The explosion of the USS Maine and the practice of yellow journalism played a significant role in the 1. public's support for the Spanish-American War. The USS Maine was stationed outside of Havana, Cuba (then a colony of Spain). Its explosion was widely (and most likely incorrectly) attributed to Spanish tampering and thus was used as a reason to declare war. Yellow journalism spread these messages to the public who widely believed the insidious nature of the Spanish illustrated by this journalism.
