The M Files: The Great American “ism” Debate by Matt Hurley
Reports frequently indicate that other nations are perceiving American action as an indicator of “imperialism.” Rarely does the American media report the facts about American military activity for what it is: benevolent altruism or defense. Of course, portraying Americans as the proverbial good guys, is not fashionable in media circles so the American media chooses not to defend their nation hiding behind what they call objectivity.
The United States has not acted as an imperialist power since its formation from thirteen colonies of a European power. Europeans have been imperialistic throughout history yet you don’t hear the media being too concerned when they deploy. Rather, the media would have us believe that Europe is the savior of the world. France and Germany especially have this high opinion of themselves. Lest we remind them of Napoleon and Hitler, two of the most famous imperialists the world has ever witnessed. Asia isn’t in the clear either. We have to remind them of Emperor Hirohito and Chairman Mao Tse-tung.
Throughout our history, the United States has done what we felt was right, secured the future of democracy, and then turned over control to the rightful owners. I don’t see a star on our flag for Grenada or Haiti (or France for that matter). We fight to protect our interests and way of life and struggle so that all the nations of the world can prosper and be free.
There are those who will point to our annexation of the Philippines as an indicator of our imperialistic intentions. At the turn of the century, Americans were divided over the issue of claiming the Philippines. In 1900, presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan made anti-imperialism a major campaign topic. Once defeated by President William McKinley, some concluded that Americans were satisfied with the concept of expansion abroad. The debate raged on well after the election. McKinley felt that turning the Philippines back over to Spain (with whom we were fighting a war) was unwise; would have been bad business to allow France or Germany to take over; feared anarchy would ravage the Philippines if left on their own; thus, he chose to “uplift” them. The point is that the United States did not annex the Philippines for imperialist reasons, but rather (misguided or otherwise) to protect the Philippines from self destruction. This reasoning is quite the height of hubris, but it seemed the wisest course, at the time, to the administration. Especially since there was no United Nations or other multi-national humanitarian organization to govern the Philippines.
Modern American history has proven our desire to protect and defend democracy anywhere and everywhere. Those who seek to tarnish our reputation as altruistic and benevolent champions of freedom and peace, will always try to befuddle our record by constant thrashing, muckraking, and pretense. They do so out of fear and ignorance. Fear of losing what power they hold and ignorance of the American spirit. They confuse confidence for conceit; patriotism with nationalism; and determination for malevolence. We as a people, must espouse our virtue and character at every opportunity; must diligently repel danger and provide sanctuary; and engage in the good fight against tyranny and oppression. As the last superpower, we must exceed the highest standards of morality and conduct. It is a noble obligation that every American must undertake and conquer, whether on the battlefield or in life, in order to achieve true victory and honor. Scandals and villains will appear; we must be vigilant in order to vanquish them. We should expect the questioning of our motive, but we should always respond to that challenge.
Finally, I leave you with this thought: If the United States really were imperialist, Europe would have been conquered by now. After World War II, we would have taken over Europe if that were the case. Instead, we rebuilt Europe and encouraged the formation of the United Nations.
