Cornell Note Questions
Date:
Cornell Notes: Causes of the Spanish American War 1898
Introduction:
Remember that the terms ______________________________ and expansionism refer to the
period of time in the late 1800s where United States began to expand its influence on other
countries and its territory. The reasons for the expansion during this time are: economic markets,
competition with Europe, the idea of “white man’s burden” (Anglo-Saxonism) and a growing
_______________________.
I. The Spanish American War 1898
One of the first tests of the United States as a world power came during the Spanish American War.
The Spanish American War was between the United States and ________________________. It was
fought mostly over ____________________, a colony of Spain. Cuba was trying to get its
independence from Spain and the United States supported Cuba in its quest for independence.
II. The Causes of the _____________________________ War
1. Spain’s poor treatment of the Cuban people.
a. Cubans were fighting for their independence. Spain did not want Cuba to be independent and
fought the rebels to prevent it.
b. As a result, in 1896, Spain, under General Weyler implemented what they called a
______________________________. Under this policy, people living in rural areas had 8 days to
move into fortified towns or they would be shot. The goal was to separate the rebels and the
peasants that might help them.
c. The towns the peasants were forced to move into were terrible. There
was little food and disease spread quickly. By 1898 one third of Cuba’s
population had been forced to move. Over 400,000 Cubans died because of
the Reconcentration Policy.
Reason for the term
“yellow journalism”
– the “yellow kid”
from the cartoon
Hogan’s Alley
Words to Use:
Cuba
De Lôme
Imperialism
navy
Reconcentration Policy
Spain
Spanish-American
Yellow journalism (2)
2. ________________________ - when news stories are made up or
exaggerated to attract readers.
a. Yellow journalism techniques include:
Large headlines
Sensational stories – not always truthful
The use of color
Bones of Reconcentration Victims
b. __________________________________________ and the Spanish American War
William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer – the publishers of the two major
New York newspapers – used yellow journalism to sell newspapers and stir up
anti-Spanish feelings. These stories told of female prisoners, execution by
shark, starvation and other tales designed to have Americans sympathize with
the Cubans. These feelings will help to lead to the war.
3. ____________________________ Letter - February 1898
a. The Spanish insult President McKinley calling him weak.
This letter, written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Enrique
Dupuy de Lôme, criticized American President William McKinley by calling
him weak and concerned only with gaining the support of the people.
b. The newspapers printed the letter and Americans were angered by the insult
against their president. This stirs up even more anti-Spanish feeling.
Example of Yellow
Journalism
3. Our own expansionist ideas – the idea that we should expand our territory and become a
world power
Words to Use:
Maine
Spain
***4. The Explosion of the USS ______________________ on February 15, 1898 The
American ship explodes in Havana, Cuba harbor killing 268 American sailors. America
(especially the newspapers) blame ______________________. In reality, the ship probably
exploded because of a mechanical fault. “Remember the Maine!” becomes a rallying cry for going
to war.
Cornell Note Summary:
I learned that ___________________________________________________
_________________________ __________________________________________
The USS Maine
The USS Maine after the explosion in 1898
Examples of Yellow Journalism after the Explosion of the
USS Maine