The Nature of American Territorial Expansion

Extract

America has been commonly portrayed by American statesmen and politicians, even in fervid Independence Day orations, as a nation whose policy is ever for peace, and as a nation harboring no imperialistic aims. A certain group of thinkers—or feelers—have boasted of the extreme pacifism and righteousness of America in this way in order to intensify and reenforce and promote those policies for the future. These good people have hoped to see America lead the way to a repudiation of militaristic methods and the gospel of conquest. Such are the pacifists, the church people, the reformers. A second group of people have firmly believed that, in actual fact, the record compelled and imposed on them such an interpretation of American policy.