On April 19, 1898, the United States impulsively waged a war with imperialist Spain that would forever change our country for better or worse. There are many different factors that led to the war, but in my opinion one key cause is far more important than the others. As a result of the war, America became known as an imperialist nation and a world power. How could a “small” war have such a large impact on American society at the beginning of the 20th century? The first reason for the Spanish-American War was public opinion. In 1895, American citizens became aware of a Cuban uprising against their corrupt Spanish oppressor. The Cuban insurgents thought that if they did enough damage, the United States could intervene and help the Cubans gain their independence. Not only did Americans sympathize with the Cubans when they saw the tragic news published in the newspapers, but they also empathized with the fact that the United States once fought for its independence from Great Britain. If France had not intervened, the Americans probably would not have won their freedom. As if this did not arouse enough hatred for the Spanish among the American public, fuel was added to the fire by Spanish General (“Butcher”) Weyler. He attempted to quell the rebellion by herding Cubans into barbed-wire concentration camps. In turn, the American public was outraged. The public was further angered by something called “yellow journalism.” Yellow journalism refers to writers like Joseph Pullitzer and William Hearst trying to outdo each other with shrill headlines and hair-raising “scoops.” Where there were no headlines, the yellow press exaggerated and invented stories to attract readers' interest in their newspaper. For example, Hearst once wrote about the Spanish customs office… middle of paper… he knew how to do things and wasn't afraid to do them. This is certainly the attitude of a new imperialist country. As shown, America's rapid change in the late 19th century was underpinned by a wide range of imperialistic beliefs, motivations, and incidents that nearly vaulted the United States onto the world stage. Many of these incidents, such as the public's thirst for expansion, the annexation of several distant lands, and the buildup of U.S. military forces, would not have been possible without the Spanish-American War. Furthermore, the Spanish-American War would not have been possible without the American people. Imperialism was an outgrowth of the American democratic experiment, giving the people what they want._18