Warm up
Define: Yellow Journalism
Monroe Doctrine
Objective: Understand the Causes of the
Spanish-American War.
Materials: two “new york times articles”, questions handout
And the A/B comparison chart.
Yellow Journalism Techniques include
exaggerations of news events, scandalmongering, or sensationalism.
The most successful publishers of this brand of
journalism at the turn of the 20th Century were
William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.
Yellow Journalism – type of journalism that presents little
or no legitimate, well-researched news but instead uses
eye-catching headlines and scandalous stories to sell
more newspapers.
2 min video clip….
Yellow journalism agitated much of
the American public and ratcheted
up pressure on the McKinley
administration to intervene
 U.S.S. Maine was blown-
up
 February 15, 1898- Havana
Harbor
 260 American sailors were
killed after mysterious
explosion.
 Probably set off by an accidental fire
that set off ammunition.
 But American public put blame on
Spanish and demanded war.
 De Lôme Letter
 Spanish ambassador called
President McKinley “weak.”
 U.S.S. Maine
 Sent to Cuba to protect
Americans
 Explosion killed 258
American sailors; cause
unknown
 Newspapers blamed the
Spanish
Sect. of State Richard Olney demanded
that Britain acknowledge Monroe
Doctrine and submit the dispute to
arbitration. It was U.S. confronting
most powerful nation, and Britain
eventually backed down.
 Fought on two fronts
 Cuba and Philippines
 Rough Riders
 Volunteer force led by
Theodore Roosevelt
 Defeated Spanish at San
Juan Hill in Cuba
 Yellow Fever
 Spain was defeated in four
months
 On July 3, U.S. Navy sank every Spanish ship in the
area, leading to eventual end of the war.
 2,500 Americans died in the war, but only 400 in
battle. The rest died from food poisoning, yellow fever,
malaria and inadequate medical supplies.
 Future Sect. of State John Hay called it “a splendid
little war.
Lets compare the two headlines…
explain the following:
• Cuba was colonized by Spain.
• Cuban rebels had been fighting for independence.
• Spain was thought to be brutal in repressing the
rebellion.
• U.S. had business interests in Cuba.
• Fought on two fronts: Cuba and Philippines
•
President McKinley had sent the Maine to Cuba
(Why? To protect American interests? To prepare
for war? To intimidate Spain? This is debated by
historians. . .).
• Maine explodes on Feb 15, 1898.Explosion of the
Maine
Introduce inquiry question: Who sunk the Maine?
Show slide of “Awake! United States.” Read out loud.
This song was rushed into print between the sinking of the Maine on
February 16, 1898 and the declaration of war on April 25, 1898.
Eagle soar on high, and sound the battle cry!
How proudly sailed the warship Maine,
a Nation’s pride, without a stain!
A wreck she lies, her sailors slain.
By two-faced butchers, paid by Spain!
Eagle soar on high,
And sound the battle cry
Wave the starry flag!
In mud it shall not drag!
•
How do these headlines differ?
• Consider the wording and how a reader might respond to
each article.
Discussion questions:
* According to this song, who sunk the
Maine?
• Does this prove the Spanish blew it up?
• Is this a form of Yellow Journalism?
* * Hand out Journal document and Times document and have
students read and fill out the graphic organizer.
Ten min video
Causes of the war…
Click on it to play
Today we are going to be
comparing two newspaper articles
from the “New York Times” and the
“New York Journal” of this event
that happened in 1898.
Joseph Pulitzer
New York World
William Randolph
Hearst
New York Journal
Discussion:
1) What does each headline imply?
2) If these were articles, which would
you have wanted to read first?
3) Which do you think would have been
the most reliable story? Why?
4)Why might different newspapers
choose to present the same event so
differently?
5) Do you know what happened to the Maine?
6) What evidence do you have for your answer? Give
an example where the reporter uses solid evidence to
support a claim made in the article.
7)Do you think these articles would have been received
differently by their readers in 1898? How so?
8) What effect might the Journal article have had on its
readers?
9) What effect might the Times article have had on its
readers?
10)How significant do you think the Maine explosion
was to the American people at this time? Why
 American Sympathy towards
Cuban Fight for Freedom against
Spanish Rule
◦ Spain forced 300,000 Cuban Rebels into
concentration camps
 Monroe Doctrine – chance to get
Spain out of Western Hemisphere
 Economic Interests – sugar
plantations
 Yellow Journalism – American
Press got American’s behind going
to war
 Spark: Sinking of the USS Maine
 US becomes an Imperialist Power
 Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines become
colonies of the US
 Cuba gains its independence from Spain, but becomes
a US Protectorate
 US will “protect” and partially control Cuba
 Philippine rebels wanting independence declare war
on US
11) Assessment
Writing prompt: Which account is more believable? Why?
First section: Compare the evidence used by both papers to
support their claims that the Maine was blown up by attack or by
unknown causes.
Which uses stronger evidence? Use at least three specific
examples/phrases/words from the articles to support your
position.
Second section: Does this difference in accounts matter? Why or
why not?
This should be a full paragraph supporting your position!
Assignment:
In the spirit of yellow journalism, students
will create a newspaper article. It will detail
the causes and events of the SpanishAmerican War. You should include a
student-created map of the major arenas of
the Spanish-American War. Students must
include all concept and identification terms
for this topic in their newspaper article.