Meredith+B.+-+PA+-+SP10

Occupation:
I am first and foremost a writer. My travels around the country have been turned into classic masterpieces. I am especially well known for my writings of //The Adventures of Tom Sawyer// and //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//, which accurately portrayed American frontier life. Even as a writer I was a rebel, choosing to write about topics which differed from the typical New England style writings. I have always been aware of the atrocities of racism and have incorporated many of these themes into my writings.

Position:
I am without a doubt a strong anti-imperialist. I must admit that this was not always my view. When the Spanish-American War first broke out, I was living in Austria. There I was exposed to Spanish rule, so I initially supported American imperialism in the hopes that we would be able to free Cuba from Spanish misrule. However, I then realized the true motives of American involvement with Cuba, and I was disgusted. McKinley and the press provoked the war

The situation in the Philippines has gotten far out of hand. America has committed many atrocities on the islands and needs to back off. At first, our intentions seemed admirable: free the Filipinos from Spanish misrule, help them to set up their own democratic government, then allow them their independence. I then began to understand that American imperialists were not trying to free the Filipinos, but conquer them. Upon my return to the United States in 1900, I publicly made my opinion very clear. I am famously quoted for telling the press that “I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.” After reading my strong statements in the news, the Anti-Imperialist League extended to me the position of vice president, which I readily accepted.

The events occurring in the Philippines sicken me. I have yet to understand why Americans fought to free Cubans from reconcentration camps, when we are using the same brutal treatment to the Filipinos. The US allied with a Filipino resistance organization, the Katipunan, under lies. The Filipinos have been tortured by Americans by using water treatment and by massacring the men, women, and children of the islands. The Filipinos clearly no longer, or perhaps never did, want our intervention in their country. There is no reason to force our government upon them.

Reasons for Interest:
- I have had a deeper understanding of racism than most. While working as a newspaper reporter in San Francisco during the Civil War, I experienced the cruel treatment of the Chinese population. I also befriended the editor of //The Elevator//, an African American newspaper. From this point forward, I have had no tolerance for racial oppression.

- My vice presidency of the Anti-Imperialist League proves my dedication to the issue. I opposed any compromise whatsoever regarding imperialism, something rare among my fellow leaders.

- I used my influential pen to publish //To the Person Sitting in Darkness//, an anti-imperialist essay written for a newspaper. I condemned the world powers for their imperialistic actions and compared events of the Philippines, particularly the use of reconcentration camps, to those that occurred in South Africa under British power. I also showed my support of the Boxer Rebellion in China.

- Though I have been accused of treason and my words have been censored, I have never stopped fighting for my true beliefs and continue to defend my position.

- My interests in stopping imperialism are not solely domestic. I published an article about the overthrow of the Russian Tsar in 1905. I also wrote an article to raise money for the victims in Congo, who had fallen under Belgian imperialism and racism.

Works Cited:
"Mark Twain and the Onset of the Imperialist Period Imperialist Period." //Internationalist Group -- Reforge the Fourth International!// Web. 30 Mar. 2010. .

"Mark Twain on Imperialism - HistoryWiz Primary Source Imperialism." //HistoryWiz: for Students, Teachers and Lovers of History//. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. . "Mark Twain." //Spanish American War//. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. .