It also presented a dilemma of sorts for President William McKinley. The 1898 Treaty of Paris awarded the US annexation of the former Spanish colonies of Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines.

This article is based on Article III of the 1898 Treaty of Paris. It set the boundaries of Philippine territory as follows: “Spain cedes to the United States the archipelago known as the ...

On Dec. 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed, which ceded Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines to the United States. They got the Philippines to the tune of $20 million.

In December of 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed bringing an official end to the Spanish-American War. As part of that treaty, the island of Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States from Spain.