The American Empire

E-text prepared by Peter Vachuska, Martin Pettit, and the Project
Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)



THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

by

SCOTT NEARING

Author of
"Wages in the United States"
"Income"
"Financing the Wage-Earner's Family"
"Anthracite"
"Poverty and Riches," etc.







New York
The Rand School of Social Science
7 East 15th Street
1921

All rights reserved

Copyright, 1921,
by the
Rand School of Social Science

First Edition, January, 1921
Second Edition, February, 1921




CONTENTS


PART I

WHAT IS AMERICA?

CHAPTER                                            PAGE

    I The Promise of 1776                             7

   II The Course of Empire                           14


PART II

THE FOUNDATIONS OF EMPIRE.

A. THE CONQUEST OF AMERICA.

  III Subjugating the Indians                        26

   IV Slavery for a Race                             38

    V Winning the West                               49

   VI The Beginnings of World Dominion               60

B. PLUTOCRACY.

  VII The Struggle for Wealth and Power              74

 VIII Their United States                            88

   IX The Divine Right of Property                  103


PART III

MANIFEST DESTINY.

    X Industrial Empires                            120

   XI The Great War                                 143

  XII The Imperial Highroad                         158


PART IV

THE UNITED STATES--A WORLD EMPIRE.

 XIII The United States as a World Competitor       177

  XIV The Partition of the Earth                    192

   XV Pan-Americanism                               202

  XVI The American Capitalist and World Empire      218


PART V

THE CHALLENGE TO IMPERIALISM.

 XVII The New Imperial Alignment                    229

XVIII The Challenge in Europe                       243

  XIX The American Worker and World Empire          256




The American Empire




I. THE PROMISE OF 1776


1. _The American Republic_

The genius of revolution presided at the birth of the American Republic,
whose first breath was drawn amid the economic, social and political
turmoil of the eighteenth century. The voyaging and discovering of the
three preceding centuries had destroyed European isolation and laid the
foundation for a new world order of society. The Industrial Revolution
was convulsing England and threatening to destroy the Feudal State.
Western civilization, in the birthpangs of social revolution, produced
first the American and then the French Republic.

Feudalism was dying! Divine right, monarchy, aristocracy, oppression,
despotism, tyranny--these and all other devils of the old world order
were bound for the limbo which awaits outworn, discredited social
institutions. The Declaration of Independence officially proclaimed the
new order,--challenging "divine right" and maintaining that "all men are
created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted
among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

Life, liberty and happiness were the heritage of the human race, and
"whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it
is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a
new government laying its foundations on such principles, and organizing
its powers in such form, as to them shall seem likely to effect their
safety and happiness."

Thus the rights of the people were declared superior to the privileges
of the rulers; revolution was justified; and the principles of
eighteenth century individualism were made the foundation of the new
political state. Aristocracy was swept aside and in its stead democracy
was enthroned.


2. _The Yearning for Liberty_

The nineteenth century re-echoed with the language of social idealism.
Traditional bonds were breaking; men's minds were freed; their
imaginations were kindled; their spirits were possessed by a gnawing
hunger for justice and truth.

Revolting millions shouted: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!" Sages
mused; philosophers analyzed; prophets exhorted; statesmen organized
toward this end.

Men felt the fire of the new order burning in their vitals. It purged
them. They looked into the eyes of their fellows and saw its reflection.
Dreaming of liberty as a maiden dreams of her lover, humanity awoke
suddenly, to find liberty on the threshold.

Through the ages mankind has sought truth and justice. Vested interests
have intervened. The powers of the established order have resisted, but
the search has continued. That eternal vigilance and eternal sacrifice
which are the price of liberty, are found wherever human society has
left a record. At one point the forces of light seem to be winning.