The Spanish American War
Spanish Conflict
• Spain is still in control of Cuba by the end of the 1800’s
• Americans begin to become sympathetic to Cubans who suffer under Spanish rule
Jose’ Marti
• Cuban poet and journalists who launched a revolution in Cuba
Jingoism
• Used to describe competitive feelings nations had toward each other during the late 19th and early 20th centuries
Yellow Journalism
• The use of sensationalized and exaggerated stories reported by newspapers or magazines to attract readers
William Randolph Hearst
• Pioneer of Yellow Journalism
• Said of the Cuban Revolution, “You provide the pictures, I’ll provide the war”
De Lome Letter
• Letter criticized President William McKinley as being “weak”
• Letter seized by New York journalist and published
• Sparked anti-Spanish sentiment in the U.S.
The U.S.S. Maine
• U.S. warship that mysteriously sunk in Havana Harbor in 1898
• U.S. newspapers blamed Spain for the sinking
• Led to the U.S. declaring war on Spain
The U.S.S. Maine
“Splendid Little War”
• Nickname given to the Spanish-American war
• Given the nickname because it only lasted four months
Causes of the War
• Sinking of the USS Maine
• De Lome Letter
• Yellow Journalism
George Dewey
• American navy commander who seized the Philippines during the Spanish American War
Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
• Roosevelt leads a volunteer regiment to serve in Cuba during the Spanish-American War
• Won battles in Cuba, most famous was at San Juan Hill
Treaty of Paris, 1898
• Treaty that ends the Spanish-American War
• Cuba is freed• Spain turns over the islands of
Guam and Puerto Rico to the U.S.• Spain sells the Philippines to the
U.S. for $20 million• U.S. is now a world power