Explosion of the Maine
Spanish American War
-Cuba and the Spanish-American WarCuba is an island in the Gulf of Mexico only 90 miles south of Florida. Although Cuba was a Spanish
colony, Spain allowed Americans to do business there. By 1890 American firms had invested over $50
million in Cuban sugar. The Spanish treated Cubans poorly. Cubans worked for low wages. In response to
the poor treatment and low wages, the Cubans revolted many times against Spanish rule. In 1895 the
Cubans declared their independence from Spain. The Spanish put down the revolt by placing many
Cubans in concentrations camps, where many innocent people died of disease and starvation. The Spanish
tortured the Cuban rebels they captured. When American newspapers published stories about Spain’s
cruelty to the Cubans, American readers began to sympathize with the Cubans. The stories also caused
American businesses to worry about their investments in Cuba. They wanted their property protected from
destruction by the fighting between Cubans and the Spanish. President McKinley sent a battleship, the
USS Maine, to Cuba to protect property of Americans. On February 15, 1898, the Maine was destroyed by
an explosion. No one was sure what caused the blast; however the Spanish were blamed for it. The
American press demanded war with Spain, and the slogan “Remember the Maine” became popular.
-Becoming a World PowerAt first, President McKinley did not want to go to war with Spain. But finally, on April 11, 1898, he asked
Congress to declare war. This war was called the Spanish-American War. The United States and Spain
fought battles in Cuba and in the Philippine Islands, another Spanish colony in the Pacific Ocean. It took
the United States only four months to defeat the Spanish in the Spanish-American War. More American
soldiers died from disease in American training camps than in battle. After this war, other nations
perceived the United States as a world power. The Spanish-American war was another step embarking
America down the road to Imperialism, a region or country controlled by another country.
Directions: Answer the following questions.
1) How far is Cuba from the United States?
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2) Explain 3 reasons why America got involved in the war?
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3) Which United States President asked for a war with Spain in 1898?
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4) How long did the Spanish-American War last?
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5) Which nation won the Spanish-American War?
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6) How was the United States perceived by other nations after the Spanish-American War?
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7) What does Imperialism mean?
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-Yellow JournalismYellow Journalism is a distorted and exaggerated News Article. William
Randolph Hearst was a businessperson, and his goal was to sell newspapers.
At the height of his success, more than a million readers every day felt they
had to read what he published. To create this excitement, Hearst urged his
reporters to exaggerate or even to make up facts. He also encouraged bias, or
presenting information and opinions that promote a particular point of view.
In the universal rules of journalism, a newspaper article should report
facts as accurately as possible. A reporter should not write with bias or
express opinion. If facts are in dispute, a reporter might interview people on
different sides but should not take sides. Yellow journalism did not follow
these rules. The articles that appeared in the Newspapers, "Journal" and the
"World" on the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine are examples of yellow
journalism.
Directions: Using Yellow Journalism, write the first paragraph of an
article on the explosion of the Maine. Do your best to address the
questions who, what, where, and when, but remember to use true
facts and facts that are exaggerated truth. Also, write a headline for
your article.