationism (TEKS US History RC3 Government and Citizenship; RC1 History).
A STAAR-level answer on the end of World War I for the Texas US History EOC: Wilson's Fourteen Points, the Treaty of Versailles, the Senate debate over the League of Nations, why the United States rejected the treaty, and the return to isolationism, with worked stimulus questions.
- Analyze the causes and effects of late nineteenth century industrialization, the rise of big business and entrepreneurs such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, and the free enterprise system (TEKS US History RC4 Economics, Science, Technology, and Society; RC1 History).
A STAAR-level answer on Gilded Age industrialization for the Texas US History EOC: the causes of rapid industrial growth, the rise of big business and entrepreneurs such as Carnegie and Rockefeller, trusts and monopolies, and the free enterprise system, with worked stimulus questions.
Sources & how we know this
- Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies, United States History Studies Since 1877 (19 TAC 113.41) — Texas Education Agency (2018)
- STAAR US History Blueprint Effective as of Academic Year 2022 to 2023 — Texas Education Agency (2022)