The
Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898) was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the
Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the
Little War (1879–1880). The final three months of the conflict escalated to become the
Spanish–American War, with United States forces being deployed in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the
Philippine Islands against Spain. Historians disagree as to the extent that United States officials were motivated to intervene for humanitarian reasons but agree that
yellow journalism exaggerated atrocities attributed to Spanish forces against Cuban civilians.