Imperialism speech

Last updated

William Jennings Bryan, a prominent American politician in the 1890s, made a speech during his political career that warned against the harms and hubris of American imperialism. This speech was made in the context of the Spanish–American War in Cuba and in the Philippines and the aftermath. Bryan delivered his famous speech in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 8, 1900; it was entitled "Imperialism: Flag of an Empire." [1] This was the speech that is most commented on and the only speech whose main subject was imperialism from Bryan that has been transcribed. Bryan calls for a rejection of imperialism in American policy on the grounds that imperialism is directly opposed to basic American values. He makes several references throughout the speech calling upon the ideals of democracy and basic human rights.

William Jennings Bryan United States Secretary of State

William Jennings Bryan was an American orator and politician from Nebraska. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, standing three times as the party's nominee for President of the United States. He also served in the United States House of Representatives and as the United States Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson. Just before his death he gained national attention for attacking the teaching of evolution in the Scopes Trial. Because of his faith in the wisdom of the common people, he was often called "The Great Commoner".

Imperialism creation of an unequal relationship between states through domination

Imperialism is policy or ideology of extending a nation's rule over foreign nations, often by military force or by gaining political and economic control of other areas. Imperialism was both normal and common worldwide throughout recorded history, the earliest examples dating from the mid-third millennium BC, diminishing only in the late 20th century. In recent times, it has been considered morally reprehensible and prohibited by international law. Therefore, the term is used in international propaganda to denounce an opponent's foreign policy.

Spanish–American War Conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States

The Spanish–American War was an armed conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898. Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of USS Maine in Havana harbor in Cuba, leading to U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. The war led to emergence of U.S. predominance in the Caribbean region, and resulted in U.S. acquisition of Spain's Pacific possessions. That led to U.S. involvement in the Philippine Revolution and ultimately in the Philippine–American War.

Contents

Political context

Bryan gave the speech during his campaign for his candidacy for the presidency in the United States presidential election, 1900. Bryan ran under the banner of anti-imperialism for the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party and Bryan posed anti-imperialism as the central issue of the campaign. [2] The Republican Party defended its proposed policies of annexing the Philippines as a form of expansionism that would make the United States more powerful. Before the Presidential Election of 1900, Bryan was not clearly anti-imperialist; his stance on imperialist policies had shifted over time, as seen by his initial support of the Spanish–American War and the Treaty of Paris. [3]

Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is a term used in a variety of contexts, usually by nationalist movements who want to secede from a larger polity or as a specific theory opposed to capitalism in Marxist–Leninist discourse, derived from Vladimir Lenin's work Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. A less common usage is by supporters of a non-interventionist foreign policy.

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.

Republican Party (United States) Major political party in the United States

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

Content and themes

Bryan focuses on how imperialism is a moral issue for the American peoples. It is framed as an attack on McKinley's foreign policy in the context of the Spanish–American War and the discussion of the annexation of the Philippines. Bryan argues that sustaining an imperialist policy would necessitate maintaining a large standing army, cultivating a culture of militarism, and forcing the Filipinos to be subjects of the United States rather than citizens of their own state. [4] Bryan also contrasts American policy in Cuba against the situation in the Philippines; he says that giving the Cubans freedom and not doing the same with the Filipinos is contradictory and goes against the precedent set in Cuba. [5] In the speech, Bryan states that America should not use its power to spread its forces. [6] He appeals to the values he says are inherent in American democracy and that America should follow the words of its past presidents, specifically Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. [7]

Militarism belief of government that it should maintain a strong military and be prepared to use it

Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the military and of the ideals of a professional military class and the "predominance of the armed forces in the administration or policy of the state".

Filipinos people native to or citizens of the islands of the Philippines

Filipinos are the people who are native to or identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various ethnolinguistic groups that are native to the islands or migrants from various Asia Pacific regions. Currently, there are more than 175 ethnolinguistic groups, each with its own language, identity, culture and history. The modern Filipino identity, with its Austronesian roots, was influenced by Spain, China, and the United States.

Abraham Lincoln 16th president of the United States

Abraham Lincoln was an American statesman, politician, and lawyer who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War, its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. He preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the U.S. economy.

He responds to the common arguments that the Republicans put forth in defense of imperialism, specifically the arguments based in the power of the United States in the international order, the commercial incentive, and the spread of Christianity. [8] First, he says that accepting an imperialist policy would abandon the heritage of American democracy that made the United States the world power it was at that time. [9] Second, he says that trade done under the mantle of colonialism would not be legitimate and would not be sustainable for long periods of time. [10] Third, he says that fighting wars in the name of Christianity is "gun-powder gospel" and would defeat the purpose of such wars. [11]

Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, as described in the New Testament. Its adherents, known as Christians, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and savior of all people, whose coming as the Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament.

Colonialism Creation, and maintenance of colonies by people from another territory

Colonialism is the policy of a nation seeking to extend or retain its authority over other people or territories, generally with the aim of opening trade opportunities. The colonizing country seeks to benefit from the colonized country or land mass. In the process, colonizers imposed their religion, economics, and medicinal practices on the natives. Some argue this was a positive move toward modernization, while other scholars counter that this is an intrinsically Eurocentric rationalization, given that modernization is itself a concept introduced by Europeans. Colonialism is largely regarded as a relationship of domination of an indigenous majority by a minority of foreign invaders where the latter rule in pursuit of its interests.

Related Research Articles

1900 United States presidential election

The United States presidential election of 1900 was the 29th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 1900. In a re-match of the 1896 race, Republican President William McKinley defeated his Democratic challenger, William Jennings Bryan. McKinley's victory made him the first president to win consecutive re-election since Ulysses S. Grant had accomplished the same feat in 1872.

Manifest destiny political catch phrase

In the 19th century, manifest destiny was a widely held belief in the United States that its settlers were destined to expand across North America. There are three basic themes to manifest destiny:

The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was a treaty signed by Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, that ended the Spanish–American War. In the treaty, Spain relinquished all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba, and ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. The cession of the Philippines involved a compensation of $20 million from the United States to Spain. The Treaty of Paris came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the documents of ratification were exchanged.

American imperialism

American imperialism is the term for a policy aimed at extending the political, economic, and cultural control of the United States government over areas beyond its boundaries. Depending on the commentator, it may include military conquest, gunboat diplomacy, unequal treaties, subsidization of preferred factions, economic penetration through private companies followed by intervention when those interests are threatened, or regime change.

Newlands Resolution joint resolution to annex the Republic of Hawaii

The Newlands Resolution was a joint resolution passed on July 4, 1898 by the United States Congress to annex the independent Republic of Hawaii. In 1900, Congress created the Territory of Hawaii. It was drafted by Congressman Francis G. Newlands of Nevada, a Democrat. Annexation was a highly controversial political issue along with the similar issue of the acquisition of the Philippines in 1898.

Moorfield Storey American lawyer, publicist, and civil rights leader

Moorfield Storey was an American lawyer, anti-imperial activist, and civil rights leader based in Boston, Massachusetts. According to Storey's biographer, William B. Hixson, Jr., he had a worldview that embodied "pacifism, anti-imperialism, and racial egalitarianism fully as much as it did laissez-faire and moral tone in government." Storey served as the founding president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), serving from 1909 to his death in 1929. He opposed United States expansionism beginning with the Spanish–American War.

American Anti-Imperialist League

Not to be confused with World Anti-Imperialist League of Comintern

George L. Wellington American politician

George Louis Wellington was a Republican member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland from 1897 to 1903. He also represented the sixth district of Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The White Mans Burden poem by the English poet Rudyard Kipling

The White Man's Burden: The United States and the Philippine Islands (1899), by Rudyard Kipling, is a poem about the Philippine–American War (1899–1902), which exhorts the U.S. to assume colonial control of the Filipino people and their country.

Edward Atkinson (activist) United States businessman and economist

Edward Atkinson was an economist, inventor, and a founder of the American Anti-Imperialist League.

The 1900 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention that took place the week of July 4, 1900, at Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri.

"To the Person Sitting in Darkness" is an essay by American humorist Mark Twain published in the North American Review in February 1901. It is a satire exposing imperialism as revealed in the Boxer Uprising and its aftermath, the Boer War, and the Philippine–American War expressing his anti-Imperialist views. It mentions the historical figures Emilio Aguinaldo, William McKinley, Joseph Chamberlain, William Scott Ament and others, and fueled the Twain–Ament indemnities controversy.

Presidency of William McKinley

The presidency of William McKinley began on March 4, 1897, when William McKinley was inaugurated and ended with his death on September 14, 1901. He is best known for leading the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, taking ownership of Hawaii, purchasing the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico, restoring prosperity, and promoting pluralism among all groups. It includes the 1897 Dingley Tariff to protect manufacturers and factory workers from foreign competition, and the Gold Standard Act of 1900 that rejected free silver inflationary proposals. Rapid economic growth and a decline in labor conflict also marked the presidency.

<i>A Peoples History of American Empire</i> book by Howard Zinn

A People's History of American Empire is a 2008 graphic history by Howard Zinn, Mike Konopacki, and Paul Buhle. The book combines material from Zinn's history book A People's History of the United States and his autobiography You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train with new material from other sources, most notably George Lipsitz's A Rainbow at Midnight: Labor and Culture in the 1940s and Jim Zwick's Mark Twain's Weapons of Satire: Anti-Imperialist Writings on the Philippine-American War. Various historic subjects are covered as well as Zinn's own history of involvement in activism and historic events. The book was the last of Zinn's books that was published within his lifetime.

Gerald Horne is an African-American historian who currently holds the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston.

This bibliography of William McKinley is a comprehensive list of written and published works about or by William McKinley, 25th President of the United States.

William Jennings Bryan presidential campaign, 1900

The 1900 United States presidential election took place after an economic recovery from the Panic of 1893 as well as after the Spanish–American War, with the economy, foreign policy, and imperialism being the main issues of the campaign. Ultimately, the incumbent U.S. President William McKinley ended up defeating the anti-imperialist William Jennings Bryan and thus won a second four-year term in office.

Clemencia López Founder of Associacion Feminista Filipina

Clemencia López was a Filipina activist involved in the movement for Philippine independence. López was born into a wealthy Filipino family, and many of her siblings were also notable activists in the struggle for Philippine independence. In 1901, López set out on a nearly two-year journey across the United States, petitioning for the freedom of three of her brothers who had been imprisoned by the American military in the Philippines. Throughout her stay in the United States, López drew attention to the Philippine independence movement, became the first Filipina to ever enter the White House, and spent time studying at Wellesley College. López returned to the Philippines in 1903 where she spent the remainder of her life campaigning for both Philippine independence and encouraging women to take on a greater role in public life.

References

  1. ↑ "William Jennings Bryan: Imperialism" American Rhetoric https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wjbryanimperialism.htm
  2. ↑ Stephen Randall "The Rhetoric of Imperialism: William Jennings Bryan and Theodore Roosevelt on the Philippine War" http://www2.edutech.nodak.edu/ndsta/rendahl.htm
  3. ↑ Modern America "Imperialism/Anti-Imperialism" https://wikis.nyu.edu/ek6/modernamerica/index.php/Imperialism/Anti-imperialism
  4. ↑ Gardner, Elizabeth (2010). "William Jennings Bryan, 'Imperialism' (8 August 1900)". Voices of Democracy. 5: 37–56.
  5. ↑ Modern America "Imperialism/Anti-Imperialism" https://wikis.nyu.edu/ek6/modernamerica/index.php/Imperialism/Anti-imperialism
  6. ↑ Modern America "Imperialism/Anti-Imperialism" https://wikis.nyu.edu/ek6/modernamerica/index.php/Imperialism/Anti-imperialism
  7. ↑ Modern America "Imperialism/Anti-Imperialism" https://wikis.nyu.edu/ek6/modernamerica/index.php/Imperialism/Anti-imperialism
  8. ↑ Gardner, Elizabeth (2010). "William Jennings Bryan, 'Imperialism' (8 August 1900)". Voices of Democracy. 5: 37–56.
  9. ↑ Gardner, Elizabeth (2010). "William Jennings Bryan, 'Imperialism' (8 August 1900)". Voices of Democracy. 5: 37–56.
  10. ↑ Gardner, Elizabeth (2010). "William Jennings Bryan, 'Imperialism' (8 August 1900)". Voices of Democracy. 5: 37–56.
  11. ↑ Gardner, Elizabeth (2010). "William Jennings Bryan, 'Imperialism' (8 August 1900)". Voices of Democracy. 5: 37–56.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.