Imperialism speech
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"Imperialism: Flag of an Empire" is a famous speech by
William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...
that was delivered in
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
, on August 8, 1900. It was made in the context of the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
in
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
and its aftermath. In the speech, Bryan, a prominent American politician of the 1890s, warned against the harms and hubris of
American imperialism American imperialism refers to the expansion of American political, economic, cultural, and media influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. Depending on the commentator, it may include imperialism through outright military conquest ...
. The speech is the one that is most commented on and his only speech whose main subject was imperialism that has been transcribed. Bryan calls for a rejection of imperialism in American policy on the grounds that it is directly opposed to basic American values. He makes several references throughout the speech that call upon the ideals of
democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
and basic
human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
.


Political context

Bryan gave the speech during his campaign for his candidacy for the presidency in the 1900 election, when he ran under the banner of
anti-imperialism 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 (usually in the form of an empire, but also in a multi-ethnic so ...
for the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
. Both the Democratic Party and Bryan posed anti-imperialism as the central issue of the campaign. The Republican Party defended its proposed policies of annexing the Philippines as a form of expansionism that would make the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
more powerful. Before the 1900 election, 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 Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...
.


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 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 mili ...
; and forcing the
Filipinos Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or othe ...
to be subjects of the United States, rather than citizens of their own state. Bryan also contrasts American policy in Cuba against the situation in the Philippines by saying that giving the Cubans freedom and not doing the same with the Filipinos is contradictory and goes against the precedent set in Cuba. In the speech, Bryan states that America should not use its power to spread its forces. He appeals to the values that he says are inherent in American democracy and states that America should follow the words of its past presidents, specifically
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
and
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
. 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 Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. Firstly, Bryan says that accepting an imperialist policy would abandon the heritage of American democracy that made the country the world power that it then was. Secondly, he says that trade done under the mantle of
colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
would be neither legitimate nor long sustainable. Thirdly, he says that fighting wars in the name of Christianity is "gun-powder gospel" and would defeat the purpose of such wars.


References


External links

Complete text of the speech
at AmericanRhetoric.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Imperialism speech 1900 in Indiana History of United States expansionism William Jennings Bryan 1900 speeches Speeches about colonialism Imperialism Anti-imperialism