Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition):
FEBRUARY 15, 1898
The American battleship USS Maine sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba after it was mysteriously blown up, killing 266 crew members out of 354.
The Americans blamed Spain for the explosion. The Spanish government denied the accusation and tried to mend the rift with the United States.
She wanted to avoid a war with a nation having the most modern technology and weaponry, even if the U.S. was meddling in the Cuban war of independence.
The Americans considered it an act of treason and a good reason to declare war even without proof of Spain’s involvement.
US President William McKinley declared war on Spain. Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt (who would later become president) ordered Commodore George Dewey, the commander of the American Asiatic Squadron to attack Spanish forces in the Philippines.
On April 23, 1898, Spain declared war on the United States.
The American navy destroyed the Spanish naval fleet in the Philippines. Spain’s forces were no match to the superior and modern firepower of the US Navy which culminated in their defeat in the Battle of Manila Bay.
The Spanish-American War lasted 13 weeks.
(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan B. Uy) All rights reserved
Photo credit: wikipedia.org
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