De+Lome+Letter

February 05, 1898 ** The De Lôme Letter ** Published by Hearst’s New York Journal, the De Lôme letter enraged Americans across the country. This letter was intended to be sent from the Spanish Minister to the U.S. Enrique Dupuy de Lôme to a friend in Cuba. In the letter, de Lôme stated the McKinley was, **// "weak, and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd." //**



The letter continued, criticizing the American government, President McKinley and the United States national honor. After reading this, newspapers across America spr ead word of                 the derogatory remark. American nationalism spread like wild fire across the country, while tempers reached the boiling point. Many United States citizens felt this meant-to-be-private letter was an official Spanish insult against America and the government. It would only take one more spark to launch the United States into the Spanish-American War.