Charles Hearst Primary Source

Author: The author of the primary source was Charles Duval. Although the article was written by Duval, the newspaper was owned by William Randolph Hearst, an American newspaper publisher and wealthy California playboy. As owner of The New York Journal, Hearst was always in bitter competition with his enemy, Joseph Pulitzer and The New York World, which led to the creation of yellow journalism. The primary source was written in first person.

Place and Time: The source was published on October 10, 1897 in The New York Journal, so it was read by people throughout New York. Although published in New York, the story itself is set in Cuba. The time and place affect the meaning of the source because in New York in the late nineteenth century, yellow

In the late nineteenth century, yellow journalism, exaggeration of news in order to sell papers, was coined by Erwin Wardman, editor of the New York Press. The term originated during the American Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century with the circulation battles between Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William randolph Hearst’s New York Journal. Both papers were accused by critics of sensationalizing the news in order to drive up circulation, although the newspapers did serious reporting as well. In 1898, the United States assisted Cuba in its fight for independence against Spain in order to protect its citizens and businesses in Cuba, and the war became known as the Spanish American War. The United States declared war on Spain after the U.S. warship, the Maine, exploded and sank on February 15, 1898 while visiting Havana, Cuba. After the war, America gained control of Puerto Rico, the Philippine Islands, and Guam, and Cuba became an independent

Evanglina Cisneros was imprisoned for fifteen long months only after trying to “preserve her virtue against the lustful advances of a lecherous Spanish officer.” The press described her as a beautiful young woman, who was unjustly imprisoned, and The Journal created a storm of sympathy for the girl, inspiring appeals to the Spanish queen and to the pope. Then, the article continued by making up a story about how the author of the article liberated her with force. The author described how he rented a house next to the prison, drugged the inmates, sawed through the cell bars, forged a visa, and escaped with Cisneros disguised as a boy. Finally, the author braged about rescuing the girl, a feat which not even the Pope or Queen could