Answer: The United States received the Philippines and the islands of Guam and Puerto Rico. Cuba became independent, and Spain was awarded $20 million dollars for its losses. The treaty prompted a heated debate in the United States. The major effects that stemmed from the war were that Cuba gained their independence from Spain, the United States gained Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, and the Spanish Empire collapsed. Cuba had been fighting for its independence from Spain for many years before the start of the Spanish-American War.