The USS Maine

      At the time Cuba was in a revolt against Spain trying to gain Independence.  But America was interests in Cuba because they could get raw goods such as sugar. The USS Maine was deployed to protect Cuba and in the night of February,15,1895 the ship blew up. 266 people lost their lives to the explosion. America immediately blamed Spain and a few months later we went to war against Spain.
later we found out that the gun powder exploded in the front storage compartment. Now most of the bodies are berried at Arlington national cemetery and the mast is also their.

pages 308,309 in textbook