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US wanting to purchase Cuba
Diplomats recommended that President Franklin Pierce buys Cuba from Spain. The United States had an interest in buying Cuba long before 1854. Spain said they would rather have Cuba sink in the ocean than in the possession of the United States. -
Cuba is Fighting for independences.
The Cuban's organized a resistance against Spain by using an active guerrilla campaign. With this campaign, they destroyed property and especially attacked and destroyed American-Owned sugar mills and plantations. Cuba's fight for independence was not ignored by the United States. -
Yellow Press
The Yellow Press took real events and twisted them into huge stories to entertain readers. They wrote of poisoned wells and of children being thrown off ships and fed to sharks. This entertained the readers and was used to exaggerate the news to lure and enrage readers to blow up the current situation. -
Publication of the De Lome Letter
New York Journal published a private letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lome. A cuban rebel had stolen this letter from a Havana post office and leaked it to the New York Newspaper. This letter had called President McKinley weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd. The Spanish government was embarrassed by this, causing the minister to resign. American's were still angered by the insult to their president. -
Declaration of War.
They US had declared war on spain, after them sinking the battleship. The ship was called Maine and it was sinked in the month of February. -
Second war for Independence
José Martí launched a revolution. He organized the Cuban resistance against Spain using an active guerrilla campaign and deliberately destroying American-owned sugar mills and plantations, as well as other properties. They did this to achieve Cuba Libre. (A free Cuba). Martí established the Cuban Revolutionary Party on January 5th, 1892 in the United States, as well as participated in the first weeks of armed struggle when he was killed on May 19th, 1895. -
Valeriano Weyler was sent to Cuba by Spain
Spain had sent Valeriano Weyler to handle the Cuban revolt and to restore order in Cuba. Weyler crushed the rebellion by herding the entire rural population of both Central and Western Cuba into barbed wire concentration camps. 300,000 Cubans were forced into these camps, causing thousands to die from hunger and disease. Weyler's actions fueled a war over a newspaper circulation. -
Explosion of the USS Maine
President McKinley ordered the U.S.S. Maine to go to Cuba and bring home American citizens in danger from fighting and to protect American property. On February 15th, 1898, the U.S.S. Maine blew up in the harbor of Havana. This caused 260 American men to die. The United States blamed this on the Spanish. William Hearst offered a reward of $50,000 for the capturing of the Spanish people who caused the ship to blow up.
