What two incidents that brought demands for war with Spain were?

* The sinking of the USS Maine: On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, killing 266 American sailors. The cause of the explosion was never definitively determined, but many Americans blamed Spain, which controlled Cuba at the time.

* The De Lôme Letter: In early 1898, a private letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish Minister to the United States, was published in an American newspaper. The letter contained disparaging remarks about President William McKinley and the American people. The publication of the letter further inflamed anti-Spanish sentiment in the United States.