Ryan Hagen
Edge
Final Paper
The Impact
Media has During War
“Spanish-American War of 1898”
It was late in the evening and the battleship the
Maine drifted calmly through the water of
Havana to “protect
Americas interests” stated be Fitzhugh Lee. Everything
seemed to be looking bright with a new Spanish ruler in
Cuba.
Even many of the officers were entertained by the Spanish and thoughts of
going home were in the air. The
small battleship was second-class to that of its counterparts in the
Pacific. It was the biggest
battleship to enter the Havana harbor.
As soon as the calm night appeared, roaring explosions and blinding
flashes filled the air. Could the battleship
Maine be
under attack while on such great terms?
Captain Sigsbee as he was writing a letter to his wife remembered
everything. Captain Sigsbee
said,
“I laid down my pen and listened to the notes of
the bugle, which were singularly beautiful in the oppressive stillness of the
night. . . . I was enclosing my letter in its envelope when the explosion came.
It was a bursting, rending, and crashing roar of immense volume, largely
metallic in character. It was followed by heavy, ominous metallic sounds. There
was a trembling and lurching motion of the vessel, a list to port. The electric
lights went out. Then there was intense blackness and smoke.
The situation
could not be mistaken. The Maine was blown up and sinking. For a moment the
instinct of self-preservation took charge of me, but this was immediately
dominated by the habit of command.” (1)
Sigsbee climbed
to the deck of the ship to see it sinking into the ocean. He had to abandon ship. The wreckage of the ship floated days
after this all happened.
Investigations of this incident took place by both the Spanish and the
United
States with both countries coming out with different
outcomes. What made this incident burst into such a
fiasco? The media was the cause
of such an uproar from the general public.
Soon after the explosion and before the investigations, the newspapers
already wrote about Spain attacking and for the people to be ready for the
war. This wasn’t the first time the
newspaper started such pandemonium.
It all started with Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst starting
a form of writing called yellow journalism. These two people brought media into a
war and may have even started the Spanish-American War of
1898.
To get an idea of what truly happened, the background of this war must be
stated. At this time
Cuba was trying to gain independence form
Spain.
Spain was trying to so anything in their power to
control this. So the decided to
hire General Valeriano Weyler to do all of their dirty work for them. He had a past that was very violent when
it came to wars. He decided to
establish a system called the reconcentrado. This was a system where they decided to
take all the Cubans that lived in the country side and put them in camps where
they did not have a possibility to join the revolution. With all of these things happening in
Cuba, President Cleveland and President McKinley
wanted to stay neutral. Also during
this time, the United
States was still thinking about the idea of Manifest
Destiny and American Imperialism.
Since land has already been claimed by the United States from coast to
coast, they have to search elsewhere for expanding the country. Through many meetings during the 1900’s,
the United
States grew interests in the
Philippines.
They already started plans to take invade it and take it away from the
Spanish. This includes a few trips
by Dewey to meet with the Filipino leader to discuss how the
Philippines were going to help the
United
States. (3)
This idea was put on the back burners until one moment. The Maine was destroyed and all the blame was on
Spain. The
Spanish on the other hand did their own investigations to this incident and came
up with the battleship being destroyed by its own coal bunkers catching on
fire. All this investigation led to
no true answer to what happen. So,
with pressure from many different sources, President McKinley declared war on
Spain.
The United
States had a superior navy to the Spanish which makes it
seem impossible for Spain to win.
This point was very true and the war was very quick and decisive. The war lasted a whole four months with
hardly any American lives lost.
Dewey and Roosevelt both were named heroes of the war do to there great
victories. Dewey’s greatest victory
came on the Pacific with a naval battle.
Near the Philippines, Dewey’s battleships demolished every trace of
the now not so powerful Spanish fleet.
The United
States crippled the fleet beyond repair without losing a
life of an American.
Roosevelt gained his heroics with the group called the
Rough Riders. This group of
volunteer cavalry, mostly of men from the Wild West, drove through disease,
heat, and fighting to drive the Spanish out of
Cuba.
They were victorious in taking Santiago’s San Juan Heights, and then marched their way to Montauk where they
were met by press from everywhere.
These two men help make the Spanish-American War of 1898 a very quick
“splendid little war.” (2)
The
United
States sure
muscled their way threw the already weak Spanish, but what made them enter this
war in the first place? There were a few reasons that made the
United
States enter the war including popular autocratic rule
in Cuba, sympathy for Cuban independence, and a want for
manifest destiny. But, the grandest
reason why we entered the war was the media. They gave the people a new spirit of
nation assertiveness. The
nationalistic and sensationalist press was lead by Joseph Pulitzer and William
Randolph Hearst. They swayed the
public opinion to want war, thus war was the outcome. (1)
William Randolph Hearst was a great business man and would do just about
anything to make his companies succeed.
During this war he owned two very popular newspapers, the San Francisco Examiner and the New York Journal. But by time he ended his career he
managed to own twenty-eight major newspapers, eighteen magazines, radio
stations, and even a few movie companies.
Not only was Hearst a superb businessman, he also was involved in
politics. He ran for member of the
house and won where he spent a few years sharpening his political skills. Hearst used his great business and
political skills to get readers interested in the revolution in
Cuba. He
was not the only one though; he had help from Joseph Pulitzer. Pulitzer owned the rival newspaper to
Hearst, the New York World. Joseph Pulitzer was also a great
business man and started the well known use of writing called yellow
journalism. Pulitzer loved his
worked and devoted his life to the World. He spent countless hours making the World one of the best newspapers in the
nation. This obviously brought a
business competition between these two men. And thus, both Pulitzer and Hearst used
this form of writing to gain interest in their papers so they could make a
profit.
Yellow journalism is use of lurid features and sensationalized news in
newspaper publishing to attract readers and increase circulation. (9) It was started in the mid-1890s by
Pulitzer and Hearst. It was a
rivalry between these two over a cartoonist that was bought by Hearst. This cartoonist drew the cartoon “Yellow
Kid” for the World. Since Hearst hired him for the Journal, Pulitzer had to find another
cartoonist and since the rivalry began.
It started with just a few cartoons slandering the others, but soon
became a way to gain the popularity of the paper. They began to use giant headlines that
caught the readers’ eyes, colored cartoons, and graphic illustrations. This rivalry gained so much popularity
that the two papers were read by a lot of people. Soon exaggerations of the truth began to
come out and sometimes they would even lie. What these two were writing was
sensationalist and scandalous style of writing. It made life into a cheap melodrama that
would attracted all kinds of readers.
They took stories and twisted them in as many ways as they could so they
would sound good at the corners when yelled out by boys. This yellow journalism brought a great
profit to the newspaper business.
Since so many people were reading the papers, the story of
Cuba really caught the publics’
eyes.
The media attacking the Spanish became really relevant when General
Valeriano Weyler came to Cuba to enforce.
Papers immediately talked about his violent past and new great stories
would come from him. When Weyler
decided to use the reconcentrado tactics to keep more Cubans to enter the
Revolution, it was a big mistake.
Spain did not have enough money to supply for food to
these starving people in the camps.
So most of them were either slaughtered in mass groups or just starved to
death. This is why the press needed
to jump on Spain’s back.
They began calling Weyler the “butcher,” or “the slayer of the
defenseless women and children.” (7)
The Humboldt Times carried this Associated Press story on
Feb. 16, 1898:
A Female Insurgent Captured
"Havana, Feb. 15 -- Seniorita Isabelle Rubio, an
Amazon, was captured, after being wounded, in a skirmish between a detachment of
Spanish troops and some insurgents. She joined the insurgents at the invitation
of the late Antonio Maceo. She belongs to a prominent family."
(1)
One can only
manage what the public opinion was about this guy and it could not be good. Soon pictures like the one shown were
shown on the previous page in the defense of the Cubans. (1) The press exaggerated one what was
happening in Cuba so the American people would read their paper of
the competitions. They even stated
the 400,000 Cubans died in these camps which in all reality is half of the Cuban
population. (1) So as one can see
the newspapers had a vast imagination on what was going on. The gaining interest in this foreign
country sparked a mass production of newspapers which made Hearst and Pulitzer
huge profits.
Soon, the media had the attention of everyone including the government
body of the United
States.
Everyone was interested in what the paper had to say about the Cuban
Revolution. Then the battleship the
Maine was blown up. The papers took control of the situation
and wrote about the incident.
“Maine Blown up by Torpedo,” the New York Journal Stated about what
happened to the battleship.
(6) The newspaper put total
blame on the Spanish for what had happened. Before investigation could 
even occur, the general public was crying out for
war. President McKinley still
wanted to stay neutral after this fact, but he was getting pressured from
everywhere. Even many congressmen
wanted to declare war on Spain. The
congressmen started to even use the papers as there sources for reasons to
declare war. Senator Mason of
Illinois was one of those men that frequently pulled out
the newspaper to make his points.
He even read articles out loud during congressional meetings. (7) Now both Houses stated that if the
president would not declare war they would as seen in the Journal. (1) This would be horrible if the President
of the United
States did not support what the American people
wanted. Pressure from the media,
public opinion, and the Congress, President McKinley declared war on
Spain. I
guess one might state that William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer help
start the Spanish-American War of 1989.
Hearst probably said it the best, “You furnish the pictures, and I will
furnish the war.” (8)
The media could not stop writing about the war now. They were making a huge profit. Thus, they started to campaign for the
war they helped start. Every
newspaper in the country was now writing about how people should sign up and
fight for their country. The world
wrote, "American Women Ready to Give up Husbands, Sons and Sweethearts to Defend
Nation's Honor." (1) This was a
survey down by 100 women from women of the East Coast. The black newspapers were even calling
on their people to serve the nation.
The Gazette wrote,
“The destruction
of the Maine was a crime against this nation not yet fully
realized; but gradually the civilized world is being awakened to a sense of the
appalling deed. No foreign power can justly sympathize with
Spain in its base and cowardly treachery. None of the
European nations can regard the act with mitigating allowance without
compromising its own national honor. Spain has wickedly sinned against Christian
civilization and must atone for its offending. Two hundred and twenty-five white
Americans and thirty-three Afro-Americans have been wantonly murdered. The
colored men of America have immense interests at stake. As a citizen and
patriot, let him make common cause with the people and again prove himself an
element of strength and power in vindicating the honor and claims of his country
in the hour of the nation's peril. The cause of this government is our cause. If
die we must, let us die defending a just cause.” (1)
When war
finally came, the people were ready and the country was prepared to fight. The papers beat patriotism and fighting
for ones country in people’s heads.
Obviously, one could see that with such patriotism caused by the media
would bring the American people together to win a quick
war.
Now that the war ended, people wondered what the reasons for entering
such a war. Yes, people believed
that if attacked must one defend itself.
But, what did the United
States gain from all of this? The
United
States did help
Cuba gain its independence form
Spain and help then get on their feet as a new
country. Also, the
United
States gained Puerto Rico and Guam from Spain.
Then they bought the Philippines from Spain for twenty million dollars. This was what the
United
States had wanted for many years now.
Did Hearst being a political and business man know what he was trying to
get the United
States
into? He most definitely did. Know the
United
States had land on both sides of the Pacific which made
it easier for trade. The
Spanish-American War of 1898 may have been to help the Cubans and defend our own
honor but the United
States did benefit greatly from this little war. Secretary of State John Hay probably put
it best about this war by calling it “A Splendid Little War.”
(2)
The Spanish-American War of 1989 just showed what the media was capable
of doing to the general public.
Still today the media affects the way people think about a war. It is almost as if the media decides who
wins the war and who loses the war.
Take for example World War II where we lost battle after battle. The media mostly talked about when we
were victorious and how patriotic everyone should be for our country. It may be the fact that we were attacked
on our own soil which made the war seems justifiable, but there are other wars
where the media thought other wise.
The one that people notice and remember the most is Vietnam War. This was the first war that people could
actually see on television. It made
the war come into the people’s own homes.
Know the public knows how brutal wars can be and the cause of
destructions from both sides but then they were just not sure. They knew that people died but they
never had to see it. See the United
States won almost every battle in the Vietnam War but some how lost the
war. The media only talked about
how bad the war was and showed the United
States losing or just fighting where it looks like we
lost. The media even claimed that
we lost battles that we had won. It
made the general public think that the war was useless and we were giving up
lives for a lost cause. The
Vietnamese never attacked us so why should we attack them ran threw peoples
minds. Patriotism was no where to
be found in the media. Just strikes
against the war and the brutality of the war were brought into the peoples
homes. The media said we lost the
war and we did. The media can
influence the public opinion greatly during times of war.
Media also played a great role in the 9/11 attacks. They began to show the attacks over and
over, even months after the fact happened. Today there still segments on the
attacks on television. Media was
involved in these attacks very greatly. They brought a positive attitude
to everyone who watched the shows.
It was another attack on American soil and the public wanted something to
be done. Every channel on the
television called it the attack on America. The
people expect the United
States to retaliate if someone attacks
America.
Since no country was involved, it was hard to find out who we were
fighting. Media made the people
want something in return from the attacks.
They expected the United
States to act with full action and finish it
quickly. With the support of the
media and the public, the government could act on just about any country
possible. It was possible for the
United
States to attack a country if that country was harboring
terrorists. We started to bomb many
countries and the American people supported it. It was almost as if we had free range on
anyone we wanted. Know that it is a
year later and the scenes of the 9/11 attacks are not in the news anymore;
attacking countries are a lot different.
Many people are back to living in peace and don’t want war. So attacking
Iraq probably will not work. The general public would have been all
for a war if the United
States thought of attacking
Iraq sooner.
They would have had the media on their side and also since know they are
saying they are harboring terrorists the people would have been on their side
too.
The media in the United
States and even the world has a strong message. So many people watch are read the news
that opinions about issues can sway very easily. William Randolph Hearst and Joseph
Pulitzer began an amazing tool for news programs. The news now can help start or finish a
war and even decide which side will win.
The media has the power of the public opinion and can use it at its own
benefits. They will use it to make
money and even get points on strong issues across. No one knows how far the media can go
but as of now, they are a very powerful and political
source.
Work
Cited
1. Baker, John. “Affects of the Press on
Spanish-American Relations in 1898.”
http://www.humboldt.edu/~jcb10/spanwar.shtml
2. Dewan, George. “Rough Riders Return.” http://www.lihistory.com/6/hs623a.htm
3. Lichauco,
Marcial P. and Storey Moorfield.
“The Conquest of the
Philippines by the United States, 1898-1925” 274
pgs
4.
“Joseph Pulitzer.” http://www.literature-awards.com/joseph_pulitzer.htm
5. “Remember the Maine.” C. 2000 http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/remember.html
6. Rosenfeld,
Harvey. “Diary of a Dirty Little War:
The Spanish-American War of 1898” 210 pgs.
7. Wilkerson,
Marcus. “Public Opinion and the
Spanish-American War: A Study in War Propaganda.” 146 pgs.
8. “William Randolph Hearst.” http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/willh.html
9. Yahoo References. “Yellow Journalism.” http://education.yahoo.com/search/be?lb=t&p=url%3Ay/yellow_journalism