he war between the United States and Spain was precipitated by seething
tension between the two countries. Spain, at that time, one of the world's
great powers, maintained colonies including Cuba, which lay only ninety
miles from U.S. soil. In 1823, President James Monroe issued a bold proclamation
called the Monroe Doctrine that stated one of the goals of the U.S. government
was to prevent further European influence in the western hemisphere. The
Monroe Doctrine set the aggressive tone that the United States would fight
rather than allow Europe to obtain more colonies or interfere in the western
world.
By 1895, the Spanish-ruled Cuba was in turmoil. Spain's mistreatment
of native Cubans was reported in the pages of U.S. newspapers and given
sensational headlines by rival publishers, William Randolph Hearst and
Joseph Pulitzer. The Americans were outraged by the imperialist atrocities.
Spain frequently interfered with commerce between Cuba and the U.S., often
hindering trading altogether. US commercial interests were being damaged
and Spain's presence in Cuba was looked upon as a military threat.
Sympathy for the Cuban rebels who were fighting for their independence
from Spain stoked the flames of American patriotism. Proponents of American
involvement in Cuba, called "jingoes", including the young Assistant
Naval Secretary, Theodore Roosevelt, called for action against imperialist
Spain. The time was ripe for America to flex her strength against this
long-time opponent.
