The imperialist style of Henry Cabot Lodge

After joining the European powers in competition for colonies in the late nineteenth century, the United States entered the twentieth century as the overlord of societies in the Far East and Latin America. Much of America's presence overseas was formed in a burst of activity during the late 1890s. But that thrust met considerable opposition from Anti-Imperialists in America and from nationalists in areas dominated by Americans.; Although American overseas expansion appears minimal compared to that of the European states, it is a major issue in American history and in the history of the peoples that Americans subjugated. The expansionary activities of the 1890s divided the American people, left scars at home and abroad, questioned the nation's past and future, exposed the often tangled roots of American principles and actions, and, according to one's persuasion, constituted either a noteworthy aberration or a dramatic example of "imperialistic" continuity in American foreign policy.; At the center of the contention concerning American foreign policy of the late 1890s stands Senator Henry Cabot Lodge from Massachusetts. The formation of America's expansionist policy was due, in no small measure, to Lodge's political and rhetorical efforts. Throughout the crucial debates of 1898 to 1900, Lodge consistently argued for expansion. Thus, he became viewed as the leading spokesman for "imperialism" both within the United States and within the Republican Party. Yet, while arguing for supposedly "imperialist" policies, Lodge not only denied that he was an imperialist, he denied that the term "imperialism" had any meaning. Rhetorical discourse was crucial to the success of Lodge's policies. Yet, there has been no study by a rhetorical critic of Lodge's discourse--even though his discourse may well be a crucial key to understanding the debate over "imperialism." It is therefore, to Lodge's rhetorical discourse in the debate over "imperialism" that this dissertation is directed.