Coby Patterson

Hist-0105-07 9am MWF

Paper 2

The Time I Spoke to the League

There I was at an Anti-Imperialist League conference in New York City, 1902. The room

was full of people. The League had called an important meeting to discuss how we were going to

carry out our agenda to convince our representatives that imperialism isn’t right for America.

“We hold that the policy known as imperialism is hostile to liberty and tends toward militarism,

an evil from which it has been our glory to be free…” (American Anti-Imperialist League) A

man said over the microphone. All the big wigs were here this time. I never thought I would ever

be in the same room as such prominent people, like William Jennings Bryan and Andrew

freaking Carnegie. They had me here really just as an anecdote. At the time I was a seasoned

Major in the Marines who sympathized with their efforts. After all I have seen overseas, I had to

agree with their stance that the United States had no good reason for its far-away military

exploits. Once the current speaker had finished I ascended to the podium as it was my turn. All

of the sudden, the room’s attention is on me, as I was to tell stories about my overseas ventures

and describe how US imperialism was wreaking havoc upon the world.

“The last several years I have seen many things across the Pacific and Atlantic. During

my times overseas I met many people and saw many lands and engaged in many acts of war on

behalf of our nation. I would like to share some of those things we you all today. In late 1987 I

was a Second Lieutenant marine in the Caribbean. We were told next year we would invade the

island of Puerto Rico as it was a suitable location for strategic naval operations and the Spanish
naively granted the locals self-rule. We landed and quickly took hold of the land. There was

relatively no resistance from the locals as they had no means. Once settled in, I was tasked to

guard the construction of a barracks on the outskirts of San Juan. It was at my guard post that I

met a Puerto Rican named Severo Tulier.

Tulier wasn’t amused at our presence and made sure us soliders knew about it. He said,

‘After nearly four centuries of Spanish rule they finally gave us our independence last year. And

I thought, wow, we will be just like the United States who won their independence from Britain!

Now we can finally become prosperous like they are! Then the very ones we looked up to came

and conquered us! Now I make 50 centavos a day, not even enough to take care of my family.

And if that isn’t enough, this is hardly even real money. Your corporations pay us in tokens we

can only deposit at their rigged stores! All the while you build a barracks of brick and mortar

while I live in a thatched house down the street!’ (Bitter Harvest)

I felt for the man, but there wasn’t much I could do for him. This was one of the first

times I had seen what I feel is the dark side of US foreign policy. Although I wrote my journalist

friend in the states who might want to hear this side of things. He decided he would come to

Puerto Rico and interview Tulier the next year to possibly make his perspective known.

The Marines had much to ‘accomplish’ so I didn’t have much time to stay in Puerto Rico.

My superiors thought I did well in the invasion, so I was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant

and was dispatched to the islands of Hawaii. I had heard that we had seized the Hawaiian throne

without firing a shot. They needed to move in troops in order to show strength and stability in

case of revolt. My regiment was to guard ‘Iolani Palace, which was the seat of Hawaiian

monarchy before we ousted the queen and set up the new American led government. The

dethroned Queen arranged a meeting with the new government in the Palace. I was lucky enough
to stand guard within earshot of the meeting. I heard Queen Lili'uokalani say something along

the lines of, ‘I solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the

Constitutional Government of the Hawaiian Kingdom by certain persons claiming to have

established a provisional government of and for this Kingdom… In order to avoid any collision

of armed forces and perhaps the loss of life, I do, under this protest, and impelled by said force,

yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall upon the facts

being presorted to it undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in the authority which

I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom.’ (Annexation of Hawaii –

Protest 10)

She chose to effectively sacrifice her people rights in order to preserve their lives, and

surely the lives of many of us marines for the matter. I found it noble that she would make such a

selfless decision. But she made it on the presumption that our government would feel a weight of

guilt for their rash action. Unfortunately, they did not. At least those of us gathered here do.

I continued serving our expansionist vanity abroad by as I was again dispatched to

another serious of islands. In 1899 I was promoted to Captain and was ordered to lead a small

regiment of marines to the Philippines. I saw much fighting while there. The Filipinos

relentlessly fought again American rule. We were given orders to take no prisoners but to shoot

all. Many regiments made a habit of looting villages after wiping out much of the population.

Many of my fellow marines compared it to hunting jackrabbits (Letters).

My hands are filthy from my time serving in the marines. I feel I committed many sins in

the line of duty, and in the name of ‘liberty.’ I implore those of you with resources to pull your

weight in this fight again imperialism, and convince America to cease becoming an empire.”
Along with applause I stepped down from the podium and walked out of the room.