To Hell With Spain Remember The Maine?

“To Hell with Spain Remember the Maine”, this was the slogan used by Yellow journalism after the Maine explosion and also before the beginning of the war. This slogan reminds the Americans that their beloved ones lost their lives and it was because of Spain. This slogan gives the feeling of nationalism and courage to fight against the enemies and to take the revenge for humiliation. Americans were already sympathetic towards Cubans. The destruction of the Maine convinces many Americans that the U.S must go to war with Spain. President McKinley sends a note to the Spanish ambassador in whom the U.S demands the recall of General Weyler, the dismantling of concentration camps, sign an armistice ending the fighting with the Cuban Rebels, negotiations to end the war, and a timetable for the Cuban independence.
Spain sensing that the U.S is going to go to war against them, so they declare war on the U.S.
April 11, 1898 President McKinley asks Congress to declare war on Spain. McKinley is not especially a pro-war, and he did every possible thing he could do to stop the war from happening. But he feels pushed by the war fever that was sweeping the American public. “Such pressure was picked up upon and played with by the press until it seemed as if newspapers were making foreign policy” (Baker 7). Also, American public was eager to go to war with Spain, the De Lome letter and then destruction of Maine. American public wanted an unconditional surrender from Spain. After eight days, on April 19, 1898 Congress approves the declaration of war on Spain. The Teller Amendment was added to the war declaration, stating that the purpose of the war is Cuban independence, not annexation by the
U.S.
Teller Amendment; the fourth point of the Joint Congressional Resolution of April 20, 1898, disclaiming any intentions by the United States to exercise sovereignty over Cuba; the first three points authorized the use of American arms to bring about Cuban independence. On April 20, 1898 Congress responded with a joint resolution to McKinley’s request to use force in Cuba. It declared Cuba independent of Spain, and authorized the president to use military force to achieve that result. With little debate, and with no opposition from the administration, Congress adopted the fourth of the following resolutions, as Teller Amendment. The resolves declared, the first, people of Cuba are and have right to be free, second, Spain should give up its authority and government in Cuba, third, President of the Unites States have power and can use its naval forces of the Unites States to carry these resolutions into effects and the fourth, which was added by Senator Henry M. Teller who had a important role in Teller Amendment added the famous declaration, “That the Unites States hereby disclaims any disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction, or control over said island except for the pacification thereof, and asserts its determination, when that is accomplished, to leave the government and control of the Island to its people” (Ferrell 70). Robert H. Ferrell is a professor of history at Indiana University. He is the author and editor of many books in American diplomatic history, including most recently Woodrow Wilson and World War I, Truman: A Centenary Remembrance, and The Eisenhower Diaries. The purpose of this book is to provide a vigorous, thorough narrative of Spanish American war and this book is valuable because Robert H. Ferrell is a professor of history at a university and gives insightful details about the war with one or more perspectives.