Act of April 25, 1898, Public Law 55-69, 30 STAT 364, which declared war between the United States and Spain
4/25/1898
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[handwritten at top of page] ASH[stamped in upper left corner] DEPT. OF STATE
[stamped in upper right corner] Bureau of Rolls & Library
Public no 69
APR 26, 2.31 PM 1898
CHF CLMS. OFFICE
RESERVED
APR 26 1898
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[rest of document typeset]
H. R. 10086.
[double line border printed on page, typeset text enclosed]
Fifty-fifth Congress of the United States of America;
At the Second Session,
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, the sixth day of December, one
thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven.
[double horizontal line through middle of page]
AN ACT
Declaring that war exists between the United States of America and the
Kingdom of Spain
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled, First. That war be, and the same is
hereby, declared to exist, and that war has existed since the twenty-first day of
April, anno Domini eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, including said day,
between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain.
directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval forces of the United
States, and to call into the actual service of the United States the militia of the
Several States, to such extent as may be necessary to carry this Act into effect.
Second. That the President of the United States be, and he hereby is,
[signed] Thomas B Reed
[typeset line and text] Speaker of the House of Representatives.
[signed] Garret A Hobart
[typeset line and text] Vice-President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
[handwritten and signed] Approved
April 25, 1898
William M McKinley
This primary source comes from the General Records of the United States Government.
National Archives Identifier: 299824
Full Citation: Act of April 25, 1898, Public Law 55-69, 30 STAT 364, which declared war between the United States and Spain; 4/25/1898; General Records of the United States Government, Record Group 11. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/act-of-april-25-1898-public-law-5569-30-stat-364-which-declared-war-between-the-united-states-and-spain, July 9, 2025]Activities that use this document
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