Relying on fascinating primary source material -- including archival photographs, newsreel footage and newspaper clippings -- this History Channel documentary examines the Spanish-American War as it was presented to and viewed by citizens of the time. The result is a thought-provoking program that's as much about the fourth estate's influential role as it is about the 1898 war's complex causes. Actor Fritz Weaver narrates.

As a war, it was small, nasty, and suspicious. As news, it was a godsend. The Spanish American War has massive public impact: it united a nascent nation and trumpeted its global ambitions while heralding the decline of a tired empire.

From the slow build-up of public antagonism towards Spain to the sensationalist coverage of the U.S.S. Maine explosion, The History Channel® reanimates the personalities and events of the 1898 conflict and naval experts. Marvel at the inflammatory rhetoric of "yellow journalism" - including the many errors and fabrications that marred coverage - and watch Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charge San Juan Hill.

The Spanish American War: Birth of a Superpower offers a revealing inquiry into the conflict that sparked the power of the press and thrust America onto the world stage.