484 End of the War

484. End of the War

 The destruction of the Spanish Atlantic fleet and the fall of San - tiago convinced the Spaniards that further re - sistance was useless . So it was agreed that the fighting should be stopped . This was in July ,
1898.But the actual treaty of peace was not made until the following December . The con - ditions were that Spain should abandon Cuba , should cede to the United States Porto Rico , the Philippines , and some smaller islands , and should receive from the United States twenty milion dollars . For many years American mis - sionaries , merchants , and planters had been interested in the Hawaiian Islands . The war showed the importance of these islands to the United States as a military and naval station , and they were annexed .