President John Adams signs a bill establishing the Library of Congress, allocating $5000 to purchase books to assist Congress. The bill moved the library from Philadelphia to the new Capitol in Washington and the library was later bolstered by the addition of Thomas Jefferson's personal library.
The Kingdom of Spain declares war on the United States following an American blockade of Cuba, which began on April 21. The explosion of the USS Maine, combined with yellow journalism and American empathy for Cuban revolutionaries, galvanized the push for war.
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