After the explosion, the yellow press proclaimed that “The Maine was destroyed by treachery”. Although there is no evidence to support their assertion, but this assume give a possible explanation of the explosion, and successfully make a lot of people believed in it. Not only one press, but a lot of yellow press start making rumours about this explosion and they are announcing “The warship Maine was split in two by an enemy’s secret infernal machine”. These announcement make people think that the Spain government is behind this thing.
Maine- A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard.
In the mid-1800s, Spain ruled the island of Cuba. the United States, at that time, received most of Cuba's exports, and they supported the Cuban independence movement; if Cuba was independent, then the United States would benefit from the country. Soon, the big U.S. presses, such as The New York Journal and The New York World, knew that the event was in the people's feelings. They sensationalized their headlines and graphic features to attract readers, which soon was known as "yellow journalism". The press also knew a lot of the reader's interests, and they exaggerated their news. During the January of 1898, the United States sent the USS Maine, which is a battleship, to Havana, which is the capital of Cuba, in order to halt the riots between
At 9:40 pm on February 15 1898 a massive explosion rocked the Maine, soon after there was a second one. The Maine sunk almost immediately. Unfortunately the explosions happened in the front of the ship close to the living quarters of the men. Out of the 354 men on board 266 died from the blasts. Many others were injured terribly.
A is incorrect because because the name of the battleship was the U.S.S.Maine, meaning that all Americans were on board. Another reason this is not true is because the ship did not sink an entire Spanish fleet, the Maine itself exploded and sunk, killing 286 men
Before dawn on May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey's flagship Olympia led seven U.S. Navy cruisers and gunboats into Manila Bay. By 8 AM that morning Dewey's squadron had located and destroyed virtually the entire Spanish naval forces in the Philippines. Damage to the American ships was very little, and their crews suffered no fatalities and few injuries.
While sailing on the Havana Harbor in Cuba, an unexpected explosion erupts sinking the 6,000 ton boat killing 260 men.
Cuba, a Spanish colony, had been in rebellion since 1895. The brutal Spanish response turned American sympathies to the Cuban insurgents. The US Battleship Maine arrived in Havana Harbor in January 1898 with a dual mission to protect American interests and present the Spanish with a show of force. At 9:40 PM on the evening of February 15, an
America’s support for the ongoing struggle by Cubans and Filipinos against Spanish rule and the explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor are the major influences that led to the Spanish-American War. The Spanish-American War was a conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898. As Cuba was controlled by territorial expansion by the Spanish, Cubans fight for independence from Spain will arise. Cubans fight for Independence from Spain is what brought the U.S to intervene.
That view did not last long, by April 14 it was believed that the sinking of the USS Maine was not a mere accident, The Atlanta Wesleyan Christian Advocate first believed that "Spanish perfidy" had caused the catastrophe but later decided some "hotheads"
To protect the interests of the nation, the United States sent the USS Maine into Havana Harbor, but on February 15, 1898, the unthinkable happened. The battleship exploded, killing 260 members of the crew. Without a thorough investigation, the U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry stated the explosion was caused by Spain. Doubt from the public was virtually absent and the United States declared war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War. The war resulted in a swift American victory, leading to the addition of multiple territories. Although the explosion is now known to have been caused by an internal fire, it caused American intervention and imperialism in both Latin America and islands in the Pacific
American people wanted Spaniards to clear out of American hemispheres. Spain would not leave Cuba so the Americans wanted war with them. Spanish, American, and Cuban diplomats began to meet quietly to solve their differences. The Maine was a U.S. battleship that sailed to Cuba to pick up Americans incase there was any trouble. The ship suddenly exploded and 260 sailors were killed. American experts said that the ship hit a mine, while the Spaniards said that it happened from the inside.
So, the result of fueding newspapers made it sound like spanish purposely made the ship explode. No one knew what to think in 1898. William Mckinley did not want war. Since, he knew how horrible it was. In the end after a short but popular war in cuba with spain. In 1976, 78 years later they realized it was the result of internal combustion and an accident. It did not stop the americans.
The Spanish-American War was a war focused on control over Cuba. As previously stated, Spain touted a powerful navy, victory would cause the entire world to notice and give the United States a seat at the international table. Americans took notice of Spanish brutality to Cuban uprisings attempting to gain freedom and were sympathetic to the Cuban people. Fighting for our independence was fresh on the minds of Americans who began to support Cuban freedom from Spain. Dispatching the USS Maine off the coast of Cuba proved to be a fateful strategic move made by President McKinley because just days after on February 15th 1898 the ship was destroyed, killing over 250 sailors. Although believed to be an accident, yellow journalists ran with the story of war receiving overwhelming support from the public. War was declared in April of 1898 and just after
The battleship, USS Marine was stationed in Havana’s harbor to protect American interest in Cuba. An explosion destroyed the vessel on February 15, 1898. “A naval court of inquiry blamed the explosion on a mine, further inflaming public sentiment against Spain” (HIS104 U.S. History Since 1877 30-Jun-2008, OL20). Again, the press stirred up the public with stories and headlines of a Spanish conspiracy. American now demanded revenge for the deaths of 266 sailors (Faragher, J., 2008, Out of Many). President McKinley demanded that Spanish government end brutality of the Cuban people, engage in armistice, and promise the eventual independence of Cuba. Upon Spain’s refusal, McKinley asked for a declaration of war. (HIS104 U.S. History, Lecture, 30-Jun-2008, OL20). “In order to assure the world that it was fighting only for the good of Cuba and not for colonial gain, the US passed the Teller Amendment, which promised to make Cuba independent after the war was over” (SparkNotes: The Spanish American War, 1898-1901: Summary).