USII.4a The Spanish American War
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the changing role of the United States from the late nineteenth century through World War I by
a) explaining the reasons for and results of the Spanish American War.

What were the reasons for the Spanish American War?

**  Economic interests and public opinion often influence U.S. involvement in international affairs.
Reasons for the Spanish American War
• Protection of American business interests in Cuba

• American support of Cuban rebels to gain independence from Spain

• Rising tensions as a result of the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor

• Exaggerated news reports of events (Yellow Journalism)

What were the results of the Spanish American War?

** The United States emerged as a world power as a result of victory over Spain in the Spanish American War.
• The United States emerged as a world power.

• Cuba gained independence from Spain.

• The United States gained possession of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Background and Detail 
The content above is from the curriculum resource guide. To put the facts above in context, I have added the additional detail below.

The Spanish American War - April 25-August 12, 1898

The war between the U.S. and Spain, lasted only 4 months.  Most of the fighting occurred on Cuba and the Philippines on opposite sides of the world.

In 1895 Cuban nationalists began a revolt against the Spanish government.  The U.S. was concerned about protection of American business interests in Cuba.  American business owned huge tracts of land in Cuba to grow sugar, and the sugar trade was very profitable for U.S. business.

William McKinley

Cubans had been unhappy with Spanish rule for some time, and Americans were sympathetic. Spain's  harsh attempts to put down the Cuban revolt and cruel treatment of the Cubans increased support in the U.S. for Cuba's struggle for independence. President McKinley, however,  had personally seen so much death and destruction during the Civil War that he was hesitant to get involved.

Yellow Journalism

Newspapers, competing for sales, exaggerated stories of the horrors of Cuban life under oppressive Spanish rule. The Spanish had confined many Cubans to concentration camps. The press called them "death camps."  and wrote headlines like Spanish Cannibalism, Inhuman Torture, Amazon Warriors Fight For Rebels.  Newspapers sent hundreds of reporters, artists, and photographers to Cuba to report Spanish atrocities.

One photographer sent to cover the Cuban revolt sent back the message, "There Yellow Kid Cartoonis no war. Request to be recalled."  His boss sent back a cable,  "Please remain. You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war."   These newspaper stories of Spanish cruelty sold newspapers and swayed public opinion in favor of intervention.

 The name Yellow Journalism came from this popular cartoon of the Yellow Kid, who wore a yellow gown gown while he mocked upper-class customs.



The Battleship Maine
The  battleship Maine was sent to Cuba to show American concern over Spanish actions and support for the Cuban rebels. The Maine had been in Havana Harbor three weeks when the captain wrote the trouble in Cuba was almost over and the new Spanish governor had the situation under control.

Then one night the battleship blew up and sank, killing 266 men.  The American press immediately blamed the Spanish, though there was no evidence that the the Spanish were responsible. In order to attract readers they even faked pictures showing Spanish soldiers planting mines around the ship. Hundreds of editorials demanded revenge. Soon a rallying cry could be heard everywhere -- in the papers, on the streets, and in the halls of Congress: "Remember the Maine! To ** with Spain." President William McKinley was pressured by Congress into asking for a declaration of war.

The U.S. Becomes a World Power
The war itself lasted only four months, from mid-April to war.gif (179334 bytes)mid-August 1898. There were 379 American combat deaths, but more than 5,000 servicemen died of disease.
What of the war's consequences? Most immediately it produced the nation's first overseas empire
Begun over the cause of Cuban independence, the war marked the emergence of the United States as a world power and the beginning of American overseas imperialism. Most of the fighting occurred in the Spanish possessions of Cuba and the Philippines on opposite sides of the world.
Representatives of Spain and the United States signed a peace treaty in Paris on December 10, 1898 established the independence of Cuba, ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States, and allowed the victorious power to purchase the Philippines Islands from Spain for $20 million.