The nature of American democracy has created an inextricable link between public opinion and foreign policy. From the earliest days of the republic, the makers of foreign policy have found their ability to make war constrained by public opinion, and the public has often found itself the target of myriad groups seeking to manipulate its views for or against war.

The Spanish American War

In the run-up to war with Spain in 1898, public opinion exercised a decisive influence. The yellow press biased public opinion against Spain, as did the publication of the de Lôme letter, an intercepted correspondence by the Spanish Minister ridiculing President William McKinley, and the destruction of the USS Maine in the harbor at Havana, Cuba, with the loss of 266 lives. The heady mixture of indignation and outrage created by these incidents overwhelmed McKinley and forced him to bow to congressional pressure...