ABSTRACT
The Spanish-American War lasted only four months—from April through July, 1898—and is usually overshadowed by the conflicts that preceded and followed it, namely the Civil War and World War I. Yet the consequences of US engagement in Cuba and the Philippines were significant. Americans grappled with the new reality of the nation as a player on the world stage. Spurred by sympathy with the Cuban struggle for independence and outrage over the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbor, men rushed to volunteer for duty. Thousands drilled in stateside camps, where regimental buglers sounded the calls, and bands entertained with popular songs, such as “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight” and marches like “El Capitan” by John Philip Sousa. Music played much the same role in the army and domestically that it had in the Civil War. Tin Pan Alley composers churned out dozens of songs glorifying North-South unity, soldiers and sailors, and heroes like Admiral George Dewey. Sheet music fed the market for home entertainment, and the syncopated rhythms of ragtime, introduced by African American performers, could be heard across the country.
