The Spanish-American Cuban War “A Splendid Little War” –Secretary of State John Hay to Theodore Roosevelt

William McKinley (1897-1901) 25th president Won Republican presidential nomination in 1896 (with help of millionaire Mark Hanna) Defeated William Jennings Bryan Helped acquire Guam, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and American Samoa Six months into his second term, shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY

“Yellow” journalism (1896) Use of extreme sensationalism to attract readers Derived from an early comic strip character called the “Yellow Kid” First appeared in Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World He and William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) exaggerated stories to attract readers and sell papers Contributed to U.S. involvement in the Spanish-American War

The Yellow Kid

Hearst vs. Pulitzer New York Journal New York World Before and during the Spanish-American War, newspaper publishers William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer engaged in blatant sensationalizing of the news, both to sell newspapers and to influence public opinion for war with Spain over Cuba. Intentional sensationalizing the news is now commonly labeled "yellow journalism."

Hearst and Pulitzer

De Lôme Letter (February 9, 1898) Letter written by the Spanish minister to the U.S. to a friend in Cuba Described President McKinley as “weak” and a “cheap politician” Stolen and published in The New York World, letter caused DeLôme’s resignation Used as propaganda—one of the factors turning American public opinion against Spain ENRIQUE DUPUY DE LOME

U.S.S. Maine (1898) The U.S. battleship sent by President McKinley to Cuba in 1898 to protect American interests. On February 15, the Battleship U.S.S. Maine was blown up by accident when spontaneous combustion in a coal bunker caused a powder magazine to explode Yellow Journalism exaggerated the story and blamed the Spanish

“Yellow” journalism When his artist correspondent, Frederick Remington, arrived in Cuba to cover the anticipated Spanish-American war only to find there were no visible signs of war and cabled Hearst for permission to come home, Hearst reportedly cabled back, ''You provide the pictures, and I'll provide the war.''

Spanish-American War (1898) Conflict between U.S. and Spain Begun over the cause of Cuban independence Marked the emergence of U.S. as a world power; the beginning of American overseas imperialism Most of the fighting took place in Spanish possessions of Cuba and Philippines

Rough Riders (July 1, 1898) First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Col. Leonard Wood originally headed the group of 1,000 cowboys, miners, football players, and others TR commanded the unit and led them in a successful charge up Kettle Hill near San Juan Hill Having been forced to leave their horses in Florida, most were on foot

Platt Amendment (1901) Agreement between the U.S. and Cuba Gave U.S. the rights to intervene in Cuban affairs and to lease naval bases on the island (Guantanamo) Made (in effect) Cuba a U.S. dependency The U.S. invoked the amendment several times before its repeal in 1934

George Dewey/Manila (1898) Commodore Perry’s Asiatic Squadron was alerted to possible war with Spain as early as December, 1897 On May 1, 1898, the Spanish fleet in the Philippines was destroyed Manila surrendered on August 13 Spain agreed to a peace conference to be held in Paris in October 1898

Treaty of Paris (1898) Cuba became independent United States claimed Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands The treaty barely passed the Senate, with only to votes over the two-thirds needed for ratification

Filipino insurrection (1899-1902) Aka known as the Philippine-American War Filipino nationalists under Emilio Aguinaldo rebelled against the U.S. when they learned the Philippines would not be given independence Used guerrilla warfare The U.S. used 70,000 men to suppress the revolutionaries by June, 1902 A special U.S. commission recommended eventual self-government for the Philippines

Anti-imperialists Supported the war but NOT the annexation of new territory Formed the Anti-Imperialist League in 1898 Felt that imperialism went against American democratic values (in our Declaration of Independence) Especially opposed war in the Philippines Famous Anti-Imperialists: Mark Twain, Samuel Gompers, Andrew Carnegie

model school—Philippines