Documents on Informal Empire

Apostles of "Social Darwinism"

William Graham Sumner                                            Herbert Spencer

Social Darwinism was one of the principal ideological rationalizations for the late 19th century expansionist impulse.

W[illiam] G[raham] Sumner, "Socialism," Scribner's Monthly, vol. 16, issue 6 (October 1878).  A contemptuous dismissal of socialism written from the perspective of Social Darwinism.

A wonderful selection of anti-imperialist material is already available at Anti-Imperialism in the United States, 1898-1935

For that reason, the following selections are mainly pro-expansionist, or, if you like, pro-imperialist.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Alfred Thayer Mahan, Excerpt from The Influence of Sea Power Upon History (1890)

Josiah Strong on Anglo-Saxon Predominance, 1891

Luce, S. B, Rear-Admiral, "The Benefits of War," The North American Review, vol. 153, issue 421 (December 1891).

Mahan, A. T, Captain, U.S.N., "The Future in Relation to American Naval Power," Harper's New Monthly Magazine, vol. 91, issue 544 (September, 1895).

Schurz, Carl, "Manifest Destiny," Harper's New Monthly Magazine, vol. 87, issue 521 (October, 1893).

Adams, George Benton, "The United States and the Anglo-Saxon Future," The Atlantic Monthly, vol. 78, issue 465 (July 1896).

Henry Cabot Lodge, "For Intervention in Cuba," 1896

Confidential letter, Theodore Roosevelt to Alfred Thayer Mahan, "Obstacles to Immediate Expansion," 1897

Adams, George Burton, "A Century of Anglo-Saxon Expansion," The Atlantic Monthly, vol. 79, issue 474 (Apr 1897).

William McKinley, "The Acquisition of the Philippines," 1898

Wilson, James H, General, "America's Interests in China," The North American Review, vol. 166, issue 495 (February 1898).

Conant, Charles A., "The Economic Basis of 'Imperialism'," The North American Review, vol. 167, issue 502 (September 1898).

The Open Door Note, Submitted by U.S. Secretary of State, John Hay, September 6, 1899

Barrett, John, "America's Duty in China," The North American Review, vol. 171, issue 525 (August 1900).

John Hobson on imperialism, 1902 - a classic critique of imperialism.

In the preparation of this page, I benefited substantially from these sites:

Making of America - Ambitious attempt by Cornell University library to make significant primary documents available on-line.

Documents relating to American foreign policy, pre-1898 - Extensive links maintained by Prof. Vincent Ferraro,  Mount Holyoke College

Documents relating to American foreign policy, 1898-1914 - More links from Prof. Ferraro at Mount Holyoke College

Additional Documents are available at the Internet Modern History Sourcebook at Fordham University.

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