The war that broke out between the United States and Spain in 1898 was one in which the American press played a central role. As Cuban patriots fought for freedom from Spanish rule, the "yellow press" led by William Randolph Hearst's New York Journalfanned the flames of anti-Spanish sentiment by heavily slanting news reports from Cuba. The results of the fighting were short and decisive: the U.S. destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila, Teddy Roosevelt made a name for himself by leading the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill, and America emerged as a new international power in Latin America and the Far East.
Young Glorywas one of several dime novel publications devoted to the Spanish-American War that appeared during the conflict. In this cover illustration from August 1898, the series' hero Young Glory overpowers a Spaniard on land as the American fleet fires upon an enemy ship at sea. The jingoism fueling such war stories went hand-in-hand with reports in the yellow press and was instrumental in promoting American imperialist attitudes during this period.