1. Spanish possessions- - Spain had what McKinley wanted-- island bases in the Caribbean (like Puerto Rico) and off China (Philippines with its natural port of Manila)-- he also wanted to end the Cuban Revolution which is the second reason for war2. Cuban revolution- - in 1895 the Cubans rose up against the Spanish-- the revolt was lead by Jose Marti with the slogan "free Cuba" (Cuba Libre)-- neither side was strong enough to win and in the process American property was being destroyed-- in addition to this property damage, the U.S. media portrayed the Spanish as being very brutal3. Press- the U.S. press exaggerated Spanish atrocities and helped propel the U.S. into war-- in addition, at this time there was a media war between Joseph Pulitzer's NY World and William Randolph Hearst's NY Journal-- to attract readers, they sensationalized the stories of the Cuban Revolution and helped to push the U.S. into war4. USS

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