This program uses authentic photos and drawings made on the scene as the backdrop to the story of the initiation of, preparation for, and fighting of the Spanish American War. Walter Millis, military historian and author of "The Martial Spirit; a study of our war with Spain", sketches the events and personalities of the U.S. intervention into Cuba's revolt against Spain, beginning with the mysterious explosion of the battleship "Maine" in Havana Harbor. Mr. Millis highlights the various roles played by Theodore Roosevelt throughout the episode as well as the military strategy of such leaders as Spanish Admiral Pascual Cervera and U.S. Army General William Shafter. He explains how the scope of the war extended to Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines and resulted in the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands.

With the assistance of sketches, photos, and a reenactment of John Brown's trial and indictment, Dr. C. Vann Woodward, history professor at Johns Hopkins University, describes the details of John Brown's failed slave insurrection of 1859 and sketches in the historical and biographical background. A copy of Brown's "Provisional Constitution and Ordinances" is shown and Brown's famous trial speech is recited. Dr. Woodward concludes with comments on whether the end justified the means.