1. Spanish American War 1989

2. Causes of Spanish American War
Imperialism
Social Darwinism
Yellow Journalism
Militarism
2nd Industrial Revolution

3. Yellow Journalism
Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers.

4. William McKinley, Jr. (1843-1901)
25th President
Wanted to avoid war in Cuba
Yellow journalism and public supported war
In April 1898, President McKinley abandoned his failed diplomatic efforts and asked Congress for permission to intervene in Cuba.

5. William Randolph Hearst
Newspaper publisher and leading example of yellow journalism
New York Journal started a public hysteria for war with Spain by publishing incendiary articles and illustrations
Hearst once said "You provide the pictures and I'll provide the war."

7. To Hell with Spain Remember the Maine
At 9:40pm on February 15, 1898, the battleship U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor
268 men were killed, shocking the American population
What or who caused this explosion?

8. The de Lôme Letter
Letter was written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme
He criticized McKinley, calling him week
The letter was published by Hearst Press
Cuban revolutionaries intercepted the letter from the mail and released it to the Hearst press, which published it on February 9, 1898, in the New York Journal. De Lôme’s unflattering remarks about McKinley helped fuel this country’s aggressive, warlike foreign policy. Two months later, on April 11, 1898, McKinley delivered a war message to Congress asking for “forcible intervention” by the United States to establish peace in Cuba.

9. “How long shall the United States sit idle and indifferent within sound and hearing of rapine and murder? How long?”
The New York Journal
The American public called for war. Mckinley hesitated

10. Results of the Spanish American War
Signed the Treaty of Paris in December of 1898
Spain recognized Cuba's Independence
US gained Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico
The US had to develop a policy for imperialism
Right to liberty???

11. “A Splendid Little War”
The Spanish-American War only lasted 100 days
Cost the United States almost nothing in terms of casualties
Brought the country significant gains in territory
Secretary of State John Hay wrote to Theodore Roosevelt that the conflict was "a splendid little war”