THE PATRIOT, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, April 26, 1898  

* Spanish-America War begins
* United States declares war 

A nice issue on the United States entering into war with Spain. The front page has: "A FORMAL DECLARATION OF WAR" "Congress Acts Promptly On the President's Recommendation--Sherman Resigns...War Department Calls On the States For Their Quota of the Volunteer Army...".
Also on the front page: "MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT" "Recommendation That Congress Formally Declare War Sent In With Copies of the Recent Correspondence With Spain". Also: "National Guard Called To Army" with other related subheads as well.
Eight pages, nice condition.

Background: This April 26, 1898 edition of The Patriot serves as a pristine primary source capturing the exact legislative and political ignition of the Spanish-American War, a conflict that fundamentally transformed the United States from an isolationist nation into a global imperial power. By front-paging President William McKinley’s message to Congress and the subsequent "Formal Declaration of War," the publication documents the precise moment the federal government retroactively legalised hostilities, giving naval blockades international standing and mobilizing the state national guards—including Pennsylvania's—to meet federal volunteer army quotas. Furthermore, the headline noting the abrupt resignation of Secretary of State John Sherman highlights the deep ideological fractures within the administration, as older, cautious statesmen were forcefully displaced by a new wave of aggressive, expansionist foreign policy. Ultimately, this specific issue is historically significant because it visualizes the rapid, multi-front transition of American society toward total wartime mobilization, charting the exact days the U.S. stepped onto the world stage to strip Spain of its remaining empire in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.