1. Causes of the Spanish-American War (1898)
This is an ID

2. Unit Objectives
To learn what imperialism was and how America participated in it
To learn and assess the causes of the Spanish-American War

3. What was “imperialism”?

4. Why had America not been imperial before the 1890s?
George Washington had set a precedent (tradition) of focusing on building a new nation and avoiding foreign entanglements (isolationism/neutrality)
There was no need for new land before the 1890s because there was plenty of it on the American frontier
Many Americans felt imperialism and democracy did not go together

5. Cuba was a Spanish colony that had been fighting for independence from Spain for years—Why did America care?
1. American Imperialism: Americans had been interested in acquiring Cuba for years (Manifest Destiny, extension of slavery, wanted to be imperial like other world powers, there was not much land left within America to take over in the 1890s—the “closing of the frontier”)

6. 2. Trade: Some Americans saw Spanish presence
in Cuba as a threat to American trade
(Spanish navy disrupted trade routes)
Many in the U.S. wanted to expand the U.S. economy and America needed foreign markets to sell goods for that to happen—any obstacle to American trade would slow that down
The U.S. also needed resources for industry
America also established trade with Latin America and tried to protect Latin America from the aggressive powers of Europe

7. 3. Many Americans wanted to help the Cubans A.)

8. B.)
(Valeriano “Butcher” Weyler)

9. C.)

10. 4. Safety of American companies: Many American companies, especially in sugar industry, were located in Cuba and put in danger by war; Rebels even burned American sugar fields to get the attention of U.S. government

11. 5. What was the “Yellow Press” (This is an ID)?

12. William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer (New York World):

13. Political Cartoon representing the “Yellow Press”

15. Where did the name “Yellow Press” come from?
The Sunday entertainment features for Hearst’s and Pulitzer’s papers included the first color comic strip pages, and some theorize that the term yellow journalism originated there. Hogan's Alley, a comic strip revolving around a bald child in a yellow nightshirt (nicknamed The Yellow Kid), became exceptionally popular when cartoonist Richard F. Outcault began drawing it in the World in early When Hearst predictably hired Outcault away, Pulitzer asked artist George Luks to continue the strip with his characters, giving the city two Yellow Kids. The use of "yellow journalism" as a synonym for over-the-top sensationalism in the U.S. apparently started with more serious newspapers commenting on the excesses of "the Yellow Kid papers."

16. What did President William McKinley think about going to war with Spain?

17. McKinley’s opinion on war

18. What was the Spanish view on going to war with America?

19. Why, then, did two countries that did not want to fight each other go to war?
The Spark that started the war (This is an ID):

20. The U.S.S. Maine
The Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect American interests and was sunk by an explosion killing 260
The Spanish were blamed by the American public despite no evidence or motive and Spain denied any involvement
The explosion was later proven to be internal and most likely accidental
“Remember the Maine!” became a popular battle cry similar to “Remember the Alamo!”

21. Why did the incident lead to war?