John Quincy Adams’ Anti-Imperialism Fourth of July Speech
by Alan Singer
On July 4, 1821, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, who would become the sixth president of the United States in 1825, addressed Congress on the 45th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Adams concluded by calling on the United States to refrain from involvement in foreign wars, much as George Washington had done in his 1796 Farewell Address. In 1821, wars for independence were continuing in the Spanish colonies of Latin America and by Greeks against Ottoman Turk domination. The Greek cause was popular in the United States, the American press regularly published reports of Ottoman atrocities, and although Adams did not mention it in his speech, it is very likely he was warning against U.S. involvement there. As Secretary of State, Adams, the author of the Monroe Doctrine against involvement in European affairs, pressed President James Monroe to maintain a non-interventionist policy as key to the survival of the United States
In the 21st century, the United States became involved in endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that destabilized countries and seem to have produced no positive long-term results. It funds the Israeli attack that is decimating Gaza and keeps supplying Israel with new weapons. In Ukraine, the United States and its allies have sought to block Russian expansion. But Ukraine’s demand that Russia return all occupied territory, including Crimea, as part of a cessation of hostilities is not going to happen and the war looks like it will continue indefinitely. I wonder what Secretary of State John Quincy Adams would have advised about the role of the United States in these conflicts.
Click here for the full article.
Source: Daily Kos