Lessons in Propaganda, American Imperialism and Human Nature

By Mr. N. Thompson

The expansionists dream come true! The S.A.W. was a war of choice.

The need for the war was manufactured by a colorful cast of characters: a restless Senator, a charismatic and energetic member of the social elite, and an opportunistic journalist…

The Cast of Characters This man would make his

name in the S.A.W and later become President.

The Cast of Characters Theodore Roosevelt, in

command of the “Rough Riders” 1898.

The Cast of Characters William Randolph Hearst,

media mogul and owner of the New York Journal.

The Cast of Characters Henry Cabot Lodge, Senator

from Massachusetts and Theodore Roosevelt’s closest friend and political ally.

A disaffected Elite The closing of the Frontier

had led many wealthy elites to question their roles in the leadership of the country.

Many of these were gentlemen adventurers, who like Theodore Roosevelt, wanted to test themselves in the wilderness.

In the late 1800’s it was the fashion for men to want to prove their manhood by exploring the wilderness, hunting and getting into adventures…

A disaffected Elite Roosevelt founded the

Boone and Crocket Club (after famous adventurers) so he could go out camping and hunting with his buddies.

http://www.boone-crockett.org/

This club sponsored the Wooded Island at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. (remember that?)

There were many people like Roosevelt, with time and money, who wanted more out of life. They began to think about how America could expand its borders and so create a new Frontier.

Ideas Roosevelt and his friend

Henry Lodge, Senator from Massachusetts, together started to plan out how they could expand the country. They concluded that the only way to do this was to look for war with another country and so take that country’s territory.

Meanwhile, Roosevelt maneuvered himself into ever more powerful political positions: first Chief of Police for New York City, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

Crisis in Cuba… Meanwhile, rebels in Cuba

were trying to shake of Spanish control. Many in the U.S. saw this as a pretext to invade Cuba and so take it for themselves. The only problem was that this would mean war with Spain.

Roosevelt ordered American ships to the waters of the Philippines, (a Spanish territory) and Cuba, just in case…

The role of the media… William Randolph Hearst,

wanting to sell more newspapers, sent reporters to Cuba to get news and pictured from the rebels fighting there.

He sensationalized or fabricated stories to sell more newspapers.

What really happened… "For the benefit of people with unruly imaginations,

of whom there seem to be a larger proportion in this country than I had supposed, I will state again that the search of these women was conducted by women and not by men, as I was reported to have said, and as I did not say in my original report of the incident.“

Richard Harding Davis, New York Journal

Evangelina Cisneros A Cuban woman held

captive, used by Hearst as a tool to sell more newspapers. He used her plight and then “rescued” her from Cuba. The event sent the Journal’s sales above 1 Million for the first time.

Public opinion By now, public opinion was in favor of invasion.

USS Maine was sent to Havana as a message of support to the Cuban rebels.

USS Maine Explodes

15th February 1898, USS Maine’s coal bunkers ignited, shattering the ship and killing over 200 sailors.

Media Circus Even though most experts

agreed that the explosion was caused by the fire in the coal bunker igniting a nearby magazine. Hearst, seeing his great opportunity, sold the lie that the Spanish had planted mines under the ship.

The resulting public outrage caused by the story, pushed Congress to authorize military action against Spain.

On 24th April, Pres. McKinley signs a Congressional resolution authorizing war. The Spanish American War had begun….

War Begins April 29, 1898, U.S. Navy

ships attack the Spanish Fleet in the Philippines, under the command of Commodore George Dewey.

The outdated Spanish ships are destroyed easily in the Battle of Manila Bay.

Media Frenzy (again) The successes of

Dewey, led to even more hype.

People began calling for an invasion of Cuba.

Roosevelt ships outFirst United States Volunteer

Cavalry deploying in Cuba after days of sitting in a troop ship in unsanitary conditions.

Rough Riders

Battle of San Juan heights

Roosevelt as National Hero After returning from

the War, Lodge convinced Roosevelt to run for Governor of New York.

He was elected Governor, but shortly afterwards ran for Vice President with William McKinley

Roosevelt As President Shortly after their

victory, McKinley was assassinated.

Roosevelt assumed the Presidency on Sept 14 1901.

He became a fierce advocate of American expansion and conservationist of the American Wilderness

New Era of American Imperialism

Post Script Roosevelt received

the Medal of Honor in 2001, 82 years after his death.