The American Republic -- its Glories and its Dan
The American Republic is praised for its unmatched growth, vast territory, natural wealth, industry, inventions, free schools, and powerful system of government. Its people have developed mines, farms, factories, transportation, and communication until the nation leads the world in practical enterprise and can largely sustain itself from its own resources. Yet the Republic faces dangers. Foreign emigration is condemned not for its numbers but for the character of newcomers portrayed as clinging to old languages and habits, failing to assimilate, and including criminals, paupers, and the idle. The work also warns that great wealth without culture is producing an aristocracy that imitates Old World titles and seeks control of business, politics, and society. This latter danger is judged less permanent because, without entailed estates, death repeatedly redistributes wealth and power.
By Annie Wittenmyer · First published 1895 · Genre: Political Essay, Political Polemic, Social Commentary · 948 words
First lines
The remarkable growth of the American Republic is without a parallel in the history of the world.
A hundred years ago she was a feeble nation -- in her infancy, and scarcely recognized by the other nations of the earth. Now she stands foremost among the governments of the world, and _leads_ the nations in almost everything.
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Genres
- Political Essay — The work evaluates the condition, achievements, institutions, and perceived threats of the United States, advancing explicit arguments about citizenship, immigration, wealth, and national stability.
- Political Polemic — Its forceful, partisan rhetoric presents a strongly nationalistic warning about social and political dangers, especially foreign immigration and an emerging wealthy aristocracy.
- Social Commentary — The text comments on class division, criminality, poverty, urban life, cultural assimilation, education, and changing social conditions in the American Republic.
- Patriotic Literature — It celebrates American territorial scale, natural resources, industry, invention, public education, and governmental institutions in highly laudatory language.
Tags
American nationalism · late 19th-century United States · political essay · patriotic rhetoric · American exceptionalism · national progress · industrialization · natural resources · economic self-sufficiency · technological innovation · railroads and transportation · steam power
What this Textopian page supports
The American Republic -- its Glories and its Dangers is listed on Textopian as a speech by Annie Wittenmyer, dated 1895 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Speech
- Author: Annie Wittenmyer
- Date: 1895 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Political Essay, Political Polemic, Social Commentary, Patriotic Literature, American Political Thought
- Length: 948 words
- Structure: 1 section, 17 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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