Mark Twain's Weapons of Satire
Mark Twain was the most prominent opponent of the Philippine-American War. In its annual report for 1910, the year he died, the Anti-Imperialist League noted that he "employed in the cause of Anti-Imperialism and in behalf of the Filipino those wonderful weapons of satire which were so absolutely at his command, and the members of the League were able to appreciate what is not yet justly understood: that, more than a brilliant humorist, he was a passionate and zealous reformer." What was "not yet justly understood" in 1910 remains so today. Nearly eclipsed by his deserved but overwhelming reputation as a humorist, Mark Twain's writings on the war are among his least known. His relationship with the Anti-Imperialist League has received even less attention.(1)The Philippine-American War, the United States' first protracted war in Asia, marked the beginning of what Henry Luce would later name the "American Century." When it purchased the Philippines from Spain at the end of the Spanish-American War, the United States held only Manila and its suburbs. The Filipinos, having waged a successful revolution for independence, controlled the rest of the country. To become a major power in Asia, with a naval coaling station in the Philippin
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 843
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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