Spanish American War Research Paper

The Spanish American War occurred in 1898 between Spain and the United States.

Spain declared war on the United States on April 24 with the United States declaring war on

Spain on April 25. The Spanish American war was a one sided war, as Spain’s Army nor Navy were prepared. 1At the time, Spain had control of Cuba and when the war ended, the United

States ended up with territories in the Pacific and Latin America. Fights had been breaking out since 1895 with hopes that Cuba could break away from the control of Spain (Spanish American

War).

Yellow journalism occurred between 1866 and 1898. This type of reporting was less over the facts of what was going on and more of sensationalism. Because of this type of reporting, it is assumed that this is one of the

This led to proponents of yellow journalism calling for war. The Spanish American War began in May (Office of the

Historian).

With the sinking of the Maine, it became increasingly popular for citizens to press for us to join the war. Maine was sent to Cuba with intention of protecting United States Citizens and property after all of the rioting in Havana. During this time, government officials worked to speed up process giving Cuba limited government control. However, the United States reacted giving Cuba the right to independence, requesting Spain remove itself from Cuba and authorized the President to use force to remove them (Spanish American War).

While yellow journalism was a contributing factor to the war, it is not the sole cause of the Spanish American War. The writers of the paper took some of the facts and add some opinion to gain sales. President Roosevelt pushed for the United States to expand overseas which was gaining strength starting the in 1880’s. Yellow journalism was an example during the time to show that the role of press influenced the American eyes, similar to the way that it can still influence today (Office of the