Faculty Publications

Religion and Foreign Relations

Document Type

Book Chapter

Journal/Book/Conference Title

The Routledge History of Religion and Politics in the United States since 1775

First Page

43

Last Page

55

Abstract

On September 16, 1898, Senator Albert Beveridge (Figure 4.1) delivered a speech entitled “March of the Flag,” which set forth his foreign policy agenda in light of the recent U.S. victory in the Spanish–American war. It was a liminal moment, with U.S. troops occupying several former Spanish colonies, including Cuba and the Philippines, and President William McKinley and his administration still seemingly undecided about what to do with them. Seeking to counter powerful anti-imperialist voices, Beveridge firmly embraced an imperial future for the United States, and drew on religious rhetoric to do so. Describing Americans as God’s “chosen people,” with a “heaven-directed” mission to spread their values and political institutions worldwide, Beveridge asserted that the United States must hold “any soil where Providence has unfurled our banner … [and] save that soil for liberty and civilization.”1 President McKinley echoed this language a year later as U.S. forces fought a war against Filipino nationalists seeking their independence, claiming that it was because of “the providence of God” that the Philippines had “been placed in the hands of the American people” and as such the United States must maintain control over the archipelago.2 At this pivotal moment in U.S. history, when the nation’s status and identity as a global empire solidified, religion played a significant role in shaping how policymakers understood the role of the United States in the world and justified imperial intervention.

Department

Department of Philosophy and World Religions

Original Publication Date

12-29-2024

DOI of published version

10.4324/9781003299721-6

Link to Full Text

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