109: The Election of 1900 & the Rise of Anti-Imperialism

History That Doesn't Suck

ProfGregJackson

Education, History, Society & Culture

4.5 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2022

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Only dead men can tell the truth in this world. It can be published after I am dead.” This is the story of imperialism and presidential politics: the election of 1900. US President William McKinley is looking for reelection. The economy is strong, the nation is powerful, and it's expanding overseas. For many Americans, that all sounds and looks rather good. But for others, this overseas imperial expansion is a betrayal of American values. With famous names like Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie behind a new Anti-Imperialist League, the Democrats seize on this energy as they nominate William Jennings Bryan to take (again) on Will McKinley in the contest for the White House. But can the charismatic, silver-tongued silverite–WJB–compete with the Republican’s own dynamic, energetic candidate? No, no, not William McKinley, but his new VP running mate: the veteran Rough Rider and Governor of New York Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:45.5	history that doesn't suck. To keep up with HTT-S news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter,
0:49.9	or Instagram. It's an unspecified day, likely 1905. The famous American author, Samuel L.
1:03.2	Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, is in his home at 21st 5th Avenue in
1:08.6	Grandage Village, New York City. He's comfortable. The white-haired rider with a walrus mustache
1:15.1	is wearing his dressing gown and slippers. And that's when his illustrator and friend,
1:20.3	Dan Beard, drops in. What the details of this visit are? I can't say. But at some point,
1:26.9	Mark Twain, who, in the wake of the Spanish American and Philippine American Wars, has become
1:32.6	vice president of the American anti-imperialist league, decides to read a new short story of
1:38.2	his to Dan. It's called The War Prayer. Let's listen in as Mark reads.
1:48.2	It was a time of great and exulting excitement. The country was up in arms. The war was on.
1:54.2	In every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism. The drums were beating. The bands playing.
2:01.0	The toy pistols popping. The bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering. On every hand and far
2:07.2	down, the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies, a fluttering wilderness of flags
	...

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