1. Why did America send it military to Cuba in 1898?

2. In the 1890s…
Cubans were suffering under Spanish military rule. (Imperialism)
American businessmen saw Cuba as a nearby, growing market for American goods.
Many Americans owned parts of Sugarcane
plantations in Cuba. (Business Interests)
In 1895 Cuban patriot Jose Marti launched a
guerilla style (hit and run tactics) against the
Spanish. (Resistance, Rebellion, Revolution)
The Spanish respond by herding Cubans into concentration camps and depriving them of food. Over 10,000 Cubans die. (Suppression of Rebellion)
The American Press favors the Cuban revolutionaries, and exaggerates Spanish atrocities. (Yellow Press)

3. American involvement in Cuba grows…
President William McKinley urges Spain to establish peace quickly. (Foreign Diplomacy)
Cuban rebels demand independence from Spain; Spain denies request. McKinley sends the USS Maine to Havana Harbor to protect American citizens in Cuba. (Military Action ???)
New York Journal published a private letter (stolen by Cuban rebels) written by the Spanish ambassador to Washington D.C. that calls McKinley a weak and stupid politician. (Drama!!!)
This letter fuels aggressive American nationalism. (Jingoism)