Mark Twain
He was against imperialism. He spoke out against what happened in the Philippines during the Philippine-American War before 1899, twain was an ardent imperialist. In the late 1860s and early 1870s, he spoke out strongly in favor of American interests in the Hawaiian Islands In the mid-1890s he explained later; he was "a red-hot imperialist. I wanted the American eagle to go screaming over the Pacific." He said the war with Spain in 1898 was "the worthiest" war ever fought. In 1899, he reversed course, and from 1901, soon after his return from Europe, until his death in 1910, twain was vice-president of the American Anti-Imperialist League. He wasn't happy about what happened in the Philippines and believed the US should not interfere
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Today we are making more than we can use... Therefore we must find new markets for our produce, new occupation for our capital, new work for our labor. As our commerce spreads, the flag of liberty will circle the globe and the highway of the ocean - carrying trade to all mankind - will be guarded by the guns of the republic. Many Americans feel it was not only our responsibility and duty but it was also a mandate by God.
Mark: if the United States stayed in the Philippines, One would be that Americans would corrupt themselves because of the brutal way in which they had to fight this war that was an immoral war and Americans shouldn't be involved in it. The other argument that the anti-imperialists made was that even if McKinley won this war, he could not extend constitutional rights to the Filipinos, that the American Constitution was only meant for certain races and would only extend as far as the American continent.
Keith: an immoral war? It seems to me that God, with infinite wisdom and skill, is training the Anglo-Saxon race for an hour sure to come in the world’s future. The lands of the earth are limited, and soon will be taken. Then will the world enter upon a new stage in its history- the final competition of the
In the late 19th century the U.S. got possession of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines and the Anti-imperialist league were people who disagreed with U.S. 's colonial expansion and how it was becoming an imperial power. Both Moorfield Storey and Carl Schurz were Anti-imperialist. Storey believed that a country 's worth should not be measured by its might or size rather it should be measured by its moral standing. Carl Schurz believed that fake patriots always call for war but are unwilling to fight it, they do it just so they can be called brave and patriots. The War prayer was the antiwar piece that was written by mark twain.
This had many consequences especially for the people of the lands we now controlled. McKinley had promised the people of the Philippines independence but later decided to keep their land anyways. According to the US Department of State, this resulted in the Philippine American war during which 4,200 American and over 20,000 Filipino combatants were killed. There were also about 200,000 Filipino civilians who died from a variety of causes such as their villages being burned by US forces, starvation, and disease. Many in the US opposed McKinley’s choice to colonize the Philippines and he definitely could have pulled out of this war at any time over the 3 years it lasted.
It is against the Declaration of Independence to inflict the democratic government on a group of people who do not have the wish to be governed, therefore denying the basic human right of liberty (Document 2).Sumner was a strong believer in Social Darwinism, which accredits his issues with helping the people of the Philippines adopt a democratic government. Mark Twain, great American author- thought that the United States should be given consent to govern by the governed, rather than placing unfamiliar customs on the Filipino people. There was also concern as to the spread of foreign expansion. The Philippines are geographically located a great distance away than any other territory acquired by the United States (Document 7). The location of the Philippines worried some because it had the potential to make the United States involved in affairs in the eastern hemisphere.
Blacks such as E. E. Cooper advocated for the war because black participation in the war would bring about an era of good feeling throughout the country and form a more compact bond between all races (Doc. 1). Others, too, supported the war because of the strong belief that other nations could bloom under American assistance. For instance, Theodore Roosevelt, who was a strong imperialist supported the war and imperialistic ideals. Roosevelt most willingly criticized anyone against the annexation of the Philippines. He thought that people of the Philippines were “utterly unfit for self government,” and the only way they would have ever been saved is if America parented them and helped them gain prosperity (Doc. 5).
During the time of imperialism, Racism was a massive problem that was plaguing the US and this was without the Filipinos so that there was no way that the American people could get along with the Filipinos if they couldn’t with the Blacks and treat them as social and political equals. Some people thought of imperialism as a way for the US to spread its wings of liberty and free the people of other nations, while others knew this was not the case (Doc 7.). One example of
Theodore Roosevelt is considered as one of the most active and energetic Presidents in American history. The 26th President of the United States had a reputation of bringing attention to Progressive issues at national level. His speech, “The Strenuous Life” reflects his own life experiences, efforts and hardships in life. Roosevelt gave the speech to a group of wealthy people before the Hamilton Club, Chicago on April 10, 1899 after the America Senate signed agreement with Spain that established Philippines as a colony of American state. In his speech, Roosevelt addresses the American nation to shoulder their responsibilities nationally and internationally.
Their efforts were not successful on a large scale because of the great momentum the movement had taken up in the end of the 19th century. The political cartoonist Thomas Nast, renowned for exposing the infamous misdeeds of Boss Tweed, created the cartoon depicted in Document A. It shows the great powers England, Germany, and Russia divvying up the world into their spoils bags, which parodies imperialism and shows its viewed immorality. Nast’s drawing is an attempt to detach the United States from similarities to the expansionist nations by showing the injustice of their actions. More blatant in desire against expansionism and imperialism was the American Anti-Imperialist league, who attempted to dissuade the Americans from continuing to pursue overseas ventures, especially in the Philippines.
In the late 1800’s Imperialism had begun because the Europeans were greedy for power. They would conquer other small weak nations for many reasons such as a source of raw material, gaining more territory, and gaining control of people and using them as cheap laborers. Spain once was a great nation governing over the Philippines, Guam, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. During this time, the Philippines and Cuba were the only ones fighting for freedom and independence out of the four countries under the control of Spain. Later on, Rumors had spread to the US that the Spanish were being cruel to the Cubans and the Philippines.
The US should not have annexed the Philippines because it would be hypocritical of Americans, the
Victory for War In The War Prayer by Mark Twain,he talked about soldiers going to war and it relates kind of to all the wars that have happened before. He talks a lot about describing what the soldiers would go through and their families. He explained how soldiers were really patriotic about the war and the families saying a “ long prayer”. Twain uses satire to express what he thinks about war throughout his prompt he's describing about war and all the praying they did towards the soldiers who left to fight.
Causes of Imperialism The acceleration of Imperialism during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that greatly impacted the world, is due to multiple economic, political, and social forces. Imperialism, a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force, was becoming drastically more and more important for European and Asian countries. Ultimately, the advancements during the Industrial Revolution made Imperialism easier, and on a very large scale for many European countries. Although there were many factors that contributed to Imperialism by ways of economic, political, and social forces, some proved to be more significant and influential than others.
Mark Twain uses satire to portray different issues that were going on during the time period. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Twain uses Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer to represent romanticism and realism. Doing so formed the characters into two drastically different persons. Mark Twain uses satirical elements to contrast the two main characters in their personalities and views. Tom Sawyer is a child who is blinded with fictional literature and the worlds view on slaves.
Mark Twain's Use of Satire in Huckleberry Finn Throughout his pieces of literature, the famous American author Mark Twain portrays his personal views of society using satire and irony in his stories. He makes fun of broken parts in the American society relentlessly and makes sure the readers understand how outrageous some acts were during the early-to-mid 1800s. Twain seems to target specific aspects in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn such as how young people could be conflicted between morality and legality, the loss of self-respect for money, and the effects of herd mentality. He has an interesting approach at giving the reader insight, but his main ideas for the theme shine through and are clearly depicted.
In China, Twain’s work have been translated many times and is teached in many schools. Mark Twain is considered the strongest support to anti-imperialism, he even defend the essay several years later with speeches and articles. But his main goal is freedom, freedom for other countries as they fight for them. As one of Mark Twain quote puts it: ““It is a worthy thing to fight for one’s freedom; it is another sight finer to fight for another
Throughout human history, war has been a common solution to settle conflict or disagreements between people. War has and will always be apart of this world, because no matter how much death it causes humans will never change. Some people have come to see the idiocy in war and have even written about it in poems, short stories, etc. One of these people, Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, has mocked this absurd and pointless practice. Twain’s essay The War Prayer satirizes the customs of praying for safety and victory in war and for equating war with patriotism.