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The people of Puerto Rico have thrice voted to remain a commonwealth of the United States, rejecting measures both for independence and for full statehood within the union. As residents of a United States commonwealth, Puerto Ricans are entitled to many of the benefits of statehood but are exempt from Federal income tax and other provisions of Federal regulation.
==Propaganda in the War==
One of most important aspects of the Spanish-American War is the [[propaganda]]. In the 1890s, while competing over readership of their newspapers, [[William Randolph Hearst]] and [[Joseph Pulitzer]]’s [[yellow journalism]] swayed [[public opinion]] and contributed significantly to America’s decision to join the Spanish-American War. Yellow journalism, the use of sensationalized reporting to form public opinion, was utilized by Pulitzer’s [[New York World]] and Hearst’s [[New York Journal American]]. By reporting graphic stories of embellished, or sometimes falsified, atrocities committed by the Spanish soldiers against the Cuban citizens, Hearst and Pulitzer created public outrage that not only greatly bolstered the sales of their newspapers, but eventually led America into the Spanish-American War. Ultimately, Hearst would defeat Pulitzer in newspaper sales, before going on to pursue political ambitions.
Yellow Journalism is a form of propaganda, according to the topoi outlined by Ronald F. Reid. By appealing to the [[territoriality]] and [[ethnocentrism]] of readers, Hearst and Pulitzer had great influence over American opinion of the Spanish. The Spanish soldiers, portrayed as cruel and bloodthirsty, were accused of countless illegal and immoral acts. Allegations were made that innocent women were strip searched by callous troops, or taken prisoner and thrown into Cuban jails full of violent criminals. These images and stories invoked the public outcry that led to war.
[[Image:Propaganda_Search.jpg|frame|]]
One of the most effective ways to rouse emotion was to portray the victimization of women, the most prominent being Evangelina Betancourt Cisneros. The articles do not only mention Evangelina but also describe her as an affluent, innocent, and young woman. She was intentionally described this way to invoke a sympathetic response. The response the authors wanted was support for the Cubans. Evangelina Cisneros was, in fact, the daughter of a rebel leader who had been imprisoned. In order to get her father moved to a better prison, Evangelina offered to stay in prison with him. After an incident with a Spanish Colonel, the nature of which is unclear, Evangelina was moved to a much harsher prison. The [[United States of America]] had no business getting between the Spanish and Cubans however, the United States could foresee benefits if they did enter the war. For this reason Hearst and Pulitzer along with their writers “reported” what was happening in [[Cuba]]. The writers knew what kind of details were needed in the stories to get the audience talking and enraged. These articles were used as propaganda to persuade American’s to react to these atrocious acts that the Spanish were committing.
The Spanish American War also saw the very first use of film in propaganda. A short ninety second film, called Tearing Down the Spanish Flag, produced in 1898, was a simple moving image designed to inspire patriotism and hatred for the Spanish in America. This film, as the title suggests, depicts the removal of the Spanish national flag and its replacement by the Stars and Stripes of America. This film was very effective in rousing its audience.
==Military decorations==
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*[http://www.floridamemory.com/OnlineClassroom/PhotoAlbum/s-a_war.cfm Images of Florida and the War for Cuban Independence, 1898] from the State Archives of Florida
* Individual state's contributions to the Spanish-American War: [http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/spanam.html Illinois], [http://www.paspanishamericanwar.com Pennsylvania]
* [http://www.geocities.com/sonsofspanamwar/HistSSAWV.html Sons of Spanish American War Veterans]
* Filmsite.org [http://www.filmsite.org/warfilms.html Warfilms]
* ''World Policy Journal'' [http://worldpolicy.org/journal/grantham.html America The Menace: France's Feud with Hollywood]
[[Category:History of Cuba]]
[[Category:United States wars]]
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