The document summarizes the key events leading up to the Spanish-American War in 1898. Newspapers like the New York Journal and New York World engaged in yellow journalism by exaggerating reports about Spanish treatment of Cubans to increase readership. When the USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor, papers blamed Spain despite the cause being unknown. Increased public outrage and demands for action, along with pressure on President McKinley, led Congress to declare war on Spain in order to gain Cuban independence and protect American interests on the island.