The Role of Tampa and Lakeland in the Spanish

The Role of Tampa and Lakeland in the Spanish-American War
Summary
The city of Tampa, and the entire Tampa area (including Lakeland), played an important role in
the days and weeks leading up to the United States invasion of Cuba that began the SpanishAmerican War and resulted in the United States achieving, for good or ill, the status of a world
power. In this lesson, students will read ten passages that contain information on different
aspects of the Spanish-American War and view pictures pertaining to the passages. They will
then take relevant information from both the reading and the pictures and summarize it for class
discussion.
Objectives
1) Students will examine given information about the Spanish-American War;
2) Students will discuss and record notes on the importance of Tampa and Lakeland in the
events leading up to and during the Spanish-American War;
3) Students will identify key personalities in the development of Tampa in the years prior to
the Spanish-American War.
U.S. History Event
Spanish-American War (students may be able to make connections to other themes in American
History such as immigration, industrialism, and Reconstruction)
*It is assumed that the students have already been taught about American expansionism before
this lesson. It is preferred that they would have also had a lesson on the overall events of the
Spanish-American War. The intent of this lesson is to provide information on a local scale to the
larger national picture.
Grade Level
Middle school or high school
Materials
One copy of Worksheet #1 for each pair; 1-2 copies of each picture sheet (#1-10); 1-2 copies of
each text passage (#1-10); one transparency for each picture sheet; overhead projector;
(optional) scan converter and TV
*There are two films that can be downloaded from the internet and shown to the class using the
scan converter-TV setup. You may find both on the website for the Library of Congress
(www.loc.gov). Both are only a few seconds long. After entering the website, click on “American
Memory: US History and Culture.” On the next screen, click on “collection finder.” On the next
screen, click “History.” For your search, type in “Spanish-American War.” Entry #52 on the next
list is a short film of Spanish soldiers executing Cuban rebels (“Shooting captured insurgents”).
The other film is Entry #106 (“Burial of the ‘Maine’ victims”), which was filmed in Key West by
Thomas Edison. Both films were made in 1898, and are very grainy, but both are good examples
of how the Spanish-American War was the first “media war.”
Lesson Time
This lesson can be completed in one block period, or two regular class periods (70-85 minutes).
1
Lesson
Lesson Procedures
Working in heterogenous pairs, students will receive a copy of Worksheet #1-“Information
about Tampa and Lakeland in the Spanish-American War” Matrix. Depending on the number
of students and the dimensions of the classroom, the teacher may either: Option #1- post class
readings and pictures around the room (taped to the walls) in different stations and have students
rotate to the next station after an allotted amount of time; Option #2- or have students sit in pairs
and record notes on given information and then allow the teacher to check for accuracy before
assigning the next reading, or have pairs trade with each other after an allotted period of time.
Depending on the number of pairs in each class, it maybe necessary to make more than one
copy of each page of information.
Each pair will be responsible for drawing a quick sketch of one of the pictures given with the
textual information in the space provided on the worksheet. Then the students will record two to
three thoughts or pieces of evidence based on the pictures given. Finally, student pairs will
record two to three main ideas from the written information. Some of the text passages may have
questions for better understanding. In these cases, the students will be expected to investigate
and record their responses. Afterwards, students will either have their work checked for accuracy
before being assigned their next reading, or move to another station.
After the allotted time, allow one pair to discuss the main events of each station or
assignment. While the pair leads the discussion, show the pictures that were included on the
overhead projector.
Preview
The following are options to open the lesson and that will increase student interest. Each one
does not need to be used. As students walk into the classroom, have them prepare an answer
and be ready to discuss as class begins.
Option #1: A neighbor of yours is extremely ill and needs financial help in order to pay the
hospital the amount that her insurance will not pay. Even though money is scarce, people in your
neighborhood are pledging one day’s pay every week to help offset the cost. What will you do,
and why will you make that decision?
Option #2: As you’re walking home one day after school, you notice a couple of younger children
in a fight. One child has a clear size advantage over the other. No one else is around, and it is
obvious to you that the larger child is doing some real damage to the other. Will you continue to
walk home and pretend not to notice, allowing the larger child to pummel the smaller one? Or will
you attempt to break up the fight? Would you consider joining the fight on the smaller child’s
side?
Option #3: Does the United States have the right to intervene when two other nations are at war?
What is our government’s responsibility when one nation is much stronger than the other, or
when the fighting is in a place very close to our own country?
-After allowing students a few minutes (no more than five) to answer the preview question, hold a
class discussion about the choices made and the reasons given for the choices. Explain to
students that in this lesson, they will investigate the key events and personalities of a revolution
on an island very close to Florida and how people in this country reacted. They will also come
away with an understanding of the important roles that Tampa and Lakeland played in this event.
-For background information, read the following passage to the students:
“By the end of the 1800s, Spain had lost almost all of its former New World colonies. Once a
proud empire that had controlled almost all of Central and South America, North America
(including Florida) and the Caribbean since the 1500s, Spain was left with Cuba and Puerto Rico
as the century drew to a close. Many Cubans did not wish to be a part of Spain’s empire any
more. Many years prior to the end of the 19th century, Cuban rebels had been active in trying to
force Spanish forces to leave the island. In the ensuing violence, many Cubans fled their
homeland and emigrated to the United States. However, they always remained loyal to Cuba.
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While Cubans were battling their Spanish rulers in the last half of the 1800s, the United States
had grown from a country that occupied a small portion of North America to a land that stretched
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. New technologies like the telegraph and the railroad linked both
sides of this massive nation. In the last years of the 19th century, with the United States having
reached its continental limits, focus began to turn to lands outside of the continent. American
manufacturers and businesses began to export goods to foreign markets and developed foreign
trade that became vitally important to our nation’s growing economy. This new “economic
expansionism” caused many Americans to support the idea of gaining territories outside of North
America. These new territories would provide new areas of settlement and more economic
opportunities for Americans, provide bases from which to defend American interests all over the
world, and enable the United States to become a global power much like Great Britain, France,
and Germany.
For years prior to the 1890s, American businessmen had invested millions of dollars into
Cuban sugar plantations. Many Americans lived in Cuba. The United States traded a great deal
with the Spanish in Cuba. However, with global expansion on their minds, many Americans
began to look at Cuba in a new light.”
-After reading this passage, place students into pairs and explain that they are going to be
researching different personalities and events in the Spanish-American War. As they research
and record notes on their worksheets, they need to keep one central theme in their minds: “what
impact did this event or person have on Florida?”
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Reading Passage #1: The Cuban Revolution of 1868
By the end of the 19th century, Spain had lost all of its New World colonies except Cuba and
Puerto Rico. However, many Cubans no longer wanted to live under Spanish rule. In 1868,
Cuban revolutionaries declared their independence from Spain and began a ten-year war. Due to
problems in Europe, Spain was unable to devote its full attention to this rebellion until 1876. By
1878, the rebellion was stamped out. Because of this revolution, over 100,000 Cubans fled their
homes and moved to the United States, where most settled in New York, Key West, and Tampa.
The 1868 Revolution did not go unnoticed in the United States. Many Americans were
sympathetic toward the Cuban rebels, and some even saw similarities between the Cuban war for
independence and our own Revolutionary War against Great Britain more than a century before.
Some Americans supplied the Cuban rebels with guns, money, and other supplies. The Spanish
government protested to U.S. officials, but received no response. In one incident in 1873,
American Captain Joseph Fry, a Tampa native, almost brought the United States and Spain to
war. Fry, a former Confederate naval officer in the American Civil War, was captain of the S.S.
Virginus. Carrying guns and 300 Cuban rebels, Captain Fry sailed to Cuba to aid in the Cuban
fight against Spanish forces on the island. However, the Spaniards captured the Virginus before
it reached its destination. After a speedy trial, Captain Fry and fifty-three others (mostly
Americans) were executed by a firing squad. A British warship captain intervened on behalf of
the remaining rebels and crew, but for a few weeks it seemed likely that the United States and
Spain would go to war over this incident. Finally, the U.S. Attorney General decided that the S.S.
Virginus did not travel to Cuba on an official United States visit. War was averted for the time
being. But hard feelings continued to exist.
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Picture Sheet #1- The Cuban
Revolution of 1868
Captain Joseph Fry of Tampa thanks a
member of his crew before several of his
crewmen are executed by a Spanish
firing squad. Fry, the captain of the S.S.
Virginius, and his crew had been caught
trying to smuggle weapons and fighters
into Cuba to aid the Cuban Revolution of
1868. After a quick trial, Fry and fiftythree of his men were killed in this
fashion.
Picture courtesy of http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~delacova/1868/virginius.gif
Before a British warship commander
could intervene, Spanish soldiers
trample the bodies of American
crewmen of the S.S. Virginius. The
British commander did manage to
save the lives of the remaining
members of Fry’s crew. When news
of this episode reached America,
how do you think Americans
responded? Would the U.S. have
been justified in declaring war to
avenge the death of fifty-four
Americans who were caught
smuggling weapons into Cuba to aid
Cuban rebels, even though the
Spanish government had asked the
U.S. to stop the flow of aid to rebels
from the U.S.?
Picture courtesy of http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~delacova/1868/virginius2.gif
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Henry Bradford Plant was almost singlehandedly
responsible for the development of Central Florida,
especially northern Polk and Hillsborough
Counties. How does his legacy live on?
Reading Passage #2-Henry B. Plant and the Railroad
Henry Bradley Plant, a native of Connecticut, traveled to Florida for the first time in 1853. His
wife was afflicted with consumption (the 19th-century medical term for tuberculosis), and her
doctor recommended that the couple leave the cold of the North and spend a few months in the
heat of Florida to relieve her condition. The Florida that Plant saw was mostly wild swamp and
pine forest, but he was still very impressed with the possibilities for the future in this southernmost
state. He believed that with the right kind of development, Florida could become a dream
vacation spot for well-to-do northerners tired of the cold and unpredictable weather in their region.
During the Civil War, many railroads of the South were destroyed. When the war ended in
1865, many southern railway companies went bankrupt. A smart businessman with an eye on
the future, Plant bought more than a dozen of these railroad companies for next to nothing. At
the same time, Plant also bought large land holdings in Florida. He then restructured existing
Florida railways and made improvements and additions, eventually controlling a vast railroad
network through central and west Florida. Plant’s railroad eventually connected northern Polk
County to the Atlantic coast via Kissimmee/Orlando. This provided continuous service across the
state and gave Florida’s farmers and citrus growers direct access to northern markets.
Henry Plant then decided to link the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean by establishing a line
all the way to Tampa. At that time, Tampa was an insignificant village of a few hundred people.
With the addition of Plant’s railway, it became a major hub of transportation by 1884. People
arrived by train and then boarded a steamship for Key West or Cuba. Tampa’s economy boomed
thanks to the “Plant system” of transportation. The city grew to seven times its pre-1884
population in less than a decade. But it bothered Plant that none of the tourists were interested in
staying in Tampa. Henry Plant needed something to make Tampa a place attractive to tourists.
Plant’s rival Henry Flagler had built a railroad in east Florida, and soon tourists came to St.
Augustine to stay in Flagler’s elegant Ponce de Leon Hotel. Plant decided to do the same thing,
only he would build a more elegant structure to entice tourists to pass through St. Augustine and
come to Tampa. Plant spent $3 million of his own fortune to build the Tampa Bay Hotel. After
two years of construction the hotel was completed in 1891. It covered six acres and was a
quarter of a mile long. Its 511 rooms were the first in Florida to have electricity. It was completely
fireproof because it had been made entirely of poured concrete and steel. It contained all of the
latest luxuries, including a billiard room, barbershop, telegraph office, formal dining room, and a
telephone in every room. The surrounding hotel grounds spanned 150 more acres and included
a golf course, tennis and croquet courts, hunting and fishing, a casino, a heated indoor swimming
pool, and a bowling alley.
Immediately after it opened to guests, the hotel became a popular destination for celebrities,
sports figures, and leaders of other nations that visited Tampa.
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Picture Sheet #2- Henry B. Plant
and the Railroad
To the left is a railroad map of a portion of the United
States, circa 1890. Why do you think it was called the
“Plant system?” The points where different railways met
were usually towns or villages. How do you think a town or
village benefited from becoming a part of the “Plant
system?” What effect do you think that Plant’s railways
had on the size of towns and villages?
Picture courtesy of the Henry B. Plant Museum
(http://www.plantmuseum.com/history/system.shtml)
Henry B. Plant linked Tampa to his
Atlantic Coast railroad in 1884. Tampa’s
economy boomed with the increase in
travel, but almost no one stayed in
Tampa because of a lack of tourist
facilities. Frustrated, Plant decided to
give people a reason to make Tampa
their destination and not just a boarding
point from a train to a steamship headed
to Cuba or Key West. Plant financed the
construction of the stately Tampa Bay
Hotel. Construction began in 1889, and
was finished in two years. The hotel was
state-of-the-art, and no expense was
spared. With the addition of this hotel,
wealthy northerners flocked to Tampa.
What else do you think Tampa had to
offer tourists in the early 1890’s? (Hint:
there was no Busch Gardens, Buccaneer
football, hockey, or baseball yet)
Photo courtesy of
http://www.tampagov.net/dept_Historic_Preservation/images/landmarks/Planthall.gif
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Reading Passage #3- Vicente Martinez Ybor and His “City”
Born in Spain in 1818, Vicente Martinez Ybor moved to Havana, Cuba, when he
was fourteen in order to escape mandatory military duty in Africa. He became a
successful tobacco broker by the age of seventeen, married, and had four children.
After the early death of his young wife, he remarried. His second wife gave him eight
more children, of which six survived infancy. His second wife’s family gave him
$100,000.
With this money, Ybor opened his own cigar factory in 1853. But Spanish taxes and
regulations on Cuban industry soon pushed Ybor into opposing the Spanish government in Cuba.
He openly supported rebels when the Cuban Revolution of 1868 started, and narrowly escaped
arrest by dodging authorities before boarding a boat for Key West in 1869.
Ybor quickly reestablished his cigar business, hiring skilled Cuban refugees who had also fled
the violence of the revolution. By 1875, Ybor’s cigar rollers were producing more than ten million
cigars a year. But there were problems with his factory’s Key West location. Cigar workers in
that community had formed a labor union, and were threatening to strike. Also, the only way to
ship his product off of the island was by boat, which was time-consuming and powerless against
the difficulties caused by unpredictable weather.
Upon receiving word of Henry Plant’s railroad line in Tampa in 1884, Ybor realized that a
railroad would provide better shipment of his cigars across the nation. He made a decision. He
bought forty acres just outside of Tampa and soon made that property his new base of
operations. Other cigar industry leaders followed Ybor to Tampa, but Ybor built the world’s
largest cigar factory. Eventually, thousands of skilled cigar makers came to Tampa and worked
in Ybor’s factory. Ybor ordered the construction of worker’s cottages and rented them to his
workers for $1.50-$2.50 a week. Unlike other factory owners, Ybor also allowed his workers the
opportunity to purchase these homes for $400-$900. Ybor knew that if his workers owned their
homes, they would be more likely to stay in Tampa. His factory and the surrounding homes that
were built came to be known as “Ybor City.”
1) Why did Ybor support the Cuban Revolution of 1868?
2) Why did Ybor move his cigar business from Key West to Tampa?
3) Why would Tampa’s access to Henry Plant’s railroad have been a crucial factor in Ybor’s
decision to relocate his business to Tampa?
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Picture Sheet #3- Vicente
Martinez Ybor and His “City”
More than any other person besides arguably Henry Plant,
Vicente M. Ybor was responsible for Tampa becoming a
thriving port city in the last part of the 19th century. Before
he relocated his cigar business from Key West, Tampa was
an obscure town not known for much of anything. With the
influx of immigrant cigar workers, like the family depicted by
the statue to the left, Tampa would soon become famous
worldwide as the “Cigar Capital of the World.” What effects
of Ybor’s influence in Tampa are still present today?
Photo courtesy of http://www.floridahistory.org/westcoastfla/arch2/yborcity/immistat.jpg
In this picture, the large
building to the left is Ybor’s
cigar factory, while the
building on the right is a
worker’s cottage. Hundreds
of these cottages were built
around Ybor’s factories after
this picture was taken. What
would be some advantages
for a factory owner to build
his workers’ homes within a
short distance of the factory,
and then allowing them to
purchase the homes instead
of renting them?
Picture courtesy of http://www.floridahistory.org/events/index-page.jpg
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Reading Passage #4-The Cigar Factory
Dozens of cigar factories opened in Tampa in the years after Henry Plant established a rail
line. Vicente Martinez Ybor and other factory owners, such as Serafin Sanchez and Ignacio
Haya, became very rich. Cigar manufacturing soon became Tampa’s chief industry. Tampa
earned a wide reputation as the “Cigar Capital of the World.”
A single cigar factory could employ anywhere from 500-4,000 skilled cigar workers. Sitting at
long narrow tables, they worked almost silently. The factory’s owner would hire someone to
come into the factory everyday and read out loud for the cigar workers as they plied their trade.
This person, called “El Lector,” was almost always one of the community’s older gentlemen. He
would amuse the workers with poetry or fiction, or he would read newspapers-all in Spanish.
Since “El Lector” and the majority of workers in the factory were Cuban, the news of the day
usual focused on events in their homeland, especially on reports of Spanish cruelty toward the
Cuban people. Many times, “El Lector” would also read political essays and revolutionary ideas
that denounced Cuba’s Spanish government and policies.
Before long, many cigar workers began taking an active role in the struggle for Cuban
independence. Throughout Ybor City and west Tampa, cigar rollers began donating an entire
day’s pay for every six-day workweek. The workers called this day “Dia de la Patria,” or “day of
the homeland.” The donated money was used to buy weapons and other supplies for another
rebellion against Spain. In five years, they donated what would amount to $9 million today, even
though they only made $13 a week, of which $1.50-$2.50 was spent on housing.
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In the picture to the right, “El Lector” reads to the cigar
hand-rollers as they worked. Usually a respected man
of the Cuban community, “El Lector” was hired by the
factory owner to read poetry, fiction, or news from
Cuba. By also reading emotional pieces calling for
Cuba’s independence from Spain, “El Lector” was
partly responsible for causing support for a new Cuban
revolution, which started in 1895.
Picture courtesy of
http://www.npr.org/programs/lnfsound/stories/990514.s
tories.html
A typical Tampa cigar
factory, much like the
one at left, could employ
between 500 to 4,000
people. These workers
hand-rolled their cigars
for 12 hours a day, six
days a week. They
earned an average of
$13 a week.
Photo courtesy of http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/51ybor/51getting.htm
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Reading Passage #5-Jose Marti
Often called the “George Washington of Cuba,” Jose Marti was born in Havana,
Cuba, on January 28, 1853. Influenced by a childhood teacher, Marti was very active
in the Cuban Revolution of 1868. In 1871, he was forced to leave Cuba by the
colonial government because of his revolutionary activities. He was sent to Spain,
where he studied law. Allowed to return to Cuba in 1878, he once again became
involved in anti-Spanish activities and was banished from the island for life.
Marti settled in New York, where he lived from 1881 until 1895. He spent a great
deal of his time speaking to large groups of Cubans in New York about the Cuban
people’s right to govern themselves. New York Cubans responded by pledging their
support, their money, and, most importantly, themselves when the time was right for
another Cuban revolution.
At the request of a few powerful Cubans in Florida, Marti agreed to travel south.
He boarded a train in November of 1891 and headed to Tampa. Marti was
immediately successful in gaining the support of Cubans in Tampa. Later, he would
make dozens of trips to Tampa and Key West to gather men and materials for
another rebellion to free their homeland.
The entire Tampa community called for action to be taken to bring about Cuban
independence. With the blessings of the cigar factory owners, Marti was allowed to
ask for support from the cigar rollers during working hours. Although the workers
were already committed to giving a day’s wage every week, Marti asked for more. Of
course, he received it. As one historian wrote, “The Cuban cigar rollers looked at the
independence movement as some people would look at donating to the church.
They would give ten percent of their salaries to the cause of the revolution.” No
worker could resist Marti’s impassioned pleas. When he spoke, “…it was like a
preacher at a revival. The Cubans wept. They carried him on their shoulders through the
streets.” Some people were so caught up in the move for Cuban independence that they sold
their homes and donated the money.
Later, Marti was nearly killed in Ybor City on one of his visits when Spanish secret agents
bribed his bodyguards and attempted to poison him. Realizing that the time to act was near,
Marti prepared the rebellion to begin in January 1895. The exact orders were rolled into a cigar
and sent out from a Tampa cigar factory. They were then smuggled into Cuba and delivered to
Juan Gualberto Gomez, Marti’s most trusted assistant in Cuba. The revolution began again in
several locations across the island on February 24, 1895. One by one, the leaders of the
rebellion snuck onto the island. However, Marti was killed in a battle at Dos Rios on May 19,
1895. Though the rebellion raged on, its primary leader and inspiration was dead.
Photo courtesy of http://www.christusrex.org/www2/fcf/newimages/marti.jamaica.jpeg
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Picture Sheet #5- Jose Marti
This is a bust of Jose Marti located in the
Ybor City National Historic Landmark
District. Marti spent a great deal of his
time in Ybor City in the 1890’s gathering
support and funding for a revolution in
Cuba among Cuban cigar makers.
Photo courtesy of
http://www.tampagov.net/about_Tampa/attractions/ybor_city/images/Jose_Marti_memorial.jpg
To the right is a statue of Jose Marti in Central Park, Havana, Cuba.
Marti appears to be leading the Cuban people to freedom. Below is
a piece of artwork that is on permanent display in a museum in
Havana showing Abraham Lincoln and Jose Marti. Since his death,
Marti has attained an almost mythical status in Cuba. Why do you
think this is so? Why would the person who created the artwork
below have shown Marti side by side with Lincoln?
Photo at right courtesy of
http://www.hotspots.com/article_data/3227/cuba_statue.jpg
Photo below courtesy of
http://www.create.ucsb.edu/~stp/Cuba/Large/30011.jpg
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Gen. Valereano Weyler
Reading Passage #6-The Cuban Revolution of 1895
The Cuban leaders had learned valuable lessons from the last
rebellion in 1868-1878. They knew that their forces needed to
take the war to western Cuba, where most of the Cuban people
lived and worked on sugar plantations. If successful, they would
conduct a “torch” war. Rebel fighters would burn all of the sugar
fields and destroy property. Their goal was to force the Spanish
to realize that it would be wasteful to throw men and money into a
war to salvage an island where
nothing remained. The Spanish forces, however, knew that the
key to their success was to keep the fighting bottled up in the
eastern part of the island.
By the end of 1896, the rebels had gained control of much of
the island. Their “torch” warfare had worked. Almost all of the economic activity on the island
had been paralyzed. But instead of retreating and allowing the Cubans their independence,
Spain changed tactics. Spanish troops directed by Valereano “the Butcher” Weyler forced
hundreds of thousands of Cubans living in rural areas to “reconcentrate” into cities and towns.
The rural areas were where the rebels had the most support. It was also easy for rebels to
disguise themselves as simple farm workers. By cutting off the rebels from those who aided
them, Weyler thought that the rebellion would be quickly put down. What he didn’t count on were
the horrifying conditions in the reconcentration camps. Over twenty-five percent of the Cuban
population died because of hunger and disease.
As the war continued, Americans kept a close eye on the struggle. American investments in
plantations and sugar refineries were close to $50 million. Those investments were in danger as
the rebels continued to ravage the countryside. Also, American newspapers began to print
stories-often highly exaggerated-on the horrific conditions of the reconcentration camps or on the
mistreatment and brutality suffered by the Cubans at the hands of the Spanish soldiers. And
even though the motion picture camera was a new invention, that didn’t stop its inventor, Thomas
Alva Edison, from traveling to Cuba to film the war. While there, he caught a Spanish firing squad
executing a group of Cuban rebels on film. As Americans saw the headlines in the papers and
the short films in the movie houses, they began to increasingly support the Cubans and their fight
for freedom.
For his treatment of Cuban civilians, Gen. Weyler was vilified by the American
press and Cuban-Americans. What does the artist compare him to in this
picture?
(Photos this page courtesy of
http://www.cubaheritage.com/subs.asp?sID=18&cID=3)
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Picture Sheet #6- The
Cuban Revolution of 1895
In this picture, Cuban
freedom fighters prepare
to battle Spanish
soldiers in the Cuban
Revolution of 1895.
What difficulties might
they encounter in a
battle against superior
Spanish troops? What
tactics could these
rebels use to gain an
advantage?
Photo courtesy of http://www.cubagenweb.org/images/calvary1a.jpg
In order to separate the Cuban rebels from people in the
countryside who might support them, the Spanish colonial
government relocated Cubans living in rural areas to the
cities. However, there was no enough food or medicine for
the hundreds of thousands of Cubans who were placed in
these “reconcentration camps.” As a result, 25%-30% of the
Cuban population died of hunger or disease. The American
media reported the conditions of these camps to the public.
How do you think Americans reacted when they saw pictures
like this one above in their newspapers?
Photo at left courtesy of
http://www.humboldt.edu/~jcb10/image6.gif
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William Randolph Hearst, publisher of the
New York Journal
Reading Passage #7-“Yellow Journalism”
Americans were eager for news from Cuba, and newspapers of the
day were eager to give them that news. The Cuban Revolution of 1895
was covered extensively in American newspapers, and the resulting
Spanish-American War in 1898 has been referred to as the first “media
war.”
During the 1890s, newspaper publishers used journalism
that exaggerated-and sometimes even completely inventeddramatic events to outsell their competitors. The use of
sensational headlines and stories, with little attention to actual
facts, to attract the reader and stir his emotions was soon given
a nickname: “yellow journalism.” It is unclear from where this
nickname evolved. Historians think that it was either derived
from the color of the paper used in the late 1800s, or from a popular comic-strip
character of the time (“the yellow kid”). Whatever the source of this term, this type of
journalism soon drove a nation toward war.
The two major newspapers of the time were William Randolph Hearst’s New York
Journal and Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World. These men soon competed against
Joseph Pulitzer published
The World
each other and several other papers to be the first to report the “news” as it happened in
Cuba, whether it was based on facts or not. Both men sent reporters, photographers, and
artists to Cuba to be the first to get the scoop. Upon receiving a telegraph from one of his staff
stating that things in Cuba were slow and that there was no news to report, Hearst shot back his
reply: “You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war!”
Horrific but inaccurate stories continued to be printed for the American public to read. Stories
and drawings of women and children being beaten and starved in Spanish-controlled
reconcentration camps were common. “On the scene” reporters wrote about eye-witness
accounts of mass executions by Spanish troops. Many articles were printed about brave Cuban
rebels defending their families, homes, and honor against the hordes of cruel Spanish soldiers
who burned down their villages, bayoneted their children, and ran off with their wives. As the
American media fueled the public’s passion for a good yarn, it also caused most Americans to
demand that their government take action to intervene in the struggle for Cuban independence on
the side of the rebels.
Photo of Hearst courtesy of http://www.cubaheritage.com/subs.asp?sID=19&cID=3
Photo of Pulitzer courtesy of http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/gifs/pulitzer.gif
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Picture Sheet #7- “Yellow
Journalism”
This is the front page of the New York Journal the day
after the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor.
Publisher William Randolph Hearst had instructed his
staff covering the Cuban Revolution, “You furnish the
pictures…I’ll furnish the war!” Look at the headlines.
Do you think Hearst is publishing information that can
be supported with evidence? How do you think that
the coverage given to this event could influence
Americans?
Picture courtesy of
http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_60_Notes.h
tm
Here is the front page of the next day’s
edition of the New York Journal
(2/17/1898). How is this edition similar to
the previous day’s edition?
Picture courtesy of
http://www.pbs.org/crucible/frames/_journ
alism.html
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Reading Passage #8- The U.S.S. Maine
In late 1897, the Cuban rebels began to gain the advantage over Spanish troops on the island.
Knowing that the rebels had carried out a system of destruction throughout the Cuban
countryside, American President William McKinley sent a group of battleships to Cuba to
“observe” and to offer protection to American citizens and their investments in sugar plantations.
One of these ships, the U.S.S. Maine, was dispatched directly to Havana Harbor.
Several uneventful weeks followed. The people in Havana grew accustomed to seeing the
American battleship anchored in their harbor. But at 9:45PM on the night of February 15, 1898, a
loud explosion rocked the city. As people lined the city walls and looked out to sea for the source
of the explosion, they saw the Maine ablaze. The battleship sank quickly, killing 260 American
naval officers and sailors.
Word traveled quickly via telegraph to the New York offices of Joseph Pulitzer’s The World
newspaper. His paper was the first to report the news form Cuba at 3:10AM on February 16.
William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal was only moments behind with its own version of
the incident. These newspapers reported the sinking of the Maine with sensational drawings of a
boat exploding and bodies flying everywhere, some in pieces. The bold headlines read “Maine
Explosion Caused by bomb or Torpedo?” or “Destruction of the War Ship Maine Was the Work of
an Enemy!” No proof was ever uncovered that linked Spain to any wrongdoing, and the Spanish
government denied that there had been any attempt of sabotage by their agents. Still, the
newspapers reported on Spanish treachery, even making the statement that Spain was protesting
too much to be believed. Newspapers were not the only media inciting the public. Thomas Alva
Edison used his new invention, the motion picture camera, to film the burial of the Maine victims
in Key West.
The American public demanded justice, and they felt that the only way to get it was to go to
war with Spain. Under the slogan, “Remember the Maine,” the US Congress authorized
President McKinley to send American troops to end Spanish control of Cuba. Five days later, on
April 24, 1898, Spain declared war on the United States. The Cuban Revolution of 1895 had
turned into the Spanish-American War.
•
Almost a century later, U.S. Navy Admiral Hyman Rickover examined all available
evidence and determined that an internal mishap, most likely a faulty boiler, caused the
explosion. Do you think that the American press was guilty of causing war with Spain, or
do you think it was inevitable in 1898?
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Picture Sheet #8- The U.S.S.
Maine
This is a painting created
shortly after the explosion
of the Maine in Havana
Harbor. In the top left
portion, the Maine is
shown sitting in Havana
Harbor at anchor. The top
right picture shows the
recovery of the dead
American sailors. What
specific items do you see
in this picture that may
have caused Americans to
support war with Spain?
Picture courtesy of http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/sespics/86261b.GIF
Photo below courtesy of http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~delacova/1898/1898-23.gif
This is the Maine after it exploded and sunk on the night of February 15, 1898. This one event turned a small
rebellion in Cuban into an all-out war between the United States and Spain. Four months later, the U.S. was
victorious behind the battlecry “Remember the Maine!” Spain surrendered its colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the
Philippines to the United States. Almost overnight, the U.S. had grown by 10 million people and had become a
global power. How do you think other nations in Europe reacted to news that the U.S. was victorious over Spain?
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Reading Passage #9-Tampa’s Role in the Spanish-American War
With the outbreak of war in the spring of 1898, Florida was at an important crossroads in its
history. No other state stood to gain more from this conflict than Florida because of its proximity
to Cuba. No other state stood to lose more, either. Many Floridians living near the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts were frightened at the possibility of an attack by Spanish warships. Even more
frightening to many others was the real threat that Cuba posed to Florida’s young and thriving
tourism industry. Many people felt that if the Americans were victorious, the US government
would make Cuba a part of the
United States. If that happened, tourists from the northern regions would pass right through
Florida on the way to tropical Cuba. However, Henry Plant saw a real opportunity for his little city
by the Gulf of Mexico.
In the years before the Spanish-American War, Tampa was a sleepy little town of 15,000
people, most of them Cuban immigrants. It contained twenty churches, three banks, seven public
schools, and over 150 factories that exported almost ninety million cigars a year. By 1898, with
the addition of Henry Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel, over 35,000 tourists from around the nation had
visited Tampa. But with war on the horizon, Plant realized that Tampa was in prime position to be
the staging ground for troops departing for Cuba.
He convinced the Secretary of War to allow Tampa to be the official port of embarkation for
troops going to Cuba. His railroad and steamship system helped move troops to Florida from
other places, and then on to Cuba. The luxurious Tampa Bay Hotel became the headquarters for
the US Army and provided lodging for its officers and news reporters. Here they enjoyed dances,
fine food, and band concerts on a nightly basis. The common infantryman experienced a
different Tampa. While Army officers were enjoying a working vacation, ground troops were
sweltering in their heavy woolen uniforms. Their food spoiled in the brutal late spring sun, and
they lived in tents set up in Tampa’s streets. One recruit from New York commented that on his
first day in Tampa, he was “…bitten by mosquitoes, stung by a tarantula.” He also ran his
bayonet into his hand, “…sat down on a giant ant’s nest, trod on an alligator,” and found a snake
in his boot. Obviously, Tampa was not developed and modern in 1898.
By the time the war ended with Spain’s retreat and surrender four months later, this “splendid
little war” had been very splendid for Tampa. Every soldier and piece of equipment that came to
Tampa in 1898 arrived on a Henry Plant train, and many Army officials had stayed for many
weeks in his Tampa Bay Hotel. Sixty thousand soldiers had spent large sums of money in local
saloons and businesses while waiting for their orders to depart. In all, the Spanish-American War
pumped over $4 million into Tampa’s economy, and made enough of an impression to cause
many soldiers to return in later years.
But for some soldiers, the war was anything but splendid. Many soldiers were unaccustomed
to the intense Florida heat and became very ill. Others caught mosquito-borne tropical illnesses
or ate spoiled food. Some soldiers died from these or other maladies. This trend continued in
Cuba. Over five thousand Americans died in the Spanish-American War, but only 385 from
actual fighting. The others died from the same things that they suffered in Tampa.
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Picture Sheet #9A-Tampa’s Role
Many reporters stayed in Henry Plant’s luxurious Tampa Bay
Hotel before heading to Cuba on assignment. Officers of the
U.S. Army were also quartered at the hotel, where they
enjoyed fine food, dancing, and other comforts not afforded
to regular infantrymen. Compare this picture to the picture
below. Do you think that regular troops would have a right to
complain about their accommodations?
Above photo courtesy of
http://www.wheelerplantation.org/images/TampaHotel.jpg
Photo at right courtesy of
http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/photos/military/saw/0652.htm
General William R. Shafter (seated, middle) and his staff
made preparations for U.S. troop landings in Cuba on
the veranda of the Tampa Bay Hotel (photo courtesy of
the Henry B. Plant Museumhttp://www.plantmuseum.com/history/war.shtml
Photo at right courtesy of
http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/photos/military/saw/0641.htm
In the photo to the right is Theodore Roosevelt. At the beginning of the
Spanish-American War, he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He
quickly resigned his post, however, and established the U.S. 1st Volunteer
Cavalry, which became better known as the “Rough Riders.” In the first
(and last) major battle of the war in Cuba, TR’s Rough Riders beat back
the Spanish at San Juan Hill. TR’s courage in this battle coupled with the
adoration of the American press made him the most popular American in
the United States. Three years later, Teddy Roosevelt would become
president. The Rough Riders stayed in Tampa prior to leaving for Cuba,
even practicing their horse-riding skills on the lawn of the Tampa Bay
Hotel. Unfortunately, because of lack of space, the Rough Riders were
forced to leave their horses in Tampa.
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Picture Sheet #9B-Tampa’s
Role
This is a painting of
U.S. troops finding
ways of entertaining
themselves in the
streets of Tampa
before heading to
Cuba. What ways can
you see the troops
experiencing Tampa?
Picture courtesy of
http://www.bigchalk.com/cgibin/WebObjects/WOPortal.woa/wa/HWCDA/file?fileid=37227&flt=High_School&pathTitles=/Spani
sh-American_War/Documents/Art_Images_From_War_With_Spain&version=2&tg=Arts
Soldiers arrived at
Port Tampa by
train (owned by
Henry Plant) in
order to board a
steamship (also
owned by Henry
Plant) headed to
Cuba.
Photo courtesy of http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/photos/military/saw/0463.htm
22
Reading Passage #10-Lakeland and African-American Soldiers
The arrival of tens of thousands of Army troops to Tampa in the weeks after April 1898 caused
a great deal of overcrowding. Tampa was simply unable to cope with the large number of
soldiers arriving by train daily. When there was no more room on Tampa’s streets, hundreds of
soldiers were forced to stay in the swamps and forests outside Tampa. At that point, the US War
Department made the decision to move five units totaling nine thousand troops to Lakeland,
approximately thirty miles east of Tampa. Lakeland was selected as a site to quarter troops
because of its good rail connections to Tampa, its abundant water supply, and its proximity to
Port Tampa, where soldiers would eventually board a steamship for Cuba.
Lakeland’s population of just over a thousand quickly swelled to ten times its normal size with
the influx of soldiers. Though the small town did cope remarkably well, there were some
difficulties. Most soldiers stationed in Lakeland were from the northeast part of the United States,
and they were forced to adjust to the oppressive central Florida heat and humidity that were
absent in their hometowns in the spring. Heat exhaustion was the most common ailment among
the soldiers. Troops also had to reckon with mosquitoes and shortages of food, milk, and ice. All
of these problems could not compare with the obstacles faced by a late-arriving group of soldiers,
though.
When war broke out, the US War Department made a concerted effort to recruit black men as
soldiers. Many doctors wrongly believed that, unlike whites, African–Americans were immune to
tropical diseases spread by mosquitoes. Medical science of the day also stated that blacks were
more capable of physical exertion in high temperature. So, in May 1898, four regiments made up
entirely of African-American men (except for the white officers) arrived in Tampa. They had
encountered every form of ill treatment on their journey from their homes in the North, and they
immediately encountered racism and prejudice from white Tampans, as well as from their own
white counterparts. Even the laws of the day were discriminatory in the South, and Tampa was
no exception. These “Jim Crow” laws forbade blacks from entering white-owned businesses and
forced them to give seats in the front of trains and streetcars to white people. These soldiers
were shocked by the blatant discrimination that they encountered.
Partly to relieve some of the overcrowding, and partly to move some black troops out of
Tampa to prevent any negative situations, one regiment was moved. The 10th Cavalry (of which
one of its junior white officers, John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, would later gain fame as the leader
of all American forces in Europe in World War I) was ordered to Lakeland, where it would attempt
to peacefully coexist with the 2nd Massachusetts, the 71st New York Volunteers, and the town’s
citizens. Hours after arriving, though, several black soldiers found themselves in a violent
confrontation that ended with one white Lakelander dead and two black soldiers arrested. As one
of the soldiers recalled later, “…some of our boys…went into a drug store and asked for some
soda water. The druggist refused to sell to them, stating he didn’t want their money, to go where
they sold black drinks. That did not suit the boys and a few words were passed…. (a white
man)came into the drug store and said: ‘You n------ better get out of here…or I will kick you black
s--- of b------ out,’ and he went into his barbershop next to the drug store and got his
pistols….Some of the boys saw him get the guns…they never gave him a chance to use them.
There were five shots fired and each shot took effect.” Other sources said that these same
soldiers then started firing their pistols in the street, shooting a bystander. The next day, a black
soldier took a shot at one of his white officers after word got around that some of the townspeople
of Lakeland and a few white soldiers were plotting revenge.
A few weeks later, these African-American soldiers proved just as brave as their white
counterparts on the battlefield. In the Battle of Guasimas, the all-black 9th and 10th Cavalries
inflicted heavy losses on the Spanish and opened the way for the more-famous Rough Riders,
led by Theodore Roosevelt, to charge San Juan Hill.
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Picture Sheet #10-Lakeland
The 9th Cavalry, an allAfrican-American regiment
led by white officers, was
ordered to stay in
Lakeland by the U.S. War
Department for fear that
racial violence would occur
if these troops stayed in
Tampa. Do you think that
they encountered any
problems in Lakeland?
Photo courtesy of http://www.9thcavalry.com/gallery/9th1898.jpg
To keep troops sharp and ready to fight, officers
regularly drilled soldiers in the early morning and
evening when the weather was milder. These drills also
provided nightly entertainment for the citizens of
Lakeland.
Photo courtesy of the Lakeland Public Library
(http://www.lakelandgov.net/library/oldspeccoll/spanish/
massreg.htm)
This plaque was erected on the spot where troops stayed
in Lakeland on the banks of Lake Morton. The plaque is
still there today, across Lake Morton on Massachusetts
Avenue. Why do you think that avenue was given the
name “Massachusetts?” Why was Lakeland named as a
holdover point for 9,000 troops awaiting orders to leave
for Cuba (Hint: think “Henry Plant”)?
Photo courtesy of thakeland Library
http://www.lakelandgov.net/library/oldspeccoll/spanish/scope.htm
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Activity
Information about Tampa and Lakeland in the Spanish-American War- Read the passages pertaining to
Worksheet #1
the Spanish-American War and view the included pictures. Then, fill in the corresponding boxes with the relevant information.
Draw a quick sketch of one of the
pictures.
What do the pictures tell you about that particular
event/person and its/their role in the Span.-Am. War?
What does the reading passage tell you about that
event/person and its/their role in the Span.-Am. War? List
2-3 items.
#1
Topic
____________________________
#2
Topic
____________________________
#3
Topic
____________________________
#4
Topic
____________________________
25
#5
Topic
____________________________
#6
Topic
____________________________
#7
Topic
____________________________
#8
Topic
____________________________
26
#9
Topic
____________________________
#10
Topic
____________________________
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Assessment
1. The railroad tycoon responsible for bringing development to Tampa was:
a. Vicente M. Ybor
c. Hamilton Disston
b. Henry B. Plant
d. Theodore Roosevelt
2. Vicente Martinez Ybor was a prominent Cuban-American _________ _____________ who
relocated his factory from Key West to Tampa.
a. cigar manufacturer
b. ship builder
c. citrus grower d. cane farmer
3. Jose Marti is often called the “George Washington of Cuba.” Do you agree with this comparison?
Why or why not?
4. What was the connection between Jose Marti and Tampa’s cigar factory workers?
5. Spanish general Valereano Weyler was often called “the Butcher of Cuba.” Was this a fair
nickname for General Weyler? Why or why not?
6. In the late 1800’s, competing newspapers tried to attract more readers by publishing sensational
stories loosely based in fact, and included provocative headlines and pictures. What was this type
of journalism called?
a. dishonest reporting
b. enquirerism
c. “yellow journalism”
d. extreme news
7. Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst reportedly told his artists on assignment in Cuba,
“You furnish the pictures…I’ll furnish the war!” Using hindsight, do you think that he was successful
in inciting a general mood of belligerence on the part of average Americans, or was war with Spain
inevitable because of a growing sense of imperialism? Defend your answer.
8. The Spanish-American War is often called the “first media war.” How was news coverage of this
war similar to conflicts over a century later? How was it different?
9. The battleship that blew up in Havana Harbor, killing 260 American sailors and finally drawing the
U.S. into a conflict with Spain, was the U.S.S.___________.
a. Alamo
b. Enterprise
c. Bonhomme Richard
d. Maine
10. A sleepy little town of 15,000 before the Spanish-American War, _________ became the major
supply depot, embarkation point for U.S. troops heading to Cuba, and the headquarters of the U.S.
Army.
a. Miami
b. Jacksonville
c. Tampa
d. Key West
11. True or false. The 10th Cavalry, an all-black regiment, stayed in Lakeland during the war, and there
was no racial unrest for the duration of their stay.
12. The Spanish-American War resulted in the United States taking a more active role in the world and
began what was later called the “American Century.” But was this war a just war, or a flagrant
attempt to take land and wealth at a weaker nation’s expense? Justify your answer.
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Resources
Tebeau, Charlton W. A History of Florida. University Press of Miami: Coral Gables, FL.
1971.
Gannon, Michael, Ed. The New History of Florida. University Press of Florida: Gainesville,
FL. 1996.
Orrick, Bentley, & Crumpacker, Harry L. The Tampa Tribune: A Century of Florida
Journalism. University of Tampa Press: Tampa, FL. 1998.
http://www.floridahistory.org/events/index98.htm
http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/spanam.htm
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sawhtml/sawsp2.html -Span.-Am. War motion pictures
http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/movies/006/006.htm -same as above
http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/photos/military/saw/saw.htm -photos of Tampa during Span.-Am. War
http://www.floridamemory.com/OnlineClassroom/PhotoAlbum/s-a_war.cfm -same as above
http://www.tampagov.net/documents/Spanish_American_War_centennial.asp
http://www.plantmuseum.com/history/war.shtml
http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~delacova/spanwar.htm -pictures, maps, and links
http://www.floridahistory.org/events/cigars-index.htm -V.M. Ybor and Tampa’s Cuban culture
http://www.spanamwar.com/AfroAmericans.htm -black soldiers in the Span.-Am. War
http://fortdesoto.com/servlets/Page/timeline -Fort DeSoto on Mullet Key
http://www.lakelandgov.net/library/oldspeccoll/spanish/contents.htm -Lakeland’s role
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/51ybor/51ybor.htm -Ybor City and immigration
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