I.+Spanish+American+War,+Yellow+Journalism,+USS+Maine,+1898

** ​ ** Cuban Conflict ** media type="youtube" key="Abzd41k_OhQ" height="385" width="640"
 * Spanish American War (1898)
 * The Spanish American War highlights the influence the media has on politics, where an eventual outcome of the bombardment of propaganda is war and violence. **
 * Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt both agreed that controlling the seas is the key to ultimate power
 * Relates to Napoleon as well as the successes of Britain
 * They were also interested in the natural resources in Cuba
 * Spanish Ambassador Dupuy de Lome sent a biting letter to McKinley saying, "McKinley is weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd. Besides being a would-be politician who tries to leave a door open behind himself while keeping on good terms with the jingoes of his party"
 * This insulted McKinley, making the matter personal
 * Spain, who had a firm chokehold on Cuba, was well aware that the United States had been eyeing Cuba
 * Spain wanted to maintain Cuba and its people by any means necessary which created palpable tension between Spain, Cuban's, and America
 * They attempted to keep order in Cuba by taking the working class for their own and leaving the rest to come crawling back
 * This failed, only further increasing tension
 * What Caused the War? **
 * Misinterpreted causes for declaring war
 * Many were riled up with the sinking of the USS Maine
 * The ship hit a mine and had a magnificent explosion, killing 266 sailors aboard
 * Although president McKinley wanted people to calm down, they went ballistic upon hearing about the incident
 * The reason why they went ballistic and why they eventually went to war was because of Yellow Press
 * They provided extremely biased propaganda that infuriated Americans
 * Depicted every Spanish action as a monstrous display of brutish violence
 * They were savages in many Americans eyes at the time