Chapter 7

Section 2
The Spanish American War
William Randolph Hearst 1863-1951
 New York Journal
 28 Newspapers, 18 magazines

 House of Representatives

 “You Furnish the pictures, I’ll

furnish the war.”

 Joseph Pulitzer 1847-1911
 New York World
 Pulitzer Prize

 Yellow Kid
 Yellow Journalism
Shocking and sensationalized reporting
 New York Journal  New York

– Hearst World
– NO SPANISH SOURCES – Pulitzer
– De Lome letter – it was an – Yellow Kid –
intercepted letter written by popular
Spain’s minister to the US comic strip
and printed in the Journal.
It ridiculed McKinley – Followed suit
• Called “the worst insult in sources
to the U.S. in its history”
 War
 Feb. 9, 1898 – De Lome letter
 Feb. 15, 1898 – USS Maine

 Apr. 19 1898 – Teller Amendment

 Apr. 23, 1898 – Spain breaks relations

 Apr. 25, 1898 – Congress Declares War

 Apr. 21, 1898 – “War technically begins”

 The Philippines
 George Dewey –Defeated Spain in the
Philippines.
 Emilio Aguinaldo –Filipino Patriot who

lead many Filipinos alongside the

Americans
 May 1, 1898 Manila Bay

 Score: America 400

Spain 0
 Cuba cont.
Bad food - Food purchased by the Army caused
disease and many deaths among soldiers
 Disease – yellow fever

 Rough Riders - African American soldiers

 Buffalo Soldiers

– Teddy Roosevelt
 Battle of San Juan
 We Win
 Spainloses bad.
 US gets Guam, Puerto Rico
and…… the Philippines
 $20 million

 Cuba’s independence

 We gain power
 Postwar Pacific
Annexation of The Philippines
 Arguments for
– McKinley, “to educate
 Arguments against
the Filipinos, and uplift – Violate the
and civilize and foundation of the
Christianize them.” American system.
– Economic Value – Outsourcing
– Strategic Value oppression
– If we don’t someone – New immigrants,
will. cheap labor.
 The First Occupation..
 Feb. 5, 1899 – Philippines
annexed
 Emilio Aguinaldo

 Insurgency

 4000 US dead, 220,000

Filipinos dead
 “Prepare them for
independence”
 July 4, 1946
 Platt Amendment
 This is a US forced Amendment to the
Cuban constitution
 Cuba could enter no foreign agreements

without permission
 US received 2 naval bases on island

 US had right to intervene whenever

they felt it was necessary.

By forcing Cuba to agree to
Platt Amendment, did they
really gain independence?