<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Spanish--American War (Spanish: Guerra hispano - americana or Guerra hispano - estadounidense; Filipino: Digmaang Espanyol - Amerikano) was fought between the United States and Spain in 1898 . Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in Cuba, leading to U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence . American acquisition of Spain's Pacific possessions led to its involvement in the Philippine Revolution and ultimately in the Philippine--American War . </P> <P> The main issue was Cuban independence . Revolts had been occurring for some years in Cuba against Spanish rule . The U.S. later backed these revolts upon entering the Spanish--American War . There had been war scares before, as in the Virginius Affair in 1873, but in the late 1890s, U.S. public opinion was agitated by anti-Spanish propaganda led by newspaper publishers such as Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst which used yellow journalism to call for war . The business community across the United States had just recovered from a deep depression and feared that a war would reverse the gains . It lobbied vigorously against going to war . </P>

Where did the first significant military confrontation of the spanish-american war take place