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The Anti-Imperialist Leagues, 1898 - 1920
In Gamaliel Bradford's second attempt to organize opposition to imperialist jingo's in his native Boston, he was successful. Bradford organized a meeting at Boston's Faneuil Hall that instigated a "Committee of Correspondence" to find like minded Bostonians. That Committee led to the creation of the first Anti-Imperialist League in 1898. The Anti-Imperialist League, 1898-1899 refers exclusively to the New England movement prior to the national reorganization.
Faneuil Hall Meeting, June 15, 1898 (Boston, Massachusetts)
In Attendance
Committee of Correspondence (Boston, Massachusetts)
Membership
The Anti-Imperialist League, 1898 - 1899 (Boston, Massachusetts)
Membership
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The success of the New England Leagues, particularly the Boston League that boasted members such as Moorfield Storey, George McNeill, ex-Senator George Boutwell, and Charles Francis Adams spawned the national movement. League's organized in Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Northampton, Springfield, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
Northapmton Anti-Imperialist League, April 1899 (Northampton, New Hampshire)
Membership
The Central Anti-Imperialist League, April, 1899 (Chicago, Illinois)
Membership
Cincinnati Liberty League, later renamed Cincinnati Anti-Imperialist League, July, 1899 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Membership
American League, Philadelphia, summer, 1899 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Membership
Washington Anti-Imperialist League, September, 1899 (Washington, D.C.)
Membership
Connecticut Valley Patriots, September 5, 1899 (Springfield, Massachusetts)
Membership
American League of New York City, October, 1899 (New York) later renamed the New York Anti-Imperialist League
Membership
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During the autumn of 1899 the regional League's (particularly Boston and Chicago) reorganized the institutional structure created a national American Anti-Imperialist League that would direct the regional Leagues. Chicago was made the headquarters. The Boston League remained quite autonomous and renamed itself the New England Anti-Imperialist League.
American Anti-Imperialist League, October, 1899 (Chicago, Illinois)
Membership
New England Anti-Imperialist League, November, 1899 (Boston, Massachusetts)
Membership
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African-American resistance to imperialism, albeit rather obscure outside of the already established Anti-Imperialist League, was nonetheless organized. Dr. Jerome Riley attempted to form an African-American League (the Colored National Anti-Imperialistic League) in July 1899, but found more successful when allied with Chicago Democrats such as Colonel William Scott and Louisiana State Senator T. B. Stamps. Along with other Democrats they formed the League with the longest name, the National Negro Anti-Expansion, Anti-Imperialist, Anti-Trust, Anti-Lynching League combining African-American issues with the Democratic platform.
National Negro Anti-Expansion, Anti-Imperialist, Anti-Trust, Anti-Lynching League, circa February 1900 (Chicago, Illinois)
Membership
Colored National Anti-Imperialistic League, July, 1899
Membership
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After the failure to lobby the government on three seperate occassions (Treaty of Paris, Presidential Election of 1900, and the Insular Cases), anti-imperialists turned to a more social activism. The stories of atrocities coming home from the Philippines re-invigorated the seriously depressed members of the Leagues with a human rights issue.
Philippine Investigating Committee, 1902 -1903
Membership
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In 1904 due to a split in the anti-imperialist movement, the New England regional League became the national League and operated as the anti-imperialist headquarters for the remainder of the movement's existence.
New England Anti-Imperialist League, 1904 - 1921 (Boston, Massachusetts)
Membership
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Along with the reorganization of the Anti-Imperialist Leagues after the 1904 split, moves were taken to start a new organization that would appeal to Republicans, shed the association with the Leagues, and take a more positively defined position on foreign policy. Many within the Anti-Imperialist League were opposed to the establishment of new organizations.
Philippine Independence Committee, 1904 - 1905
Membership
Filipino Progress Association, 1905 -
Membership
Independence Committee (Joint Committee of New England Anti-Imperialist League and Filipino Progress Association), April 13, 1907
Membership
M. Patrick Cullinane, Liberty and Anti-Imperialism, May 24, 2009.
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