Following the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898, pro-war arguments prevailed in the American press, influencing public opinion in favor of engaging in the Spanish-American War--or so goes the popular version of events. Yet there was a substantial anti-imperialist segment of the public that tried to halt the advance towards conflict. Drawing on a range of contemporary sources, the author analyzes the anti-war arguments that preceded the Spanish-American War and continued during the war in the Philippines. News articles, letters to editors, opinion pieces and the yellow journalism of the day show how anti-war groups ultimately failed in their political goal to prevent a war with Spain.