When did we deviate from the Founder’s vision — that we would be a nation that would abhor imperialism and monarchy, that would not go in search of monsters to destroy (John Quincy Adams) or engage in entangling alliances that force us into overseas wars and conflicts (George Washington)?
Brandan Buck (Cato Institute) and Andrew Day (American Conservative), join Trip the Beltway Fantastic this week to grapple with the idea that the American revolution established a republic, but somewhere along the line it veered into empire — the very thing that the colonists had declared their independence from in 1776.
Some say the country was always imperialist — expanding U.S. territory, driving native peoples off lands and eventually into federal reservations. Others say ideological turns and corporatism late in the 19th Century motivated the Spanish-American war, interventions in the Western Hemisphere, the conquest of the Philippines, and that’s when it became an empire. While anti-war movements on the left and right kept this reality somewhat in check, American elites became much more cleaved to a military-first, interventionist approach, particularly after World War II, which had given Washington an impulse to pursue and preserve American hegemony.
We also discuss evangelical protestantism in the 19th century, progressivism during World War I, America First and Charles Lindberg. Smart guys and a very smart, important conversation on this auspicious anniversary. Join us!
