The Spanish-American War: First Intervention

The wars for Cuban Independence began long before the arrival of the Americans, however, on the night of February 12, 1898, 266 American lives were lost when the United States Battleship Maine was ripped in half by an explosion in Havana Harbor. War with Spain ensued. Interestingly enough it was for the first time a war was covered by members of the media creating an unprecedented impact at home. Much of the footage shown were actual film produced by Thomas Edison's film crew that were found in various archives around the United States. A fascinating cast of characters emerge including Spanish General Jose Toral, Cuban Generals Maximo Gomez and Calixto Garcia, Stephen Crane, Frederick Remington, Admiral George Dewey and Clara Barton. Doctor Walter Reed fought against the outbreak of tropical diseases in Cuba and in the process discovered the cure for malaria. Theodore Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, felt America had grown soft and vulnerable and was the central figure in all of motives surrounding the war. The film also examines the impact of the war upon the United States, particularly with its relationship with Cuba.