This collection was compiled by Maria C. Lanzar-Carpio for use in researching her doctoral dissertation, "The Anti-Imperialist League" (University of Michigan, 1928). It includes a typescript carbon copy of the dissertation as well as three letters to Lanzar-Carpio.
A large portion of this collection (765 items) was given to Lanzar-Carpio by Herbert Welsh, activist and vice president of the Anti-Imperialist League representing Philadelphia. This portion consists chiefly of correspondence and documents relating to efforts opposing American imperialism in the Philippines. Materials include records regarding the Anti-Imperialist League's efforts to document American atrocities, especially the cruel use of the "water cure," an inquiry into the death of Private Edward C. Richter, as well as Herbert Welsh's 1903 demand for the publication of General N. A. Mile's report on conditions in the Philippines. Also included is correspondence regarding organizational matters of the League, fundraising, the editorial management of City and State, other causes, and personal affairs. In addition to Welsh's personal collection, interspersed are an undetermined number of transcripts made by Lanzar-Carpio from original documents held elsewhere (cf. her dissertation, p. 9-10 and 269).
Erving Winslow, Secretary of the Anti-Imperialist League, provided Lanzar-Carpio with the organization's Record Books in five volumes, as well as a collection of papers and correspondence (597 items). Correspondence concerns the activities of the Anti-Imperialist League, especially related to Philippine independence, and chiefly includes Erving Winslow's outgoing letters as well as letters to him from members of the League's executive committee, along with letters from members of the U.S. Congress; U.S. and Philippine officials; representatives of public interest groups and the press; and other papers.
The American Anti-Imperialist League was established on June 15, 1898 in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War to oppose the U.S. annexation of the Philippines and resist American imperialist expansion. The League was first founded in Boston with a meeting organized by George Bradford, and on November 19, 1898, the Anti-Imperialist Committee of Correspondence formally established itself as the Anti-Imperialist League. The League was headed by three permanent officers — a President, Secretary, and League Treasurer—working in conjunction with a six-member Executive Committee, as well as a large number of public figures from across the nation who were enlisted as Vice-Presidents. The first President of the League was former Massachusetts Governor, Congressman, and United States Senator George S. Boutwell, who would remain in the position until his death in 1905. He was succeeded by lawyer and activist Moorfield Storey. Erving Winslow served as Secretary for the entire existence of the Anti-Imperialist League, and was responsible for the practical day-to-day executive operations of the organization. Notable Vice Presidents included President Grover Cleveland, ex-US Senator and Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz, Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, and Samuel Gompers.
The Philippine-American War (1899-1902) spurred the anti-imperialists to fight alongside Filipino President Emilio Aguinaldo and Filipino revolutionaries in trying to prevent the United States from acting as an empire in the Philippines. The League did so by publishing and distributing anti-imperialist literature, investigating atrocities committed by American soldiers in the Philippines, and engaging in lobbying efforts. However, anti-imperialists were often ideologically divided: while some believed in the right of the Filipino population to self-govern, others did not believe in Filipinos' capacity to be saved. In the end, the League failed to prevent U.S. colonial expansion in the Philippines. With the advent of World War I, the League gradually dissolved until disbanding officially in 1920.
Sources:
De la Cruz, Dierdra, et al. "The Philippines and the University of Michigan, 1870-1935." https://philippines.michiganintheworld.history.lsa.umich.edu/s/exhibit/page/home.
Hispanic Division, Library of Congress. "Anti-Imperialist League - The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War." https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/league.html.
Lanzar-Carpio, Maria C. "The Anti-Imperialist League" (Dissertation). University of Michigan, 1928.
StudySmarter US. "Anti-Imperialist League: Definition and Purpose" https://www.studysmarter.us/explanations/history/us-history/anti-imperialist-league/.
