Albert Shaw `The Blowing Up of the Maine`

Maine was making a visit of courtesy seemed to these Spaniards a further example of Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy And , finally , he adds , .Spain on her part was trying to raise money to buy ships and secure allies ' Shaw 's s lead the reader to assume that a Spanish attack on America was imminent and something that America prepare for and expect . Again , Shaw expresses his opinions without supporting data . He makes no references to Spanish official documents or policies , or to statements made by Spanish leaders , that would prove Spain harbored ill

feelings towards Americans or intended to attack the United States . Instead , he incites America 's emotions with his allusions that Spain caused the destruction of the USS Maine and has been preparing for war with America

Finally , Shaw appeals to American patriotism by discussing actions performed by the federal government and the subsequent growth of the military . He uses a mixture of fact and opinion , again presuming the entire American population is aware of a series of actions undertaken by the American government to prepare for war against Spain . He does not however , provide verification of the information he writes . He states the following

The whole country has known that .government work was being prosecuted with double or quadruple forces of men , working by night as well as by day that ammunition factories , iron and steel plants , and every other establishment capable of furnishing any kind of military or naval supplies were receiving s from the government and were working to the full extent of their capacity that our naval representatives were negotiating abroad for additional warships that new regiments of artillerymen were being enlisted for the big guns on the seaboard that naval recruits were being mustered in to man newly commissioned ships that the railroads were...