Answer:
Imperialism is most closely associated with the start of the Spanish-American War.
The Spanish-American War.
The United States helped Cuba get independence which led to the Spanish-American War.
After fighting the Spanish military, the US emerged victorious as a new world power.
The United States acquired control of Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam.
Americans got involved in overseas imperialism.
Thus we can conclude that imperialism is the term closely related to the Spanish-American War