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Mark Twain Anti-imperialist

__Occupation__: American author; Vice president of the Anti-Imperialist League from 1901 until his death in 1910

__Position on issue__: Mark Twain weighed in with cynical attacks at a roaming American government that was betraying the principles it allegedly upheld; Anti-imperialist. The United States does not intend to free, but to subjugate the people of the Philippines, we have gone there to conquer, not to redeem. " I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.”

__List of reasons for interest in topic__: Opposition to the war influenced Mark Twain to found the Anti-Imperialists League on June 15. 1898 to battle the American annexation of the Philippines as an "insular" area. The anti-imperialists opposed the expansion because they believed imperialism violated the credo of republicanism especially the need for the “consent of the governed.” The League declared: "is hostile to liberty and tends towards militarism, an evil from which it is our glory to be free." The "large policy" of global expansion would mean never-ending war and preparation for war; and that would mean ever-increasing government control and ever-higher taxes.

__Works Cited__:

"American Foreign Policy -- The Turning Point, 1898-1919, Part 3." //Welcome to The Future of Freedom Foundation//. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. .

"Mark Twain and the Onset of the Imperialist Period Imperialist Period." //Internationalist Group -- Reforge the Fourth International!// Web. 27 Mar. 2011. .

"Mark Twain on Imperialism - HistoryWiz Primary Source Imperialism." //HistoryWiz: for Students, Teachers and Lovers of History//. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. .