Ryan Selby-Pfahl
Mr. Joriman
History 10A
24 November 2015
The Media War
The Spanish American War was an easy victory for the United States. This war occurred in 1898 and left 3,289 Americans dead as well as 55,000 Spanish men. Sparks flew as the fuse was lit for the Spanish American War; the Spanish occupying Cuba, the de Lome Letter, the sinking of the USS Main, and yellow journalism were all precursors; war with the Spanish was inevitable.
The Spanish American War happened for many reasons. The first was because of the Spanish occupation of Cuba. Cuba was a Spanish colony for a long time but tensions between the Spanish and Cubans rose, leading to the Ten Years’ War, which spanned from (1868-1878). This war began mainly because high taxes …show more content…
This played an important role in starting the war. Yellow journalism informed the American people of every thing bad Spain did, even if it wasn't true. William Randolph Hearst wrote newspapers about the difficulties Cuba had with its fight for independence; he did this to tug at the hearts of the American people, so he could sell more copies of his newspaper. Hearst, along with many other publishers, effectively riled up the American people, and got them ready up for war with the Spanish. President Mckinley never wanted war with Spain; he even tried to prevent it, but the American people forced him into it. The Spanish-American War is often referred to as the first war caused by the modern media. The war’s main cause, yellow journalism, set the stage for future media influence in generations to come. There were other causes for the the war, but without the public papers, news of the de Lome Letter, the Spanish occupying Cuba, and the sinking of the USS Maine would have never reached the …show more content…
Without each of these individual events bound together, and the manipulation of the media, the American people would have never called for war. This shows how much influence the mass media can have on people's thoughts and opinions. There are four main causes for the Spanish American War, the Spanish occupying Cuba, the de Lome Letter, the sinking of the USS Main, and yellow journalism, all of these together had a massive influence on the war.
Work Cited
"Introduction." - The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress). Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"Feb. 15, 1898 | U.S. Battleship Maine Explodes in Havana Harbor." The Learning Network Feb 15 1898 US Battleship Maine Explodes in Havana Harbor Comments. The Learning Network, 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"February 9, 1898: Dupuy De Lôme Letter Scandal." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"1868-1878: Ten Years' War in Cuba." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"Yellow Journalism." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
Trask, David. "The Spanish-American War." - The World of 1898: (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress). Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 23 Nov.
Mr. Joriman
History 10A
24 November 2015
The Media War
The Spanish American War was an easy victory for the United States. This war occurred in 1898 and left 3,289 Americans dead as well as 55,000 Spanish men. Sparks flew as the fuse was lit for the Spanish American War; the Spanish occupying Cuba, the de Lome Letter, the sinking of the USS Main, and yellow journalism were all precursors; war with the Spanish was inevitable.
The Spanish American War happened for many reasons. The first was because of the Spanish occupation of Cuba. Cuba was a Spanish colony for a long time but tensions between the Spanish and Cubans rose, leading to the Ten Years’ War, which spanned from (1868-1878). This war began mainly because high taxes …show more content…
This played an important role in starting the war. Yellow journalism informed the American people of every thing bad Spain did, even if it wasn't true. William Randolph Hearst wrote newspapers about the difficulties Cuba had with its fight for independence; he did this to tug at the hearts of the American people, so he could sell more copies of his newspaper. Hearst, along with many other publishers, effectively riled up the American people, and got them ready up for war with the Spanish. President Mckinley never wanted war with Spain; he even tried to prevent it, but the American people forced him into it. The Spanish-American War is often referred to as the first war caused by the modern media. The war’s main cause, yellow journalism, set the stage for future media influence in generations to come. There were other causes for the the war, but without the public papers, news of the de Lome Letter, the Spanish occupying Cuba, and the sinking of the USS Maine would have never reached the …show more content…
Without each of these individual events bound together, and the manipulation of the media, the American people would have never called for war. This shows how much influence the mass media can have on people's thoughts and opinions. There are four main causes for the Spanish American War, the Spanish occupying Cuba, the de Lome Letter, the sinking of the USS Main, and yellow journalism, all of these together had a massive influence on the war.
Work Cited
"Introduction." - The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress). Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"Feb. 15, 1898 | U.S. Battleship Maine Explodes in Havana Harbor." The Learning Network Feb 15 1898 US Battleship Maine Explodes in Havana Harbor Comments. The Learning Network, 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"February 9, 1898: Dupuy De Lôme Letter Scandal." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"1868-1878: Ten Years' War in Cuba." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"Yellow Journalism." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
Trask, David. "The Spanish-American War." - The World of 1898: (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress). Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 23 Nov.