Reading the Twentieth Century

Reading the Twentieth Century will be a valuable asset in any course on twentieth-century America. Looking at the century as a whole and identifying its common themes, Donald Whisenhunt has selected an extensive collection of thought-provoking primary documents. He provides brief, but highly effective, introductory notes for each and questions that will stimulate student thought and classroom discussion. There is plenty of substance in the documents to engage students in upper level and graduate courses. -- William H. Mulligan Jr., Murray State University This volume captures the width and breadth of the American Century. With this great collection in hand students will read original documents, selected with balance and integrity, highlighting important developments in the social conditions and lifestyles we all share in today. -- Richard R. E. Kania, Jacksonville State University of Alabama The meticulously selected documents presented here not only provide a rich, inclusive history of the great 'American Century' but also offer pleasant surprises, disturbing actions, and fresh insights. Together the documents represent a splendid cross-section of the 20th century American experience. -- Paul H. Carlson, Texas Tech University

Donald W. Whisenhunt is emeritus professor of history at Western Washington University, and the editor of The Human Tradition in America between the Wars, 19201945.

Prologue: Dawning of the Twentieth CenturyAcquisition of an Empire 1. Peace Is established; President McKinley Tries to Reassure the Filipinos: "Benevolent Assimilation" Proclamation of President William McKinley (1898) 2. Aguinaldo Protests the U.S. Claim of Sovereignty: "Aguinaldo's Manifesto Protesting the United States' Claim of Sovereignty Over the Philippines" (1899) 3. Aguinaldo Surrenders: "Aguinaldo's Proclamation of Formal Surrender to the United States" (1901) 4. The War Ends: "President Theodore Roosevelt's Proclamation Formally Ending the Philippine 'Insurrection' and Granting of Pardon and Amnesty" (1902) 5. Rudyard Kipling Checks In: Rudyard Kipling, "The White Man's Burden" (1899) 6. McKinley Explains His Dilemma: President William McKinley, Speech to the Methodist Episcopal Church (1903) 7. Senator Lodge Provides Justification for Taking the Philippines: Henry Cabot Lodge, Speech to the Senate (1900) 8. William Jennings Bryan Rebuts and Provides Another Point of View: William Jennings Bryan, Acceptance Speech to the Democratic National Convention (1900) 9. African American Soldiers Report from the Philippines: Willard B. Gatewood, Jr., "Smoked Yankees" and the Struggle for Empire: Letters from Negro Soldiers (18981902) Chapter 1: War and Peace Part A: World War INeutrality, Propaganda and Civil Liberties 1. Wilson Declares Neutrality: President Woodrow Wilson, Message to Congress (1914) 2. Wilson's War Message: President Woodrow Wilson, Address to Congress (1917) 3. Espionage Act (1917) 4. Sedition Act (1918) 5. The Committee on Public Information: George Creel, Extracts from How We Advertised America (1920) 6. The Creel Committee is Criticized: "Uncle Sam's Press-Agent," The Literary Digest (1917) 7. Charges of Treason are Questioned: "Treason' on the Street Corners," The Nation (1917) 8. The Nation Protests Arrests: "Civil Liberty Dead," The Nation (1918) 9. Palmer's Case Against the Reds: A. Mitchell Palmer, "The Case Against the 'Reds'" (1920) Part B: Kellogg-Briand PactA Search for Peace 1. The Text of the Treaty: President Herbert Hoover, Announcement of the Ratification of the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1929) 2. The Origin of the Treaty: Edwin Borchard, Speech to the Williamstown Institute of Politics (1928) 3. Questions Are Raised: Frank B. Kellogg, Testimony to the Senate (1928) 4. The Issue of Self-Defense: George W. Wickersham, "Making Real the Pact of Paris," The Century Magazine (1929) 5. Opposition to the Pact Appears: Edwin Borchard, "The Multilateral Pact for the 'Renunciation of War'," Speech to the Williamstown Institute of Politics (1928) 6. The Pact Prevails: United States Department of State Memos (1929) 7. Kellogg Still Has Hopes for the Treaty: Frank B. Kellogg, Speech over the CBS Radio Network (1935) Chapter 2: Affluence, Anxiety, and Hard Times Part A: Resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan 1. The Klan's Constitution (1925) 2. The Klan in Politics and Scandal: Alva W. Taylor, "What the Klan Did in Indiana" (1927) 3. The Klan Gets New Leadership: Hiram W. Evans, "The Klan's Fight for Americanism" (1926) 4. A Popular Writer Weighs in: Frederick Lewis Allen, Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s (1931) 5. The New Republic Explains Some of the Origin of the Klan: "The K.K.K.," The New Republic (1921) 6. The African American Press Speaks: Comment from The Union (1922) 7. What was Wrong with the Klan?: Article in The Nation (1924) 8. The Klan and Politics: "Casting Out the Klan," The Independent (1924) Part B: Bonus March 1. From the Military Point of View: General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr., The Twilight of the U.S. Cavalry: Life in the Old Army, 19171942 2. Hoover Responds to the Marchers: President Hoover's Statements (19321933) 3