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Expansion through diplomacy
 Louisiana Purchase (1803)
 Spain cedes Florida (1819)
 Britain cedes Oregon
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Territory (1846)
Russia sells Alaska (1867)
Gadsden Purchase (1853)
Annexation of Texas (1845)
The U.S. gains southwest
region through victory in
the Mexican War (1848)
The Beginning
 Pulitzer’s World vs.
William Randolph Hearst’s
Journal
 Leads to Yellow
Journalism
 Sensational news stories
 Favorite Subject was the
brutal suppression of a
rebellion in Cuba.
 Responsible for garnishing
public support for going to
war with Spain.
Cuba vs. Spain
 1868 revolutionary group largely made up of poor whites, free blacks,
and slaves demanded independence from Spain.
 Revolutionaries wanted to establish a republic and end slavery.
 Spain will crush the revolt but agreed to ease tensions.
 At the same time Cuba was coming under the economic influence
of the United States.
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Great place to trade and invest especially in the sugar plantations.
 1895 Cubans will Rebel again.
 Cuba rebels will engage in guerrilla warfare launching surprise attacks
against Spanish Forces and fading back into the countryside.
 Spain will send General Weyler to put down the uprising.
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Weyler forced tens of thousands of Cubans into reconcentration
camps.
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Overcrowded, unsanitary prison camps provided little food or shelter, resulting
in thousands of deaths from disease and starvation.
Mass Media Responds
 Mass Media – methods of
communicating to mass
audience.
 Reporters and artists were
encouraged to stretch the
truth about the bravery of
Cuban rebels and the
horrors of Spanish rule.
 Helped stir public support
for U.S. intervention to aid
the rebels.
Tensions Boil Between Spain and
the U.S.
 De Lome letter
 Enrique Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish ambassador to Washington
called President McKinley “weak and catering to the rabble and
besides, a low politician.”
 USS Maine sunk in Havana Harbor
 The Maine sailed to Cuba in January after riots broke out in the streets.
 February 15, a large explosion rocked the battleship
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260 sailors died from the blast.
 Initial investigation concluded that the explosion was caused by an
underwater mine.
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1976, Navy researchers concluded that heat from a fire in a coal bin exploded a
nearby supply of ammunition.
 McKinley called for an armistice where he asked Spain to close the
reconcentration camps and take steps to grant Cuba its independence.
 Spain will agree to everything but giving Cuba its independence.
 April 25, 1898- U.S. congress will declare war on Spain.
Spanish American War
 Congress passed the Teller
Amendment – once Cuba was
liberated and peace was
restored, the U.S. would leave
the government and control
of the Island to its people.
 War will last only a few
months.
 Battle in the Philippines –
Spanish fleet was sunk in
Manila Bay.
 Battle in Cuba – Roosevelt’s
Rough Riders and American
Navy destroyed the Spanish
squadron as it tried to
escape.
End of the War
 Treaty of Paris (Dec. 10, 1898)– 3 main points: 1) Spain
granted independence to Cuba; 2) Ceded Puerto Rico and
Guam; 3) Ceded the Philippines to the U.S. in exchange for $20
million.
 U.S will withdraw its troops in 1902 from Cuba after Cuba
added provisions to its constitution to protect American
interests.
 Platt Amendment allowed the U.S. to intervene in Cuban affairs
and to buy or lease land for naval bases.
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Will be repealed in 1934.
 By 1913, U.S. investment will increase to $220 million; and U.S.
business will own 60% of Cuba’s rural lands and many of the
island’s industries.
 The United States will be now considered a World Super Power.
Philippines and Hawaii
 Philippines
 After Spanish American War; the United States refused to recognize the
new government.
 Fighting breaks out
 U.S. will respond with force, destroying villages, and herding civilians into
prison camps.
 200,000 Filipinos and 5,000 Americans died
 Hawaii
 Economy of the islands centered on the export of tropical crops, especially
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sugarcane and pineapple.
Wealthy white minority refused to establish a new constitution that gave more power to
native Hawaiians.
1893, U.S. military forces landed and helped the planters overthrow the queen.
After the revolt the white planters applied to Congress for annexation.
Sanford B. Dole - Dole was named president of the Provisional Government of
Hawaii that was formed after the coup.
 Serving as a friend of both Hawaiian royalty and the elite immigrant community, Dole
advocated the westernization of Hawaiian government and culture.
1898 Hawaii was annexed.