Premium Essay

Spanish American War

In:

Submitted By Bob703413
Words 347
Pages 2
WAR IMMINENT: Spain and America to Fight After a recent publication in our sister publication, the New York Journal, a letter from the Spanish Minister de Lome to President McKinley, tensions rose to a point of combustion. Citizens all over the United States have complained about the insulting message contained within the letter from the Minister. This letter ridiculed McKinley, and lead to the eventual resignation of this Spanish Minister de Lome. Another catalyst that added to growing American distaste for the Spanish was the destruction of the battleship, the USS Maine. Although the source remains unknown for sure, we’re positive here at The Chronicle that the dastardly Spaniards committed this heinous crime. Many valuable American lives, as well as other less valuable foreign lives, were lost due to the explosion onboard the gunship. This blatant attack on an American Naval vessel is definite grounds for a war with the Spaniards. In response to the attack on the Maine, the United States Congress has raised an emergency fund of $50 million for President McKinley to do with as he pleases in order to fight the war that they declared also following the destruction of the Maine. Congress, through this declaration of war, desired to repay the indignation bestowed upon the US by Spain and to also help free the Spanish colonies of Guam, Cuba, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. The main catalyst that escalated this war was very much to the “Yellow Journalism” produced by such newspapers such this one, but also by others such as the New York Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and even by very reputable newspapers like the New York Times. It is not for this reporter to decide whether or nor this form of journalism is morally, or ethically sound, but I myself shall not participate is this stretching of the facts. Enough criticism of Spain, and yes they DO deserve

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Spanish American War

...territory through wars and the struggle for independency in the colonies. They did manage however, to keep their main sources of power such as Puerto Rico and Cuba. During the 1890s, the United States became a world power itself. They sought out to deem nearby assets which included Cuba and Puerto Rico. The U.S had millions of dollars invested in business in Cuba. They had investments in the islands, sugar, tobacco and mining industries and public utilities. The U.S needed to maintain a strong political presence in Cuba in order to protect its economic interest. In 1895, Jose Marti and the Cuban Revolutionary Party lead a revolt against Spain. Sympathy rose high for the Cubans through the use of yellow journalism which documented what was occurring in Cuba. William Randolph Hearts, who dominated the newspaper in American, exploited and exaggerated the Spanish oppression of poor Cuba. The American public demanded that President McKinley do something about the situation, so he sent a naval fleet to Havana. A submarine mine exploded in Havana Harbor in Cuba, sinking the U.S. battleship Maine. Although it was never proven, America placed responsibility on Spain. “Remember the Maine!” became the war’s most famous slogan. Another incident that led to the increase of intensity between Spain and the U.S was the publication of a stolen letter in the New York Journal. The Spanish ambassador sent a letter which referred to President McKinley as “weak” and insulted him. Americans were outraged...

Words: 994 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Spanish American War

...| The Spanish American War | | | Juan Jimenez | 12/1/2012 | Historia de Puerto Rico | The Spanish American War was fought in 1898 between the United States and Spain. Spain was a colonial power at the time, holding many territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. Revolts against Spanish rule were taking place in many of these territories. In Cuba and in the Philippines, the seeds of revolution were steadily growing. The United States found themselves in a position to assist these people with their fight for independence and to gain some land and power in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. It has long been thought that the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor was the catalyst that propelled the US into war with Cuba. I have found evidence that the US entered into war for a different reason. My research has led me to believe that the spread of disease, especially yellow fever, from Cuba into the US was the true reason for the American declaration of war against Spain. The sinking of the Maine has historically been accepted to be the cause of the US entering into war. It can be argued that it was, but, was the sinking really caused by the Spanish? There is no conclusive evidence that it was or was not. The Maine was sent to Havana Harbor in January of 1898. The ship, along with other US military vessels, was used to help blockade the port. This would keep the Spanish fleet from replenishing supplies and weapons to quell the...

Words: 1015 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Spanish-American War

...SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR There were several long-term factors that contributed to the outbreak of hostilities in the Spanish-American War. One of these factors dealt with sugar production. Sugar production, the backbone of the island’s prosperity, was crippled when the American tariff of 1894 restored high duties on the toothsome product. (David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Mel Piehl, The Brief American Pageant, 8th Edition, Wadsworth: Cengage Learning, 2012. 442) These sugar markets went sour in 1890 when the McKinley Tariff Act raised barriers against the Hawaiian product. White American planters’ mounting efforts to secure annexation by the United States were blocked by Queen Liliuokalani, who insisted that native Hawaiians should control the islands. Another long-term factor that contributed to the start of the Spanish-American War was the Explosion of the Maine in February 15, 1898. This explosion encouraged and amplified by the “yellow press” the outcry over the tragedy of the Maine, which helped to drive the country into an impulsive war against Spain. (David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Mel Piehl, The Brief American Pageant, 8th Edition, Wadsworth: Cengage Learning, 2012. 442) Two-hundred and sixty sailors loss their lives when the Maine mysteriously blew up in Havana Harbor. There were two different open investigations inquiring about this explosion; one by U.S. naval officers and the other by Spanish officials. In 1976, the U.S. Navy Admiral H. G....

Words: 471 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Spanish American War Isolation

...Before the Spanish-American War the United States attempted to as neutral and isolated from the rest of the world as possible to avoid unnecessary conflict. This has been the United States foreign policy as much as possible since the days of George Washington's Farewell Address  and the Spanish American War changed that when the United States got involved. The Spanish-American War marked a turning point in America’s national role and paved the way for US involvement outside our borders.     Prior to the Spanish American War Americans had prided themselves on their policy of isolation. While this idea of isolation was only partially correct, the Spanish American War caused the United States to shift their focus from domestic policy to foreign...

Words: 618 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Spanish American War Analysis

...The War of 1898, also known as the Spanish-American War, was sparked on April 25, 1898. Three causes of this war were the United States support for Cuba's independence, yellow journalism, to protect U.S. business interests in Cuba, and the sinking of the USS. Maine. These all helped spark the war that would give Cuba its independence when the war would conclude. The United States supported the fight with Cubans for their independence from the Spanish. Cuban revolts all started with the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894. This American tariff put restrictions on sugar imports to the United States that severely hurt the economy of Cuba because they were based on producing and selling sugar. Spain sent in General "Butcher" Weyler to stabilize the situation...

Words: 450 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Reasons For The Spanish American War Of 1898

..."The Spanish-American War of 1898 transformed the United States into a major overseas power" (Schultz, 2014). The major reasons for the Spanish-American War of 1898 were for a variety of humanitarian, geopolitical, and commercial causes. The Cubans strived for independence from the harsh treatment by the Spanish and in 1895, violence erupted, provoking an interracial rebellion between the Cubans and the Spanish government. The three-year-long war devastated the Cuban economy, which had impacted the Americans that were heavily invested in the Cuban sugar plantations. Despite the lack of support from the Cubans for the U.S. to enter the war, it became inevitable in February of 1898 after the U.S. intercepted a letter from Spain's U.S. Ambassador...

Words: 327 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Spanish American War Research Paper

...The Spanish-American war began on a Monday, April 25 1898, and ended on a Friday August the 12th. It was between the United States and Spain. Spain declared war on the U.S. because they supported Cuba's wish to be independent of Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris was signed and the war was declared over. As a result to the war Spain lost its ruling over many islands. There was many deaths of Americans do to the war, and the amount of U.S. troops engaged was 306,760. The Untied States and Spain were already at war, when the ship going to pick up American citizens blew up. The president at the time which was President McKinley gave an ok to finally call it an actual war. The war was said to be only fighting for the good of Cuba and McKinley said that after the...

Words: 783 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Why Did The Spanish American War Start

...A war started because Cuba wanted to be Independent from Spain. United States didn't like how Spain was treating the Cubans. The harsh manner and use of concentration camps. An explosion of the USS Maine, and the defeat of the Spanish navy. The future president who fought in the first U.S Army Cavalry. How did all this play out? Because of Napoleon's meddling with Spain's New World's territory, Cuba became neglected and to fend on it's own. Cuba wanted Independence from Spain, but it got a war out of it instead. The Cuban's had a small force of badly-trained, poorly-armed, rebels, compared to the army that Spain had. Spain were not merciful, they put the Cuban's in concentration camps. About 200,000 – 400,000 Cuban's died in the camps, which had little food and not the cleanness place ever....

Words: 537 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Spanish American War: The Cause Of The Spanish American War

...history there have been many wars in which different parties were fighting for either freedom or territory and in the Spanish American War both Spain and the United States were in conflict for both. The Spanish American War began in April 1898 and ended August 1898 which was a brief rivalry between Spain and the United States that led to the death of three hundred and seventy-nine Americans . The United States found themselves intervening in Cuba’s fight for independence against Spain after President McKinley and the queen of Spain tried their best to keep a war from even happening. This has changed the countries future which some may say that it was a worthy entity or others thought it was a bad thing. As a result, they did indeed...

Words: 1164 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The Spanish-American War

...As wars go, the Spanish-American War (1898) was neither very long, nor extremely violent. It was nothing like the horrible Civil War (1861-1865) that the US had fought a few decades earlier, or the total warfare of World War I (1914-1918). Yet, the Spanish-American War had considerable historical significance. American success against Spain took many European powers by surprise, Demonstrating that the US had become a world power. For the US, perhaps the war was too successful or too easy, instilling an optimism about war in the American public, which was quick to forget just how horrible the Civil War had been. As a further result of the war, US national pride soared, and nationalism and jingoism peaked. The US took a first successful step...

Words: 276 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Spanish American War Research Paper

...The Spanish American War was between the United States and Spain. The Spanish American War ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America (HISTORY). This war showed just how strong the U.S. was and showed how far america has come. The war started because the Cubans wanted independence from Spain. Jose Marti was the one who began the war for independence in 1895. The USS Maine was a battleship that was in Cuba's Havana Harvest which exploded and killed almost all of the people who were on the ship. The explosion of the USS Maine contributed to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898 (militaryhistory). Because of the explosion on the USS Maine...

Words: 526 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

In Spain In Our Hearts, Americans In The Spanish Civil War

...In Spain In Our Hearts, Americans In The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939, author Adam Hochschild describes the escapades of Americans during the Spanish Civil War. For three years during the 1930's the Spanish Civil War dominated headlines in America and around the world. Volunteers flooded into Spain to help its democratic government fight off a right-wing coup led by Francisco Franco and aided by Hitler and Mussolini. It was a shockingly brutal war, but it was soon overshadowed by the world war that it helped introduce. Today it is remembered through just a few classic accounts: Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, George Orwell's memoirs, Robert Capa's photographs. But in Spain...

Words: 286 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Theodore Roosevelt And The Rough Riders In The Spanish American War

...Theodore Roosevelt was not only our president but he was also an american war hero leading the rough riders in the Spanish American war. Before they recruited every one through volunteer the group was originally supposed to consist of men from native American territory such as New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. The group consisted of 1,250 cowboys, Indians, and college students. They participated in many important battles in the war. During the Spanish American war the Rough Riders got most of the publicity out of the whole unit. They were involved in the capture of Kettle Hill. But they couldn’t have all the publicity and the Rough Riders had a very intelligent leader. Theodore Roosevelt trained and supplied with the help of Colonel Leonard...

Words: 505 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Spanish American War

...This essay will discuss the reason why the United States became involved in the Spanish American War. There will also be comments on Theodore Roosevelt’s connection to the war. Lastly mentions why historian now call the war the Spanish-American-Filipino War. Spanish American War which took place in 1898, was the United States first time broke the geographic boundaries and began to set goals to make itself one of most powerful countries in the world in 20th century. From isolating to expansion the Spanish American War led America into the modern era. The War was a symbol that the United States was rising power. The Spanish American War was a War which launched in order to raid the Spanish colonies. At that time, the Philippines not only had the important economic value but also was the strategic base of America so it was important to occupy the Philippines. On February 15th the American vessel the Maine sunk in Havana harbor, and the United States seized the chance as an excuse to began to take military actions to declare war to Spain. This fact was overlooked at the time. “Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!” was said by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. This is thought to be the rallying cry used to propel Congress into a declaration of war. Theodore Roosevelt kept on President Mckinley and others that if War came to be that he wanted to leave from behind the desk in Washington and head to the front to fight. He contacted both General Tillinghast and General...

Words: 748 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Spanish-American War

...Kenneth Wong 1  Mr. Hackett  Section 001    Spanish­American War  Wong  Throughout the spanish american war and even before it began, until the end of the  spanish­american war the newspaper had the power to heavily influence the choices people  made. It started with industrial revolution at the turn of the 19th century as the United States  became the number one leading manufacturer and foremost industrial power in the world, jobs  became harder to do and competition for their jobs grew. There were two people who controlled  the newspapers at the time, Joseph Pulitzer of New York World and William Randolph Hearst,  the editor of the New York Journal and they competed in the Newspaper business. Their  competition lead to yellow journalism, which is an exaggerated way of reporting news in order to  gain readership, profits, and influence. The conflict between spain and cuba for cuban  independence and yellow journalism grew during this period allowing the influence of  newspapers to once again grow.   The USS Maine, in havana harbor on February 15th, 1898 caused the Spanish­American  War. To protect American citizens, the USS Maine was sent to cuba to keep out the cuban  revolution or in order words, national security. When the explosion happened, the immediate  question for Americans was whether or not this was done by spain. Joseph Pulitzer, the editor of  the New York World published in February 17,  1898, a newspaper under the headlines “USS  Maine explosion caused by bomb or torpedo...

Words: 1156 - Pages: 5