Dissenting Voices in America’s Rise to Power (review)

Other scholars have examined various aspects of the emergence of the United States as a global power during the nineteenth and twentieth century, but David Mayers provides a fresh perspective by focusing on dissent. He examines critiques that “dissenters within the responsible class” (1) directed against the pursuit of empire by the dominant American leaders. These “establishment dissenters” (ix) were not necessarily opposed to America’ss rise to power, but objected to some methods and costs of the endeavor. He notes, “The most stubborn line of dissent, with implications for today, has sprung from anxiety over the material and political costs of empire” (ix). Four different but not mutually exclusive strands of dissent—prophetic, republican, nationalist, and cosmopolitan—appeared over the decades.

Dissenting Voices in America’s Rise to Power encompasses major episodes in the creation of the American empire: the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the War of 1812, the Greek revolt of the 1820s, and Indian removal of the 1830s-which Mayers categorizes as expansion; the war with Mexico in the 1840s, acquisition of Alaska from Russia in 1867, settlement of Native Americans onto reservations after the Civil War, and Philippines annexation after 1898—which he categorizes as conquest; and the First World War (Armageddon), the Second World War (Axis), and the Korean War (containment)—which he categorizes as hazards. To provide the context in which establishment dissenters—members of Congress, military officers, diplomats, and cabinet officers—offered their criticism of current U.S. relations with other nations, Mayers offers a comprehensive summary of the official policies they opposed. Thus, the scope of this book is even broader than its focus on dissent. Readers will learn a great deal about views and behavior of those who created the American empire as well as of those who criticized them.

One of the major contributions of this book is its reminder that dissent has been a key feature of American history. As Mayers recognizes, it has served as an important corrective in the emerging American empire. It is an indispensable aspect of a democratic republic. Without open dissent by responsible leaders in the establishment—not just on the fringes—against practices they regarded as imprudent or morally wrong, this nation could not have been characterized as a free people. Another strength is his appreciation of the diverse sources of dissent. Various motives and concerns impelled members of the responsible class to voice their objections and alternatives. But this strength is also a weakness. Although Mayers seeks to identify dissenters as prophetic, republican, nationalist, and cosmopolitan, these labels were inadequate. Throughout his narrative, he often ignores the labels and simply describes the dissenters and their critiques. This does not diminish the quality of the book, but it underscores his difficulty in seeking to generalize about the nature of dissent in the United States.

General readers as well as scholars will profit from this comprehensive study of dissent. Mayers’ new book offers a fresh perspective on the mixture of democracy and empire—of freedom and conquest—in the national experience of the United States.