Background

Relations between the United States and Spain had been strained for many years, because of Spain's presence as a colonial power in the Western Hemisphere. Various Cuban attempts to throw off Spanish rule, the most important being the Ten Years' War (1868–78), had over the decades engendered American sympathy and support for the rebels. In 1895 a new Cuban revolt broke out and quickly took the form of guerrilla attacks. Spain responded harshly against the uprising by herding civilians into squalid and overcrowded concentration camps, where many thousands died of disease.

In the United States, William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal, Joseph Pulitzer's New York World , and other newspapers—to build up their circulation—printed sensationalized stories of rebel victories and Spanish atrocities. The “yellow press,” as these newspapers became known, spearheaded the public demand to intervene and help the Cubans. Then on February 15, 1898, the battleship Maine , in Havana harbor to protect American interests, was sunk by a mysterious explosion that killed 260 men. Spain was not officially blamed, but the American people, influenced by the yellow press, considered that country guilty. (In the 1970's, a U.S. Navy investigation held that spontaneous combustion in a coal bunker caused the explosion.)

Spain sought a peaceful settlement, as did President McKinley, but under heavy pressure to intervene, he changed his mind, and events moved swiftly toward war. On March 9, Congress appropriated $50,000,000 for defense. Even though Spain had finally agreed to give the Cubans autonomy, McKinley on April 11 sent a message to Congress asking permission to intervene in Cuba. On April 25 Congress declared war. “Remember the Maine” became the watchword as the nation mobilized.