The Yellow Press and The
Spanish American War
Yellow Press
• Started with dueling
newspapers led by William
Randolph Hearst (New York
Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer
(New York World) in a
circulation battle – they both
used sensationalized front
page headlines/pictures to sell
more papers & would publish
(largely untrue) stories to
excite public opinion.
• Think Tabloid Headlines The Yellow Kid, a popular comic strip character
printed by both papers in the 1890’s, when this
Circulation battle was in full swing…thus the term
“yellow journalism”
Nasty little printer's devils spewing forth
from the Hoe press in this Puck
Magazine cartoon of 1888
Invented by American Richard Hoe
in 1860, the Hoe press was a high
speed printing press in the late 19th
century that made possible large
circulation newspapers and
magazines at low cost.
Can you think of any sensationalist headlines that
you have seen recently?
Jingoism
• Extreme patriotism in the
form of aggressive foreign
policy. In practice, it is a
country's advocation of the
use of threats or actual
force against other
countries in order to
safeguard what it perceives
as its national interests
• In 1898, this sense of aggressive nationalism was fueled
by America’s hurt pride over an insulting letter written by the
Spanish Ambassador (Dupuy de Lome), which called
President McKinley “weak and stupid”, and which was
leaked to the press by Cuban rebels (and published by
Hearst in the Journal).
Spanish-American War: Causes
• 1895 Rebellion in Cuba for Independence was met
with atrocities by the Spanish general, Valeriano
Weyler (and 150,000 Spanish soldiers) – Many
Americans sympathized with revolutionaries of
Cuba (and many were very worried about US
economic interests in Cuba)
• Yellow Press sensationalist reporting of Spanish
atrocities in Cuba and Jingoism (ie. Spain’s
ambassador’s letter) fueled the fire…
• The Destruction of the USS Maine: Americans
thought the Spanish had blown it up….
The Maine Explodes
• USS Maine explodes
in Havana Harbor on
February 15, 1898
• Spanish mine (thus
Spain) is officially
blamed in March,
1898
• Later investigations
will show the cause as
an accident on board
the ship.
Pulitzer's treatment in the World
emphasized a horrible explosion
Hearst's treatment in the Journal focused
on the enemy who set the bomb — and
offered a huge reward to readers
Events of the War
• President McKinley delivers a “War
Message to” Congress, urging The
Senate to okay US intervention in Cuban
rebellion…
• Congress responds with the Teller
Amendment
• What began as a war over Cuba,
however, turns into an American
campaign to strip Spain of its overseas
colonies…America takes the Philippines
from Spain in a huge and swift victory.
• Americans beat the Spanish in Cuba,
concluding, the “Splendid Little War”
Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough
Riders
• Theodore Roosevelt organizes a company of
cavalry, the Rough Riders, who volunteer for
the war.
• TR wins fame at a couple of famous battles
and becomes a war hero.
• Main reason that he
becomes the Vice President in 1900
Treaty of Paris
• Ended the conflict with Spain.
• Gave the US the Philippines as a territory
for 20 million – but this led to a Filipino
insurrection vs. US to get independencetook US 3 yrs and thousands of lives to
put the insurrection down.
• Spain gave up control of Cuba (The US
did not claim Cuba, as per the Teller
Amendment, but did make Cuba a Sphere
of Influence with the Platt Amendment)
• US got Puerto Rico and island of Guam
as territories.
• Teller Amendment: US will not take over
Cuba in the event of victory (actually
signed by Congress before the SpanishAmerican War, as part of the US
declaration of war)
• Platt Amendment: in the post-war Cuban
Constitution:
– Cuba may not independently sign treaties - only with
US consent.
– The United States may interfere in Cuba’s politics
whenever they choose “to preserve Cuba’s law and
order.”
– Cuba may not build up excessive debt
– US may maintain naval bases in Cuba, including
Guantanamo Bay