In this Book
- From Liberation to Conquest: The Visual and Popular Cultures of the Spanish-American War of 1898
- Book
- 2011
- Published by: University of Massachusetts Press
summary
The American people overwhelmingly supported the nation’s entry into the Spanish-American War of 1898, which led to U.S. imperial expansion into the Caribbean and Pacific. In this book, Bonnie M. Miller explores the basis of that support, showing
how the nation’s leading media makers—editorialists, cartoonists, filmmakers, photographers, and stage performers—captured the public’s interest in the
Cuban crisis with heart-rending depictions of Cuban civilians, particularly women, brutalized
by bloodthirsty Spanish pirates. Although media campaigns initially advocated for the United States to step in to rescue Cuba from the horrors of colonial oppression, the war ended just months later with the U.S. acquisition of Spain’s remaining empire, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. President William McKinley heeded the call for war, with the American people behind him, and then proceeded to use the conflict to further his foreign policy agenda of expanding U.S. interests in the Caribbean and Far East.
Miller examines the shifting media portrayals of U.S. actions for the duration of the conflict, from liberation to conquest. She shows how the media capitalized on the public’s thirst for drama, action, and spectacle and adapted to emerging imperial possibilities. Growing resistance to American imperialism by the war’s end unraveled the consensus in support of U.S policy abroad and produced a rich debate that found expression in American visual and popular culture.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Table of Contents
- pp. vii-viii
- List of Illustrations
- pp. ix-xii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xv
- Introduction
- pp. 1-18
Additional Information
ISBN
9781613760116
Related ISBN(s)
9781558499058
MARC Record
OCLC
794700812
Pages
344
Launched on MUSE
2012-04-16
Language
English
Open Access
No