Treaty of Paris ends Spanish-American War | December 10, 1898 | HISTORY

In France, the Treaty of Paris is signed, formally ending the Spanish-American War and granting the United States its first overseas empire.

The Spanish-American War had its origins in the rebellion against Spanish rule that began in Cuba in 1895. The repressive measures that Spain took to suppress the guerrilla war, such as herding Cuba’s rural population into disease-ridden garrison towns, were graphically portrayed in U.S. newspapers and enflamed public opinion.