Answer: The US intervening with Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain, led way to the Spanish-American War that began in 1898. Encouraged by sensationalist American journalism about the Cuban conflict and the mysterious sinking of the US Navy battleship "Maine" in the Havana harbor, the United States declared war against Spain in late April. And after only months of fighting the under-resourced Spanish military in Cuba and Philippines, the US emerged victorious as a new world power; with a stake in international politics. In December of 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed, Spain renounced all claim of Cuba, ceded Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States, and transferred sovereignty over the Philippines to the United States for $20 million.