Maine Explosion Caused By Bomb Or Torpedo?

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

On July 17, 1944, there was an explosion at Port Chicago naval base. The first explosion was followed by a second massive explosion. More than a mile away, Navy personnel were thrown from their beds, windows were blown out and buildings collapsed. As men rushed down to the docks they found that it was completely blown away, along with the ships and all the personnel working there. There were no survivors to explain what caused this devastating accident. But the men assigned to move explosive ammunition from train cars to ships to be sent to troops overseas had a pretty good idea. They told a story of unfair working conditions, not enough training and dangerous competitions to see which teams could load their ships faster. So when they were asked to return to work on another dock to load explosives, they refused. They would not work with explosives unless the conditions improved. They were yelled at, they were imprisoned, they were threatened with the death sentence and some of them agreed to go back to work. In the end, 50 African-American sailors were charged with mutiny and court-martialed.

While sailing on the Havana Harbor in Cuba, an unexpected explosion erupts sinking the 6,000 ton boat killing 260 men.

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 public was calling for the United States to intervene in the conflict between Spain and Cuba, Cuba was fighting for independence. The United States soon sent the USS Maine to protect American citizens and property. Public outcry reached a new found high when the USS Maine was sunk without any explanation from the Spanish. On April 24th of 1898 Spain officially Declared War on the United States, with the United States following suit a day later on April 25th of 1898. Bits and pieces of the Spanish American war were fought on all of Spain’s strongholds in the Caribbean and Pacific: Guam, The Philippines, Puerto Rico, and most notably Cuba. Of the fighting in Cuba some of the most interesting was by the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry better known as the Rough

In the midst of the scramble to gain territory, Spain sprung a conflict with Cuba. While the conflict was caused by Spain trying to control Cuba, America was affected too. Due to America’s close proximity to Cuba and frequent trade, the dispute between Spain and Cuba disrupted the peace that was held between the nations. In order to protect Americans that resided in Cuba, the USS Maine was sent to Havana in January of 1898. A month later, on February 15th, the USS Maine burst into flames and exploded, killing nearly three quarters of the people on board.

February 15th, 1898, the USS Maine was hit with a mine as it sat in the Havana Harbor. There is large speculation to whether that is the truth or not. Over the years it is still a topic of debate as of what caused the explosion. Some believe that the Spaniards did it, others believe it was a clumsy mistake of misplaced ammo, others believe it was a spontaneous coal fire that caught a box of ammunition on fire. No matter the cause, the loss of the ship and 260 of her crew was devastating to America at the time and led to strong feelings of dislike towards the Spaniards, leading to the Spanish-American war of 1898. The theories behind the explosion of the USS Maine is mainly focused around two ideas, there are many angles that can be viewed for the cause of this disaster and its fueling of the war that will be examined in this paper.

Although there are many reasons why the Spanish-American war took place, the most important was Spain's resentment of Cuba's desire to also become an independent nation. Since Cuba was one of Spain's last territories, they were unwilling to allow independence. As a result, conflict between the two parties erupted. Since Cuba was smaller and less equipped to fight than Spain, their economy took a tumble. Due to the fact that the United States had a great deal of money invested in Cuba's sugar resources, many Americans felt the need to wage war. Additionally, there were separate events that caused anger to American Citizens. One such event was the destruction of a U.S. ship used to protect the American citizens in Cuba. Although the ship's

The Spanish American War marked the emergence of the United States as a world power. This brief war lasted less than four months from April 25 to August 12, 1898. A number of factors contributed to the United States decision to go to war against Spain. These included the Cuban struggle for independence, American imperialism and the sinking of the United States warship “Maine”. As a result of the war Spain ceded Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. The United States in turn, paid Spain $20,000,000 for public property in the Philippine

On April 25, 1898 the United States declared war on Spain following the sinking of the Battleship Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. The war ended with the signing of

The subsequent bombing of the ship was blamed on the Spanish with virtually no evidence; however, yellow journalists Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst sensationalized Spanish “atrocities” in Cuba fanning the flames for war. McKinley sought support for a military campaign against the Spanish in Cuba on April 11, 1898 in his Message to Congress Requesing a Declaration of War. The address highlights four justifications for intervention in the region. McKinley’s third reason for intervention was “justified by the very serious injury to the commerce, trade, and business of our people” and fourth justification “…which is of the utmost importance. The present condition of affairs in Cuba is a constant menace to our peace and entails upon this Government an enormous expense” resonate with a sense of American imperialism. The primary concerns of the nation dealt with trade and business implications for American markets instead of the safety and security of the Cuban people. The Platform of the American Anti-Imperialist League supported the “immediate cessation of the war against liberty, begun by Spain.”

The war initially began in 1895 with the rebellion of Cubans under Spanish control. Accordingly, Spain sent forces to dispel this rebellion, but in vain. Early in the year of 1898, the ship USS Maine was sent to Cuba, and sunk on February 15 of that same year. About a week prior to the USS Maine’s sinking, a letter, written by Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, and famously called the De Lôme Letter2, was released by U.S. newspapers. The letter slandered U.S. President William McKinley, the incumbent at the time, as well as his methods of dealing with both foreign and domestic affairs. Indeed, many, including McKinley, saw this letter as a large sign of disrespect, especially when coming from the Spanish ambassador to the United States. This, coupled with the sinking of the USS Maine, raised the concern of a possible war with Spain. And, as such, Spain declared war on America on April 24, 1898, with the United States following with a declaration of their own the very next day. McKinley’s first decision was not to go into war, but he was forced into it through the pressures of the Democratic Party and his inability to provide sufficient answers concerning the sinking of the USS Maine3. While the declaration of war itself is not always viewed as imperialistic, the actions prior to this were quite imperialistic themselves. It seemed as if the U.S. declared war in response to Spain, whereas in reality if Americans hadn't

“Hearst's New York Journal published a leaked letter in which the chief Spanish diplomat in Washington… described President McKinley as "weak" and a "petty politician." Hearst publicized the…letter under the screaming headline: "WORST INSULT TO THE UNITED STATES IN ITS HISTORY"” (HIS104 U.S. History Since 1877 30-Jun-2008, OL20).

According to an article written in (His.state.gov), Yellow journalism was a style of newspaper reporting that emphasized sensationalism over facts. In the late 19th century it was one of many factors that persuaded the United States and Spain into war in Cuba

Yellow journalism was a major issue in the late 1890s during the Spanish-American War. The purpose of yellow journalism is to use headlines and report sensational events that draws the attention of the audience in order to sell more newspapers, even if the facts used were not legitimate. Yellow journalism came to an end with the development of objective journalism, which reports facts that are not biased. With the rise of social media, yellow journalism and “fake news” are making a comeback and becoming a “norm” in modern society. The rise of social media is contributing to the amount of yellow journalism and fake news that is occurring, which is ultimately leading to party polarization.