Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 The USS Maine was sent to Havana to show the Spanish that the United States was serious about their independence movement. However, on February 15, 1898, a tremendous explosion shattered windows across Havana, and a fireball boiled into the night sky. Only eighty-nine men made it off the ship.#2 The explosion of the Maine raised tensions between America and Spain, and Congress prepared to spend $50 million on defense. Theodore Roosevelt, the most energetic assistant secretary of the Navy, was in charge of buying or leasing ships for the Navy.#3 As spring arrived, preparations were underway to defend the East Coast from Spanish attack. The Navy had plans for an early-warning system along the Atlantic coast. If a Spanish ship was sighted 150 miles out, homing pigeons with messages attached to their legs were to be released.#4 President McKinley was extremely reluctant to get involved in Cuba, but the pressure from his party to do something about the situation grew. He was horrified at the thought of another war, and did nothing to stop Roosevelt’s aggressive actions.