Against the Beast: A Documentary History of American Opposition to Empire (Nation Books)

Our form of government, our traditions, our present interests, and our future welfare, all forbid our entering upon a career of conquest, argued William Jennings Bryan, Colin Powell's predecessor as America's Secretary of State. American anti-imperialist tradition dates back to before the Declaration of Independence: Presidents Washington and Jefferson warned against imperialism in their farewell addresses to the country, Abraham Lincoln led the fight in Congress against wars of conquest, Henry David Thoreau spent his celebrated night in jail as part of a protest against an imperialist war, and Frederick Douglass, Jr., and Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois wrote extensively on expansionism. As the Bush administration seeks to spread American influence further than ever before, more Americans are asking whether imperialism threatens to destroy not just distant lands but the United States itself. Against the Beast collects the writings, speeches, comments, and cartoons of American anti-imperialist campaigners from four centuries, making the case that this finest of American traditions must be respected and renewed.