Early in 1898, the battleship USS Maine was sent to Havana. Supposedly undertaken to protect U.S. interests in Cuba, this action was a blatant effort to change Spanish colonial policies. Then, on the night of February 15, the Maine blew up in Havana Harbor with the loss of 260 lives. Though the exact cause of the explosion was unknown, the loss of the Maine became the focal point for Americans who sought war. The cry 'Remember the Maine - to hell...