How did this war even start? We do know that there was ongoing bickering. The Hearst newspapers, at the behest of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, were promoting war because war sells newspapers. Much of the reporting leading to war was about cruel Spanish rule of Cuba with endless atrocities.
This was compounded by the USS Maine blowing up in the Havana harbor. The explosion was blamed on the Spanish who were now fighting to stop the Cuban revolution.
We were on the side of the “good guys” -- the Cubans trying for independence -- to free themselves of harsh Spanish rule. Because of this revolution, America was there (have you heard this before?) to protect American interests.
So the Maine explodes and sinks. While the ship goes down the catchphrase “Remember the Maine!” appears and suddenly we are at war with Spain. Later investigations proved that the Spanish probably did nothing and the faulty systems in the ship caused an explosion where the ammo was stored. Today’s skeptics believe this was a successful example of a false flag to be used as an excuse for war.
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