Historians have long been intrigued by the role that the press played in McKinley’s decision to intervene in Cuba in 1898. Most, however, have focused their attention on the decade of the 1890s, ignoring the long history of interventionism aimed at Cuba. This essay uses the story of William L. Crittenden to explore the many instances where interventionists tried (and failed) to drum up support for Cuban intervention. Crittenden was executed by the Spanish in 1851 after a failed filibuster raid. Over the next four decades, interventionists wrote newspaper accounts, held boisterous public meetings, penned poems, and published novels that demanded revenge upon Spain. Yet Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses Grant, and Grover Cleveland did not choose to intervene. By focusing on nearly five decades as opposed to a single year, this essay calls into question the idea that the press reflected public opinion and challenges the larger assertion that the “Yellow Press” propelled the United States into a war with Spain. Whether they shouted “Remember the Maine,” “Remember the Virginius,” or “Remember Crittenden,” writers, editors, poets, and journalists simply did not have the power to control public opinion and certainly did not prove to be successful at manipulating presidents to intervene.

中文翻译：

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迟来的复仇：“黄色新闻”和对古巴的长期探索，1851-1898

长期以来，历史学家一直对媒体在麦金莱 1898 年干涉古巴的决定中所扮演的角色感兴趣。然而，大多数人都将注意力集中在 1890 年代，而忽视了针对古巴的干涉主义的悠久历史。本文利用威廉·L·克里滕登的故事来探讨干预主义者试图（但失败）为古巴干预争取支持的许多例子。1851 年，克里滕登在一次阻挠袭击失败后被西班牙人处决。在接下来的四十年里，干涉主义者撰写报纸报道、举行热闹的公开会议、写诗并出版小说，要求对西班牙进行报复。然而米勒德·菲尔莫尔、富兰克林·皮尔斯、詹姆斯·布坎南、尤利西斯·格兰特和格罗弗·克利夫兰并没有选择干预。通过关注近五年而不是一年，本文对媒体反映公众舆论的观点提出了质疑，并对“黄色媒体”推动美国与西班牙发生战争的更广泛的说法提出了挑战。无论他们高喊“记住缅因号”、“记住维吉尼亚号”还是“记住克里滕登”，作家、编辑、诗人和记者根本没有能力控制公众舆论，当然也没有证明能够成功地操纵总统介入。